D P O'Brien

A multi-volume work which examines key texts from literature, providing a useful resource for the study of the foundations of monetary economics from writers such as Ricardo, Cantillon and Hume.

A multi-volume work which examines key texts from literature, providing a useful resource for the study of the foundations of monetary economics from writers such as Ricardo, Cantillon and Hume.

Methodology, Money and the Firm brings together Denis O'Brien's most important essays on issues ranging from methodology to competition policy but is primarily focused on the history of economic thought, an area in which he has made a notable contribution. This two volume set begins with Professor O'Brien's work on methodology and includes essays which take their approaches from the history and philosophy of science as applied to economics, and from the role of theory and data in economics. Industrial problems are addressed in the next section, focusing particularly on competition policy but also covering the question of patents and the neglected contributions of Alfred Marshall in the field of industrial economics. Marshall's achievements are also a theme of the third section which deals with the treatment of the firm by economists. Later sections include discussions of money and trade, the history of English economics from Petty to the end of the classical era, and English and Austrian economics after 1870 with essays on Marshall, Robbins and Hayek. The book also includes a specially written introduction in which Professor O'Brien explains the influences behind his work.

In this reassessment of the 19th century monetary theorist and banking reformer, Thomas Joplin, Professor O'Brien sets out to place his subject in a new perspective. He discusses Joplin's role as a reformer and his relationships with fellow economists and explores such issues as the problems of paper currency, the principle of metallic fluctuation, agricultural prices and the monetary system and the structure of banking. The book should be of interest to anyone interested in the development of monetary economics as well as to economic historians.

A study of the work of Lionel Robbins, one of the best known and best loved of British economists during this century. It explains the elaborate underpinnings in economic literature which underlay Robbins's extensive participations in public debates in both the pre- and post-war periods.