On the Origins of Classical Economics

Examines the origin and early development of the classical theory of distribution up to 1767, stressing the concept of economic `surplus' as a key determinant of economic phenomena. 1. Introduction, 2.The Life of Petty in Relation to His Economics, 3.Economic Surplus and the Social Division of Labour, 4.Methodological and the Political Bases of Petty's Economics, 5.The Theory of Production and Distribution in Cantillon's Essai, 6.The Significance of Value and Parity in Petty and Cantillon, 7.Petty-Cantillon-Quesnay: the formation of the surplus approach, 8. Wages, Prices and Economic Surplus in Steuart's Principles, 9.Developments in the Theory of Distribution and Value, 1662-1767, 10.Adam Smith and After.