Sentiments and Motivations in Adam Smith and Vernon Smith

Vernon Smith (VS) discovered Adam Smith (AS) late in his professional career, and has adopted ideas from The Theory of Moral Sentiments to explain findings in experimental economics. Most important is the theorized link between moral sentiments and the evolution of property rights and law as foundations for commerce. VS's encounter with AS, while not new, provides a compelling look at the modern laboratory of social science through the lens of the Enlightenment, and cannot easily be encapsulated within a utilitarian framework. This paper provides an overview and commentary on VS's approach.     

Smith After Sen

This paper makes the claim that it is possible to distinguish two phases in the revival of classical theory during the twentieth century. The first phase was severely minimalist, and looked back to David Ricardo for inspiration, reinterpreting his work in terms of present day concepts and formal methods. The second phase, on the other hand, seeks an enriched present day classicism, and is appropriately inspired by the work of Adam Smith. It is argued that already, before the beginning of the new millenium, deeply significant work has been done which, once examined from the present point of view, can be seen to herald the arrival of elements of second stage classical theory. Thus certain contributions of Amartya Sen can be seen to cast new light on the work of Adam Smith, and to link up with the ideas of other theorists like Luigi Pasinetti whose work has had features characteristic of second phase classical theory.     

Adam Smith and Immanuel Kant: On Markets,Duties, and Moral Sentiments

This note points out a neglected parallel between the philosophies of Adam Smith and Immanuel Kant related to their views on self-interest, morality, and society. First, I explain the distinction between Kant’s perfect and imperfect duties, and how they result from his moral philosophy. Next, I summarize Smith’s two major perspectives on human behavior, as presented in The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations, and discuss the apparent conflict between them. Finally, I use Kant’s two types of duties, along with his concept of the kingdom of ends, to explicate my interpretation of the relationship between Smith’s two strains of thought. By explaining these dual aspects of Kant’s ethical system in relation to Smith, I hope to give a new perspective on the apparent duality in Smith’s thought, as well as help bring out the oft-neglected social aspects of Kant’s.     

Adam Smith and Noneconomic Objectives

This note looks at Smith's critiques of bounties (read “subsidies”) on exports. Smith's analysis of bounties foreshadowed the basic trade policy framework of distortions and noneconomic objectives. While Smith did not develop the theory of distortions, he captured the logic of the theory of noneconomic objectives and actually ranked policy alternatives based upon their relative social costs. Corden (1957 ) first ranked tariffs versus production subsidies within a noneconomic objectives framework, and Johnson (1960 ) first used the term in its modern sense, but the formulation of the general framework lies with Smith.     

Adam Smith’s liberalism

The Review of Austrian Economics - In recent years studies have appeared that highlighted Adam Smith’s interventionist recommendations. These opinions are not new. The exceptions to...     

Sima Qian and Adam Smith

In the ( Pacific Economic Review 1, 137–45), Leslie Young argued that Sima Qian anticipated Adam Smith's famous concept of the "invisible hand." While this point is beyond dispute, Young makes the additional claim that Smith's conception of the natural order was probably "imported from China." This paper demonstrates that Smith's vision of the natural order was not imported from China.     

Smith,Marshall and Young on division of labour and economic growth

The aim of this paper is to reconstruct the theory of division of labour and economic growth proposed by Adam Smith and developed by Alfred Marshall and Allyn Young. In their approach division of labour is the main engine of growth and plays a central role in capital accumulation and technological progress. We suggest that, according to their theory: 1) economic growth is endogenous; 2) it has the nature of a cumulative, path-dependent process; and 3) it can be described as a disequilibrium process, supported by competitive forces. We argue that these aspects make the contributions of Smith, Marshall and Young still insightful for the development of growth theory, even in the light of the modern approach of endogenous growth theory.