Overview
In this challenging book, the authors demonstrate that economists tend to misunderstand capital. Frank Knight was an exception, as he argued that because all resources are more or less durable and have uncertain future uses they can consequently be classed as capital. Thus, capital rather than labor is the real source of creativity, innovation, and accumulation. But capital is also a phenomenon in time and in space. Offering a new and path-breaking theory, they show how durable capital with large spatial domains - infrastructural capital such as institutions, public knowledge, and networks - can help explain the long-term development of cities and nations. This is a crucial book for spatial and institutional economists and anyone working outside the neoclassical mainstream. Academics and students of economic history, urban and regional planning, and economic sociology will also find it an illuminating and accessible exploration of time, space and capital.
Full Product Details
Author: Åke E. Andersson ,
David Emanuel Andersson
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Imprint: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 9781783470877
ISBN 10: 1783470879
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 28 July 2017
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
'In this age of specialization, this book is breathtaking in its success in integrating knowledge from not only the social but also humanistic and natural sciences. The authors have devoted decades in creating an inspiring study which helps us to comprehend how societies have evolved over the last five centuries. It provides novel perspectives about space and time in advancing new perspectives on economic development, systems of law and science, transportation and communication, and creativity. This book should be read by every scholar - irrespective of area of study.' -- Rogers Hollingsworth, University of Wisconsin, US 'Has humankind experienced material progress? To what extent does the economic theory we have help us explain it? These are among the Big Questions. The Anderssons address the essential questions with great flair. They know their history and they know their economic theory. They present complex material clearly and engagingly. All of this makes the book a joy to read. What a contribution!' -- Peter Gordon, University of Southern California, US
`In this age of specialization, this book is breathtaking in its success in integrating knowledge from not only the social but also humanistic and natural sciences. The authors have devoted decades in creating an inspiring study which helps us to comprehend how societies have evolved over the last five centuries. It provides novel perspectives about space and time in advancing new perspectives on economic development, systems of law and science, transportation and communication, and creativity. This book should be read by every scholar - irrespective of area of study.' -- Rogers Hollingsworth, University of Wisconsin, US `Has humankind experienced material progress? To what extent does the economic theory we have help us explain it? These are among the Big Questions. The Anderssons address the essential questions with great flair. They know their history and they know their economic theory. They present complex material clearly and engagingly. All of this makes the book a joy to read. What a contribution!' -- Peter Gordon, University of Southern California, US
‘I have found this book very stimulating. The interpretative framework proposed by the authors is useful and realistic, and the effort to re-interpret many economic theories challenging.’ -- Francesca Gambarotto, History of Economic Thought and Policy ‘I received your book and have already started reading it. It is magnificent! Bravo on this publication which I will continue reading with great pleasure.’ ‘I like books that have a mixture of the traditional and the modern and this has it in just about every chapter - Adam Smith alongside ideas from modern physics. I enjoyed it very much.’ -- W. Brian Arthur, Santa Fe Institute, US
Author Information
Åke E. Andersson, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Finance and Statistics, Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping, Sweden and Emeritus Professor of Infrastructural Economics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden and David Emanuel Andersson, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Centre of Commerce and Management, RMIT University, Hanoi, Vietnam
