Friday, May 2, 2008

Backhaus: From Walras to Pareto

Backhaus, Jürgen G. and J. A. Hans Maks. (2006). From Walras to Pareto. New York: Springer. http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/fy0704/2006923764.html
http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0819/2006923764-d.html

Walras was the predecessor to Pareto as the chair of Political Economy at the University of Lausanne.

This is an edited volume that explores both Walras and Pareto, but not together. Actually, it’s quite strange. There is a useful chapter from my perspective that deals with Walras and philosophy of social science issues. In this chapter, the author, Jan van Daal, positions Walras as understanding that his general equilibrium model was an ideal-type model, and that there is a continuum that runs through pure economics, to applied economics to social economics and then through theories of family and government.

UPDATE:

From the van Daal chapter:

Walras separated his thinking on science into Pure and Applied. van Daal presents a 2x2 box with pure and applied on the x axis and nature/person on the y axis (person is then separated into person viz. nature and person viz. person).

He then situates Walras' main texts. Pure Economics occupies the box where Pure science and Nature interact.