The Essential Hirschman (ebook)

Argumento de The Essential Hirschman (ebook)

The Essential Hirschman brings together some of the finest essays in the social sciences, written by one of the twentieth century's most influential and provocative thinkers. Albert O. Hirschman was a master essayist, one who possessed the rare ability to blend the precision of economics with the elegance of literary imagination. In an age in which our academic disciplines require ever-greater specialization and narrowness, it is rare to encounter an intellectual who can transform how we think about inequality by writing about traffic, or who can slip in a quote from Flaubert to reveal something surprising about taxes. The essays gathered here span an astonishing range of topics and perspectives, including industrialization in Latin America, imagining reform as more than repair, the relationship between imagination and leadership, routine thinking and the marketplace, and the ways our arguments affect democratic life. Throughout, we find humor, unforgettable metaphors, brilliant analysis, and elegance of style that give Hirschman such a singular voice.

Featuring an introduction by Jeremy Adelman that places each of these essays in context as well as an insightful afterword by Emma Rothschild and Amartya Sen, The Essential Hirschman is the ideal introduction to Hirschman for a new generation of readers and a must-have collection for anyone seeking his most important writings in one book.

"Adelman . . . has done an excellent job of bringing together articles that express Hirschman's skepticism, as well as brilliant observation, often consisting of brilliant juxtapositions of unlikely sources. . . . [T]hose who do sink their teeth into this work will be highly rewarded."--Choice

Albert O. Hirschman (1915-2012) was one of the leading intellectuals of the twentieth century, renowned for his contributions to economics, the social sciences, and the history of ideas. Jeremy Adelman is the Henry Charles Lea Professor of History at Princeton University. His books include Worldly Philosopher: The Odyssey of Albert O. Hirschman (Princeton).

"A survivor of Nazi Germany, Albert Hirschman was an essential thinker--one of the very few best of the twentieth century. Wise, delightful, and full of life, he was incapable of writing a dull page. He knew what made people tick, and he knew what made societies work. This book glistens with insights, surprises, and paradoxes. Each chapter is a gem."--Cass R. Sunstein, coauthor of Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness

"Albert O. Hirschman's work should be rediscovered and studied by every new generation of social scientists for a long time to come."--Claus Offe, Hertie School of Governance, Berlin

"An excellent selection of essays including all of Hirschman's finest pieces."--Dani Rodrik, author of The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy0Introduction by Jeremy Adelman vii
-- Development --
Political Economics and Possibilism 1
Underdevelopment, Obstacles to the Perception of Change, and Leadership 35
The Rise and Decline of Development Economics 49
The Changing Tolerance for Income Inequality in the Course of Economic Development 74
The Political Economy of Import-Substituting Industrialization in Latin America 102
The Search for Paradigms as a Hindrance to Understanding 137
A Generalized Linkage Approach to Development, with Special Reference to Staples 155
-- Markets --
The Concept of Interest: From Euphemism to Tautology 195
Rival Views of Market Society 214
Against Parsimony: Three Easy Ways of Complicating Some Categories of Economic Discourse 248
Three Uses of Political Economy in Analyzing European Integration 265
-- Democracy --
Opinionated Opinions and Democracy 284
Reactionary Rhetoric 293
Exit, Voice, and the State 309
Morality and the Social Sciences: A Durable Tension 331
Social Conflicts as Pillars of Democratic Market Society 345
Afterword by Emma Rothschild and Amartya Sen 363
Acknowledgments 369
Index 373