Essays on economics and economists

"One of the most influential economists of this century, R. H. Coase has revolutionized the way economists and legal scholars understand the push-and-pull of the marketplace. Recipient of the 1991 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his seminal work on industrial organization, Coase, in this book, offers a broad view of economics by exploring the lives and work of major figures in classical and neoclassical economic theory." "In these fifteen essays on the history and philosophy of economics, Coase reflects on some of the most fundamental concerns of economists over the past two centuries: How do economists decide what questions to address and how to choose their theories? How do they tackle the problems of the economic system and give advice on public policy? In his distinctive, lucid style, Coase examines economic theory from Adam Smith to George J. Stigler and offers his unique perspective on the future of the field." "Coase contends that economists can still learn from Smith's work, but raises the important question of what economists have been doing since Smith's day. Turning to the work of another giant of economics, Alfred Marshall, Coase offers four biographical essays on