Essays on Adam Smith

Synopsis

Features, facts and highlights
The first issue the author emphasizes on is the connection between poverty and inequality. Adam Smith was of the view that poverty cannot be divorced from inequality. The author suggests that this could be the missing link in formulating policies that effectively eradicate poverty. The author also mentions the idea of ‘prodigals and projectors’ who Jeremy Bentham dismissed as innovators. Adam Smith warned that since these people are often left to their own devices, they could disrupt market operations. The author avers that such persons could have led to the global financial crisis.
The second Continue reading...

Invisible hand concept

A great economist, philosopher, scholar and researcher Adam Smith passed this world a few centuries ago and left us quite controversial matters to be discussed and clarified. Famous and prominent scholars tend to leave us certain mysteries for this world to wonder.

In his book “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations”, Adam Smith asserts:

“Every individual is continually exerting himself to find out the most advantageous employment for whatever capital he can command. It is his own advantage, indeed, and not that of the society, which he has in view. But the study of his own advantage naturally, or rather necessarily, leads him to prefer that employment which is most advantageous Continue reading...

Research Paper

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Final Research Paper
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Economic Thought

1. Ibn Khaldun in his work The Muqaddimah has as a central organizing principle for society. His concept of Asabiyyah, or social cohesion, refers to the social bonds that form as a result of divisions of labor. Explain how this principle is derived from this “division of labor.” 
Prolegomena is a book written by North African Muslim historian, Ibn Khaldun in 1377 which records an early view of universal history. Called “Muqaddimah” the Continue reading...

Introduction

In the second half of XX century a trend towards scaling up and strengthening the role of the state in the economic sphere. At the same time it is recognized that the highest efficiency is achieved in a competitive market mechanism. Therefore, the state aims to not adjust the market mechanism, and to create conditions for its free operation, providing a high level of competition. Competition should be wherever possible regulatory influence of the state, and wherever it is needed. Most economists converge in the understanding that the "invisible hand of the market" is required to be supplemented by Continue reading...

Adam smith was a moral philosopher and a political economist who made significant contributions in various theories of philosophy, as well as economics. His contributions play a crucial role in the modern scholars and learners as they are used as the basis of reference. The economist as well as a philosopher was a university lecturer where most of his research work was conducted. Smith conducted a research on the nature of the wealth of individuals and moral conditions of individuals publishing two books namely, the theory of moral sentiments in the year 1959, and an inquiry into the nature Continue reading...

The idea behind the diamond-water paradox starts with the concept of value. According to Adam Smith, value can be defined to mean the “value in use” or “value in exchange”. Those that have the greatest value in use will have the smallest value in exchange. In the same way, those that have the greatest value in exchange will have the smallest value in use. As such, we possess things of high value in use to acquire those things with high value in exchange and vice versa. For example, water has a very high value in use while diamond has Continue reading...

Is the Das Adam Smith Problem Relevant Today? An Assessment of the Modern Economic Conception of Agency for Understanding Human Conduct in General and Moral Conduct In Particular

An Assessment of the Modern Economic Conception of Agency for Understanding Human Conduct in General and Moral Conduct In Particular
Adam Smith
Adam Smith was a Scottish political economist, born in June 5, 1723. He is one of the most renowned political economist, lecturer and essayist. Adam Smith is known for his contributions to the field of politics, economy and moral philosophy, having written two of the most revered books during Continue reading...

Introduction

In this research paper, concept of Division of labor by Adam Smith is critically evaluated. The concept itself is briefed clearly and precisely. Complex dimensions of Division of labor are seen in detail with including the drawbacks. Real implications in the today’s world are also seen with having examples of institutes and countries where the concept of specialization is applied. There are several benefits related to division of labor or specializations are included in this paper along with the proposed benefits from the author of concept Adam Smith himself. At the end, evaluation of two countries, Germany and Continue reading...

