Political Economy: The Contest of Economic Ideas

Now in its third edition, Political Economy: The Contest of Economic Ideas is a fully updated survey of the political economy and its connection with social concerns. Moving beyond conventional treatments, this unique text offers a "big-picture" overview of the analytical tools and value judgments associated with competing schools of economic thought.

Featuring an exceptionally engaging writing style, this text makes the complexities of contesting economic ideas—including classical political economy and Marxist economics and neoclassical economies and neo-liberalism—clear and accessible to students. The third edition includes a new chapter on the economics of happiness and new sections on current issues like the global financial crisis, climate change, and "affluenza."