|
|
This is a limited free preview of this book. Please buy full access.
Preface
My objective in writing this book is modest: to write a concise introduction to Thorstein Veblen’s economics that is easily accessible to non-specialists and students. I have had an abiding interest in Thorstein Veblen’s economics for most of my professional life. Occasionally colleagues and students have asked me if there is a book they could read to learn more about Veblen’s economics. The first time I heard the question I assumed that the answer must be yes. The literature on Veblen is vast. Surely there was something I could refer others to that would serve as a reliable and readable introduction to his major economic arguments.
But the truth is that precious little of the Veblen literature is written for the non-specialist. Moreover, much of what has been written focuses on matters other than his economics. The problem has been recognized for some time. In 1954 A. W. Coats complained that while much had been written about Veblen’s work, very little of it had to do with his economics [Coats, 1954, 529]. In 1977 Donald Walker repeated the complaint. He wrote that most of the articles and books on Veblen