Introduction

Classical economists have emerged since the middle ages. This paper will focus on the ideas and principles which were proposed or invented by Adam Smith, one of the most famous classical economists during his time. The focus of this paper will revolve on the question “What were Smith’s contributions to the global economy during his time until now?” The paper will also focus on the significance and effects of Adam Smith’s theories and ideas about economics. Experts in the subject of economics would often say that classical economics started with Adam Smith. Other British classical economist like Continue reading...

The concepts that used in economics are quite varied both in approach and areas that they seek to address. Each of the theories defined in economics has a distinct feature that defines its application. The Labor theory of value is one example of such economic theories. The theory stipulates that the value of commodities is closely linked to the labor that had to be used in producing the commodity. Several economists have provided different in-depth analysis of their understanding and assertion of the concept of labor theory of value. The most prominent of these economists was the 18th century Continue reading...

Is Smith, Leon and Keynes Contributions Relevant in Today’s Market Concept?

Abstract
This study involves studying, investigating, and analyzing various economic theories, how they relate to each other, and their relevance to modern market concept. The contributions of economic thinkers like Adam Smith, Leon Walras, David Ricardo, John Stuart Mill, Thomas Malthus, Jean-Baptiste Say, and John Maynard Keynes played a lot on what we have today. As the world of market and economics continues to be more complex, some of the ideas of these great economists have ceased to be operational. It all started with classical economics. The Era of “The Wealth of Nation” by Adam Smith in 1776 marks Continue reading...

Assignment:

Many contributions have been made to the sources of wealth of nations. In this category the most prominent contributors are the thoughts of mercantilists and Adam smith.
Going first with the mercantilist believes; mercantilism was a word coined by Marquis de mirabeau in 1763 where the phrase merx meant commodity and mercari meant to run to trade. Mercantilist were distinguished men of though who existed in Ancient Europe, in their view for trade they believed that trade was fixed and finite and for such every economy should strive to attain power to control trade. They believed that wealth of Continue reading...

Economics is a social science that is chiefly concerned with how firms, individuals and governments make choices regarding the allocation of their limited resources towards the satisfaction of unlimited wants. Economics is thus a mechanism for the allocation of limited resources among competing wants with the firms, households and the government as decision makers. A market refers to that set up that facilitates acquisition of information by buyers and sellers and enables them carry out business activities with one another.

An economy refers to a social system made up of households as well as firms that are involved in Continue reading...

Adam Smith was the first economist to claim that self-interest was the primary human motivator. Perhaps, one of the most famous quotes from the “Wealth of Nations” suggests that “it is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest” (Smith ). Self-interest, according to Smith, guides the consumer response to price changes and wage adjustment , while producers pursue self-interest in maximizing profits and altering supply level based on the market conditions. The self-interest, therefore, maintains equilibrium in the economic lives of nations, fostering Continue reading...

1. Adam Smith and Karl Marx were perhaps the most well-known economists of their time, however, their viewpoints on economics and economic development differed to a great extent. Adam Smith is most famous as a founder of the Classical Economics and a strong supporter of economic freedom and trade. Unlike mercantilists, Adam Smith tried to establish principles, which could benefit the whole nation, rather than some individuals. In his book “Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations” he introduces the term “system of natural liberty”, which is equivalent to the current definition of capitalism. According to Smith economic freedom is a prerequisite for competitiveness and prosperity. He considered all kinds of interventions into the mechanism of the market unfavourable, since they destroyed the balance, which was established by the so called “invisible hand”. People in a free market were assumed to make rational decisions, which were based on self-interest (Twigg).

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The gospel of the self-regulating market dominates political and economic debates of our time. The belief that government should play a limited role in the economy has a long history that dates back to the days of Adam Smith, the father of homo economicus. This paper argues that despite contrary opinions from scholars and policymakers, the state has always played an active role in the economy evidenced by the work of classical political economy theorists. At the center of the argument is Karl Polanyi’s defense of the state in The Great Transformation. The paper further explores Adam Smith, Continue reading...

Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Thomas Robert Malthus

Abstract
In this paper, we have combined the classical analysis of development and growth with that of luxury consumption. We have also focused on the role played by landlords and labors in the classical economic theories. We have also discussed the other classical economic factors like property rights and contractual agreements in determining fresh investments in agriculture and consumption/growth patterns. Further, we discussed the classical consumption and growth theory of Smith and how that is different from that of the more neo-classical economists like Ricardo and Malthus. The paper also discussed the supply based economic growth model of Ricardo Continue reading...

Introduction

Economics studies the rationality of human beings. They maximize on deriving the possible benefits from a resource constraint. Economics covers a vast area. The broad meaning of economics gives rise to sub branches of economics. It may either be international economics or domestic. International economics involves both international trade and finance. It explains the patterns of transactions and relations of citizens from different countries and their consequences. International trade section of international economics studies the flows of goods and services from the international suppliers and international buyers. International finance focus on the effects of the exchange rates and capital Continue reading...

Countries trade with one another, especially to obtain goods that it does not produce, or even to offload any excess produce. There have been advanced several theories that that support the theory of international trade. The most common ones include Mercantilism, by William Petty, Thomas Mun and Antoine de Montchrétien model, the theory of comparative advantage by (David Ricardo model) and also the theory of absolute advantage by Adam smith. Mercantilism was the oldest theory that was fronted in relation to international trade, in the 1600’s ( Jones & Ronald,1987).
This paper attempts to explain the Continue reading...

Which is better?

The Presidential election is coming up so a lot of important subjects are being discussed. One popular topic is over the type of economic system that is best for the United States. The two most talked about are on the opposite ends of the political spectrum: the Capitalist Self-Sufficiency model and the Social Welfare Net model. Both models seem to have valuable characteristics.
For example a social welfare safety net maintains that to help people who have fallen on hard times is a good idea for the economy. When people are given some support during hard times it is Continue reading...

Summary

The book, “Adam Smith in Beijing,” was written by Giovanni Arrighi. In his work, Giovanni portrays how China has extraordinarily risen over the years hence inviting the reassessment of the concept of “The Wealth of Nations”. In the eighteenth century, Adam Smith made predictions that eventually there would be equalization of power existing between the West and the territories conquered by the West. The book vividly explains the growth of capitalism from the days of Iberian Peninsula, Genoa, Venice, the Dutch Empire, the Spanish empire to today’s United States. Thus, the book provides a detailed explanation of the Continue reading...

Introduction

History of Economic Thought is a subject which is has a critical account of development of all emerging economic ideas, seeking for their originsand, in most cases, trying to figure out their results.The history of economic thought is concerned with thinkers and theoriesin the fields of political economy as well as general economics from the far past ranging to the immediate present (Roll 1996, p23).The broad subject of economics was considered as a distinct discipline until the 19thcentury.
For instance, the ancient Greek philosopher named Aristotle, in one of his works on ethics and politics thought about the ‘ Continue reading...

The economy of the modern world reflects the two prominent theories of Adam Smith and Karl Marx. The world economy currently marked with free trade which Adam Smith theorizes in his book, the Wealth of the Nation. A small part of the world, however, is in the close trade applying the principle of communism. The western part, for example, engages in a free trade or capitalism form of economy, while a minor part of the world is in communist/socialist state.
According to an online encyclopaedia, communist/socialist states include People Republic of China, Republic of Cuba, Lao People’s Democratic Continue reading...

Conservative vs Liberal Ideology

America is considered by many as the “Land of the Free”, wherein any person could practice his belief, ideology and affiliation without the need to fear the government from forced intervention. Civil liberties and human rights matter most for the Americans, especially under its Constitution. However, there have been chances wherein ideologies became the cause of conflict inside the country, which could be seen in the country’s two leading political parties: the Democrats and the Republicans. Conservatives supports the growth of capitalism and retention of traditional laws to sustain the growth of the country, while the Liberals support Continue reading...

