Political Economy and Industrialism: Banks in Saint-Simonian Economic Thought

ISBN-13: 9780415482660 / Angielski / Twarda / 2010 / 224 str.

Gilles Jacoud

Opis

The French philosopher and economist Saint-Simon (1760-1825) propounded a new political, economic and social order in which the quest for economic efficiency and social justice led to putting the workers at the forefront. On his death, his disciples worked to preserve his thought and developed it in numerous writings. This book explains why the Saint-Simonians could not be content with the existing economic and social order and how they planned to organise society and the role banks were to play in it. It contains a selection of old texts, written by the main Saint-Simonian thinkers, published in the press in French between 1826 and 1831, which show the Saint-Simonian conception of the organisation of society and the place allotted to banks. It is an indispensable reference work in understanding a current of thought which greatly contributed to the industrial expansion of the nineteenth century. This book will be of interest to postgraduate students, economists, historians and philosophers interested in the history of economic thought.

Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon (often referred to as Henri de Saint-Simon) was a French utopian socialist thinker.This volume presents a selection of texts in the English language for the first time which were originally published in French between 1825 and 1832.

In this short time, the disciples of the French philosopher and economist Saint-Simon developed a thought which found its inspiration in the new economic and social reality then emerging in England and in France. They drew up theories and practical proposals which combined the inheritance of physiocracy, the burgeoning political economy and Saint-Simon’s industrialist philosophy.

The main aim of this work is to enable readers to have access to this economic thought and to understand the central place this thought gives to banks, by publishing in English a selection of the original texts with an accompanying presentation and notes worthy of a scientific edition.

Recenzje

'Saint-Simon’s influence on socialist thought is well-known, but Saint-Simonian thought on banks has not been systematically treated in an English-language volume.  This book, which collects the most important works on banks by Saint-Simon’s followers, is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the development Saint-Simon’s ideas, and more generally, nineteenth-century socialist thought.' Randall G. Holcombe (Florida State University, USA)

Spis treści

1. Introduction by Gilles Jacoud. 2. On discount banks (first article) by Prosper Enfantin 3. On discount banks (second article) by Prosper Enfantin 4. Seventh session. Constitution of property – Organisation of banks by Saint-Amand Bazard, Hippolyte Carnot, Charles Duveyrier, Prosper Enfantin and Henri Fournel 5. Fourth letter to the editor of Le Globe, on our legislation considered in its relations with industry and property by Alphonse Decourdemanche 6. Political economy. The idle and the workers. Farm rents, rents of houses, interest, wages by Prosper Enfantin 7. Political economy. The idle and the workers. Farm rents, rents of houses, interest, wages (second article) by Prosper Enfantin 8. The idle and the workers. Political functions according to the idle. Political functions according to the workers (third article) by Prosper Enfantin 9. Political economy. The idle and the workers (third article) by Prosper Enfantin 10. Political economy (fifth article). Institution of banks by Prosper Enfantin 11. Political economy (sixth article). Industrial policy by Prosper Enfantin 12. Political economy (seventh article). Organisation of communes by Prosper Enfantin 13. Saint-Simonian policy (eighth article). Banks by Prosper Enfantin 14. Saint-Simonian policy (continuing article VIII). Banks by Prosper Enfantin 15. Tenth letter to the editor of Le Globe, on legislation in its relations with industry and property. Influence of the mobilisation of land and the foundation of free banks on social destiny by Alphonse Decourdemanche 16. Industry. Third lesson given in the Athénée hall by J. Pereire, member of the second degree, on 14 September last. On the progress of workers and the decline of the idle by Isaac Pereire 17. Industry. Fourth lesson given in the Athénée hall by J. Pereire, member of the second degree, on 21 September last. On the transformation of the present banks and credit securities by Isaac Pereire 18. Industry. Continuing the fourth lesson given in the Athénée hall by J. Pereire, member of the second degree, on 21 September last. On the transformation of the present banks and credit securities by Isaac Pereire 19. On industry. Article II by Olinde Rodrigues 20. Appendix 1. Chronological table by Gilles Jacoud 21. Appendix 2. Biographical notices by Gilles Jacoud

O autorze

Gilles Jacoud is Professor of Economics at the University of Saint-Etienne, France, where he is the Director of the Economics Department. He is the author of several books and articles on money and banking and on the history of economic thought.