The Economic Limits to Modern Politics

Studies the impact of the economic dimension on political issues and decision making.

John Dunn (Edited by)

9780521421515, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 31 July 1992

240 pages
22.8 x 15.3 x 1.6 cm, 0.27 kg

'This varied collection of essays on history, philosophy and economics deals at an extremely high level of subtlety and scholarship with both … the political limit on economics and the economic limit on politics.' Ian Gilmour, London Review of Books

The central problem of modern government and political action is how to choose and implement effective economic policies. For this reason, the economic considerations of public policy have assumed a more prominent place in contemporary political thought. Despite efforts among political scientists, economists, and sociologists to fathom the complexities of this added dimension, none of these solid sciences offers a satisfying approach to the problem. This volume attempts to display the historical novelty and intellectual importance of this dilemma, to uncover its origins, and to procure a remedy through a clearer and steadier focus. The book's contributors range from historians of ideas to economic theorists, who bring the approach of their own intellectual discipline to bear upon the issue.

Preface
Introduction
1. The economic limits to modern politics John Dunn
2. The wealth of one nation and the dynamics of international competition Istvan Hont
3. The political limits to pre-modern politics J. G. A. Pocock
4. The economic constraints on political programs Frank H. Hahn
5. International liberalism reconsidered Robert O. Keohane
6. Capitalism, socialism, and democracy: compatibilities and contradictions John Dunn.

Subject Areas: Political economy [KCP]