The views of Adam Smith, William Petty and John Stuart Mill on Taxation

Introduction
Taxation has generated various views from different groups of scholars based on its intense and demanding nature of the subject. Definitely, taxation entails the use of existing state and government laws to impose financial charges upon individuals, which seeks to facilitate equal resource distribution1. As such, taxation usually occurs through the use of monetary terms whereby they are submitted directly or indirectly to the administrative forums. Arguably, taxation occurs as a way in which surplus produce is collected to allow for equitable distribution of already available resources2. Although taxation forms an essential basis for equal resource distributions, various Continue reading...

Does the concept of invisible hand play an important role in science?

Science is an explanation of human life by giving evidence of natural phenomena, and human causes in the earth we live in. Sciences are of two types, there are the human sciences and the natural sciences. Human or social sciences focus mainly on human behavior, how they react in different situations and their general lifestyles examples of this include sociology, psychology and law. Natural sciences deals with explaining the existence of nature that is beyond human creation, for example physics, and chemistry.
Science is based on explaining the universe by use of testable explanations and predictions (Feyerabend, Paul (1993). Continue reading...

Adam Smith

Adam Smith is a renowned economist who has accomplished three great things. The first great accomplishment of Smith is the definite substitution of income for the older idea of a capital aggregation of “treasure”. His second accomplishment is the use of wealth per head in lieu of wealth in the aggregate. His third great accomplishment is the approval of working, investing and trading for personal gain (Phillipson 21). Smith is a phenomenal economist who tried to show that there was one element at the basis of all the rest of the members of society, which is the competition. Although Continue reading...

Compare and contrast the Ideas of Liberalism and Marxism in Global Political Economy.

Introduction
The study of cooperation and conflicts between different nation states has been termed as the International Relations; the main purpose of IR had always been on the issues pertaining to peace and war in the region. Recently, in the twenty-first century, there has been a conscious shift from these issues to take into consideration the issues related to wealth and poverty; the issue of who is gaining wealth in the international system has been known as the International Political Economy. ‘Political economy’ was the term used for referring to the study of the general conditions under which the Continue reading...

- Mercantilism
What was the ultimate goal of the mercantilist philosophy and why this goal was considered radical at the time. What type of exports/imports did they encourage/discourage and what was the impact on the domestic working population?
The mercantilist philosophy was a policy that was enacted by the European colonists with the aim of increasing wealth in their country. Thus, the main way to increase their wealth was to entice its colonists to pay the supplied goods from the European nation using gold. This is because gold was considered more valuable than the colonists’ money. As a means Continue reading...

How will Starbucks maintain it?

Abstract

This thesis presents a critical analysis of the business situations faced by Starbucks Corporation over the years. It briefly analyses its business practices and the causes of its decline in sales. It argues how the company’s move to outsource some processes is ethical. This paper also looks at the sensitive side of outsourcing and argues how even the offshore outsourcing is ethical in today’s world of globalization. In order to present the arguments in favour of ethical outsourcing the paper also touches upon concepts in business economics Continue reading...

Abstract

The paper focuses on the development of taxation based on contributions of  Ricardo, Smith and Petty. They both developed the taxation idea from Locke’s theory of a single tax on rent. Their major contribution was on the incident tax, which demonstrates value system, power relations and group interests on taxation. Finally, the paper analyzes how taxation influences economic decision in the 21st century.

Introduction

The development of political economy in the 17th century was characterized by an effort to flee from Locke’s theorem that all taxes would eventually fall on the rent of land as well as his Continue reading...

Introduction

Manderville argues that “private vices” (or self-interest) leads to “publick benefits” (such as social structures like language, law and markets). This is because thinkers like Manderville posit that the best approach for running a society is to create and maintain a Capitalist structure where all members commercialize their effort and make the best of it in terms of profiting from their activities. This paper posits that the benefit of such a commercial society is that it enables people to turn their selfish and unsociable passion into good and positive things. The paper will evaluate this thesis in the light Continue reading...

