The People's Economics

When compared to Fantastic Voyage the title shows the move away from what path we need to follow to live longer, and towards the idea of some abstract future state

Arthur Ransome tells the story of a former factory owner, known as Uncle. Following the revolution he the idea of common ownership, and put plenty of effort into keeping the factory production going in difficult times — this was a time of great shortages. The communist rulers would have none of this...

A chapter looking at Marx's shortcomings is followed by one looking at the work Alfred Marshal. Nasar doesn't do so explicitly, but one can't help comparing the two.

We hear of how the British always claimed to be acting according to free-market principles, but that their military control meant that they could compel farmers to grow opium on terms set by the British.

Businessmen are persuading the government to pass an act creating a Muffin Monopoly. Was Dickens more in favour of the free market than people think?

The hero has made his money in what was considered an honourable way — the spoils of war. (The British government would give 'prize money' to naval officers for capturing an enemy ship). Being a naval officer had another advantage — it gave you a title. In the book anyone who is just plain Mr., who ...

The top down nature of early societies meant that there was a class which carried on more or less as normal even if there was widespread famine.

Is it a myth that Adam Smith promoted selfishness?

Adam, Adam, Adam Smith,

John North describes the astronomical clock built at St. Alban's abbey. How did the abbey pay for such a feat of engineering? One important source of funds was the monopoly on milling wheat. Farmers might find it cheaper to build their own hand-mills, but if they did the abbot would send in the heav...