Marshall and Schumpeter on Evolution

Book excerpt: This collection of essays offers a fresh and challenging interpretation which departs from the received views of two giants among the greatest economists of all times. Distinguished scholars of Marshall and Schumpeter engage in a lively discussion of their work and convincingly argue that, despite their differences, they shared a common drive towards a broader type of social science beyond economics. It is an intriguing account that will not fail to attract and fascinate the majority of readers. Maria Cristina Marcuzzo, Università di Roma, Italy Ever since the development of the theory of biological evolution in the middle of the nineteenth century, evolutionary doctrine has posed challenges to economics. These came directly from the work of Darwin and Huxley and indirectly through economic history and the juxtaposition of dynamics with comparative statics the approach widely adopted by economists by the end of the century. The eminent historians of economics, Yuichi Shionoya and Tamotsu Nishizawa, together with a distinguished team of specialists, have produced an important set of essays that examine the positions on evolution of Marshall and Schumpeter and the economists who surrounded them. This collection is a valuable contribution to the history of economics and is highly relevant to controversies that rage still in the economics discipline today. Craufurd Goodwin, Duke University, US Traditionally it was understood that while Marshall was the synthesizer of neoclassical economics, Schumpeter challenged the dynamic conception of the economy in place of the static structure of economics. While historians of economic thought rarely discuss the work of Alfred Marshall and Joseph Schumpeter jointly, the contributors to this book do exactly this from the perspective of evolutionary thought. This unique and original work contends that, despite the differences between Marshallian and Schumpeterian thinking, they both present formidable challenges to a broad type of social science beyond economics, particularly under the influence of the German historical school. In a departure from the received view on the nature of the works of Marshall and Schumpeter, the contributors explore their themes in terms of an evolutionary vision and method of evolution; social science and evolution; conceptions of evolution; and evolution and capitalism. This timely resource will provide a stimulus not only to Marshall and Schumpeter scholarship within the history of economic thought but also to the recent efforts of economists to explore a research field beyond mainstream equilibrium economics. It will therefore prove a fascinating read for academics, students and researchers of evolutionary and heterodox economics and historians of economic thought.