economists have persisted until relatively recently – diminishing ironically, only as development economics emerged as a sub-discipline in the post-war period.

This book reviews the history of economic thought to highlight these enduring developmental concerns in earlier economic discourses. This survey also shows that various schools of economic thought, over the years, have pointed to the role of the state in leading and coordinating economic transformation and progress. In the second half of the twentieth century, often static, abstract and formal approaches displaced historically informed and institutionally nuanced discourses. Thus, the narrow approaches of contemporary economics have marginalized greater appreciation of history and other social sciences.

In the first three chapters of the book, Erik and Sophus Reinert offer fascinating surveys of mercantilism, the Italian tradition associated with its city-states, and the later German economic tradition. Mushtaq Khan surveys the historical debate over capitalist transformation. Jaime Ros reviews the impact of modern growth theory on pioneering development economists, while Amitava Dutt considers the role of international trade in early development economics. Alfredo Saad-Filho assesses Latin American structuralism and dependency theory. Finally, Tamas Szentes discusses development in the history of economics.

Contents

1. Introduction
Erik Reinert

2. Mercantilism as Development Economics and Structural Change
Erik Reinert and Sophus Reinert

3. The Italian Tradition of Political Economy
Sophus Reinert

4. German Economics as Development Economics
Erik Reinert

5. Capitalist Transformation
M. H. Khan

6. International Trade In Early Development Economics
Amitava Dutt

7. The Rise and Decline of Latin American Structuralism and Dependency Theory
Alfredo Saad Filho

8. The Pioneers of Development Economics and Modern Growth Theory
Jaime Ros

9. Postscript: The Development of Development Economics – A Retrospective View
Tamas Szentes