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Essay 1

The Diamond-Water Paradox first appeared in Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (30) to illustrate the irony of value as seen by consumers and traders. It since became a classic analogical centerpiece among subsequent economists to explain their respective theories of value. This essay gives a snapshot of Smith’s original description of the paradox, followed by David Ricardo and Eugen von Bohm-Bawerk.

Adam Smith’s ‘Paradox of Value

So goes the ‘Diamond-Water Paradox’: “Nothing is more useful than water; but will purchase scarce anything; scarce anything can be Continue reading...

Since America attained independence, the realization of individual goals has remained key among many of its citizens. The clamor for ‘happiness’ as enshrined in the ‘Declaration of Independence’ was taken to insinuate that individuals could obtain satisfaction by piling stacks of wealth for themselves. The Constitution upheld the ‘Bill of Rights’, which safeguarded personal interests against violation by the central government. Decisions made by the Supreme Court in the initial years emphasized the enforceability of legally binding contracts. People who migrated into America had the notion that they would access the opportunities that came with the ‘land of new Continue reading...

The concept of ''liberalism'' emerged in the early 19th century in European political literature. For the first time this term was used in Cadiz Constitution in Spain in 1811, when a group of politicians defined the constitution drawn up by them as liberal. Later this concept was included in the English, French, and then in all the European languages. The term ''liberalism’' comes from the Latin ''liberalis'' which means freedom (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Today, liberalism is a complex system that characterizes the economic and political relations in the country. Initially, liberalism was a purely political notion; economic sphere, although Continue reading...

Introduction

In the essay we shall be discussing facts from the film, Casablanca that suggest that it is more of a love and romantic story than it has been thought to be otherwise. The movie has been considered by many to be a collection of movies. This is because of its historic significance and the fact that it combines a number of elements into one. The aspect of love and romance has been revealed in certain instances such as sacrifice and desperation because of love. The plot has been set in a country and place that was considered a haven Continue reading...

History Questions

The council of Trent was the most important councils in the history of Roman Catholic Church. It took place between the years 1545 to 1563 (Jedin, 2008). It was on and off three times between these periods. It created new rules for the church and eliminated vices that pulled the church down for example the sale of excesses and corruption. Other changes that took place included the holy mass, holy orders and clergy education, the marriage sacrament, and other decrees regarding the church. The council involved Jesuits, papal supporters, delegates of Italia, and even protestant representatives (Jedin, 2008). These Continue reading...

Book Review: The Wealth of Nations- Systems of Political Economy

Book Review: The Wealth of Nations- Systems of Political Economy

In Systems of Political Economy, the fourth part of his famous book, An Inquiry into the Causes and Nature of the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith is critical of the economic theories and policies of that time for being unfavorable and resistant to the development of the common people and their economic status. He criticizes the mercantile viewpoint that wealth is money, that is, gold and silver, only because it is used for commercial purposes, that is, to buy commodities and labor. This view made the governments restrict the Continue reading...

The Unintended Consequences by Wheelen

Wheelen calls unintended consequences to perverse incentives. The law of unintended consequences describes a particular policy that is formulated for solving the problem that may just make the problem worse. The law of unintended consequences is also a warning that government, society, and business always lead to the unanticipated as well as undesirable results or outcomes. By unintended consequences Wheelen also means that the acts and actions of government and people comprises of the effects that are unexpected or unintended. Human beings are considered as the complex living beings because they like to do those acts that make them Continue reading...

Hallstead, Ted and Cobb, Clifford, “The Need for New Measurements of Progress,” in Mander, J., & Goldsmith, E. (1996). The case against the global economy: And for a turn toward the local. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
Short synopsis of the article: The authors seek to discover why people and politicians are still focused on the obsolete economic measurement, GDP. Beginning by discussing the economic boom of the 1990s, Hallstead and Clifford explain that while Allen Greenspan was assuring the media that the economy was in great shape many Americans were wondering why they were working longer hours with seemingly Continue reading...