''A Treatise on Political Economy; or The Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Wealth'' (in English), known as ''Traité d'économie politique'' in French, is an
industrial economics
In economics, industrial organization is a field that builds on the theory of the firm by examining the structure of (and, therefore, the boundaries between) firms and markets. Industrial organization adds real-world complications to the perfe ...
book written by
Jean-Baptiste Say
Jean-Baptiste () is a male French name, originating with Saint John the Baptist, and sometimes shortened to Baptiste. The name may refer to any of the following:
Persons
* Charles XIV John of Sweden, born Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, was K ...
.
The first edition of ''Political Economy'' was published in 1803. The fifth edition, published in 1826, was the final one within Say's lifetime. The sixth edition, published in 1846, with Say's final corrections, was edited by Say's eldest son, Horace Émile Say, an economist himself.
''Political Economy'' was translated into English "from the 4th edition of the French" by C. R. Prinsep (1821), into German by Ludwig Heinrich von Jakob (1807) and by C. Ed. Morstadt (1818 and 1830), and, according to Say, into Spanish by José Queypo.
In 1804, due to his opposition to
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
, Say left employment with the government of France. He then turned to studying industrial pursuits, specifically
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
milling in
Auchy, The plant was a spinning-mill with 400 to 500 employees, principally women and children.
Say spent his time revising ''Political Economy''. The volume had gone out print and the French government had denied him permission to reprint it. When the allied powers deposed the Napoleonic regime in 1814, Say published the second edition of ''Political Economy''. He dedicated it to
Tsar Alexander I of Russia, who had claimed to be Say's pupil.
[Richard Whatmore]
Ancients versus Moderns? The Politics of Political Economy in France From Rousseau to Constant
/ref>
In 1814, the new French government sent Say to Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
to study its economic conditions. The results of his observations during his journey through England and Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
appeared in a tract, ''De l'Angleterre et des Anglais''. Say's research on this trip led him to refine his principles in the third edition of ''Political Economy'', published in 1817.
Between 1828 and 1830, Say published his ''Cours complet d'économie politique pratique'', which was an expansion of ''Political Economy'' to practical applications.
References
Further reading
*.
External links
The Sixth edition of Say's Political Economy
at McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought
Classical economics books
Political economy
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