AN INQUIRY INTO THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF THE WEALTH OF NATIONS (VOLUMES 1 AND 2)

Παρουσίαση

First published in 1776, the year in which the American Revolution officially began, Smith's Wealth of Nations sparked a revolution of its own. In it Smith analyzes the major elements of political economy, from market pricing and the division of labor to monetary, tax, trade, and other government policies that affect economic behavior. Throughout he offers seminal arguments for free trade, free markets, and limited government.
Criticizing mercantilists who sought to use the state to increase their nations' supply of precious metals, Smith points out that a nation's wealth should be measured by the well-being of its people. Prosperity in turn requires voluntary exchange of goods in a peaceful, well-ordered market. How to establish and maintain such markets? For Smith the answer lay in man's social instincts, which government may encourage by upholding social standards of decency, honesty, and virtue, but which government undermines when it unduly interferes with the intrinsically private functions of production and exchange. Social and economic order arise from the natural desires to better one's (and one's family's) lot and to gain the praise and avoid the censure of one's neighbors and business associates. Individuals behave decently and honestly because it gives them a clear conscience as well as the good reputation necessary for public approbation and sustained, profitable business relations. (From the publisher)

Περιεχόμενα

BOOK I.
Of the Causes of Improvement in the productive Powers of Labour, and of the Order according to which its Produce is naturally distributed among the different Ranks of the People
CHAPTER I - Of the Division of Labour
CHAPTER II - Of the Principle which gives occasion to the Division of Labour
CHAPTER III - That the Division of Labour is limited by the Extent of the Market
CHAPTER IV - Of the Origin and Use of Money
CHAPTER V - Of the real and nominal Price of Commodities, or of their Price in Labour, and their Price in Money
CHAPTER VI - Of the component Parts of the Price of Commodities
CHAPTER VII - Of the natural and market Price of Commodities
CHAPTER VIII - Of the Wages of Labour
CHAPTER IX - Of the Profits of Stock
CHAPTER X - Of Wages and Profit in the different Employments of Labour and Stock
Part I. Inequalities arising from the Nature of the Employments themselves
Part II. Inequalities occasioned by the Policy of Europe
CHAPTER XI - Of the Rent of Land
Part I. Of the Produce of Land which always affords Rent
Part II. Of the Produce of Land which sometimes does, and sometimes does not, afford Rent
Part III. Of the Variations in the Proportion between the respective Values of that Sort of Produce which always affords Rent, and of that which sometimes does, and sometimes does not, afford Rent
Digression concerning the Variations in the Value of Silver during the Course of the Four last Centuries
First Period
Second Period
Third Period
Variations in the Proportion between the respective Values of Gold and Silver
Grounds of the Suspicion that the Value of Silver still continues to decrease
Different Effects of the Progress of Improvement upon the real Price of three different Sorts of rude Produce
First Sort
Second Sort
Third Sort
Conclusion of the Digression concerning the Variations in the Value of Silver
Effects of the Progress of Improvement upon the real Price of Manufactures
Conclusion of the Chapter
BOOK II.
Of the Nature, Accumulation, and Employment of Stock
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I - Of the Division of Stock
CHAPTER II- Of Money considered as a particular Branch of the general Stock of the Society, or of the Expence of maintaining the National Capital
CHAPTER III- Of the Accumulation of Capital, or of productive and unproductive Labour
CHAPTER IV - Of Stock lent at Interest
CHAPTER V- Of the different Employment of Capitals
BOOK III.
Of the different Progress of Opulence in different Nations
CHAPTER I - Of the natural Progress of Opulence
CHAPTER II - Of the Discouragement of Agriculture in the antient State of Europe after the Fall of the Roman Empire
CHAPTER III- Of the Rise and Progress of Cities and Towns, after the Fall of the Roman Empire
CHAPTER IV - How the Commerce of the Towns contributed to the Impovement of the Country
BOOK IV.
Of Systems of political Oeconomy
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I - Of the Principle of the commercial, or mercantile System
CHAPTER II - Of Restraints upon the Importation from foreign Countries of such Goods as can be produced at Home
CHAPTER III - Of the extraordinary Restraints upon the Importation of Goods of almost all Kinds, from those Countries with which the Balance is supposed to be disadvantageous
Part I. Of the Unreasonableness of those Restraints even upon the Principles of the Commercial System
Digression concerning Banks of Deposit, particularly concerning that of Amsterdam
Part II. Of the Unreasonableness of those extraordinary Restraints upon other Principles
CHAPTER IV - Of Drawbacks
CHAPTER V - Of Bounties
Digression concerning the Corn Trade and Corn Laws
CHAPTER VI- Of Treaties of Commerce
CHAPTER VII - Of Colonies
Part I. Of the Motives for establishing new Colonies
Part II. Causes of the Prosperity of new Colonies
Part III. Of the Advantages which Europe has derived from the Discovery of America, and from that of a Passage to the East Indies by the Cape of Good Hope
CHAPTER VIII - Conclus