British Empire, Social Integration and the History of Economic Thought

Since the appearance of Adam Smith's Wealth of nations in 1776, many British economists have reflected on the costs and benefits of the British Empire. In the last 50 years, historians have undertaken considerable research on the Empire which has produced many new insights - yet they have not given much attention to the thinking of economists in the past about the Empire. The aim of this book is to fill this gap by considering economic thinking about the Empire from the mercantile period to J M Keynes.

In approaching the subject of the British Empire, this book highlights the importance of the social integration in the scheme of advancing the interest of the Empire. The book highlights a few dimensions of social integration: producing the political discussion and persuasion both in the parliament and also via the public opinion; allocating merits among the various ranks or interests; demonstrating the influential campaign which might inspire the national sentiments to unity and so forth. The volume composes of two parts; (Part 1) Territory, Trade and Social Integration of the Empire, and (Part 2) Negotiating the Strategy for the British Empire.

The book originated from a forum organised by the Japanese Society of History of Economic Thought. The collection brings together topics in the history of the British Empire to show the importance of economic thought to its changing nature."

Martin Daunton is Master of Trinity Hall, Professor of Economic History and Head of the School of the Humanities and the Social Sciences in the University of Cambridge. He previously taught at the University of Durham and University College London, before moving to Cambridge in 1997. He served as President of the Royal Historical Society from 2003 to 2008 and was a Trustee of the National Maritime Museum from 2002-10. He is now chairman of the Leverhulme Trust Research Awards Advisory Committee. He continues to teach, write and research in modern economic history, and is completing a book on the economic government of the world since 1933.

Yasunori Fukagai is Professor at Faculty of Economics of Yokohama National University. He had previously taught at Tokyo Metropolitan University. He graduated with a Ph.D from University of Tokyo in economics. His research interests are in the British empire and economic thought, the economic thought of Jeremy Bentham and wealth, population and civilisation in the stream of British empire.

Junichi Himeno is Professor at Faculty of Environmental Studies at Nagasaki University. He received his Ph.D from Kyushu University. His research interests are in social welfare economics in British New Liberalism, social evolutionary theory and eugenics, and the history of environmental valuation. ＂