Rival Views of Market Society and Other Recent Essays

This volume contains 10 essays by Hirschman on economics, the history of ideas, and social science theory. It begins with retrospective papers on his views on economic development: the history of the concept of personal and societal "interest"; the roles of the concepts of "linkages" and "exit and voice" in economic and social systems; and the complexities of human nature as expressed in preferences and values, actions and activities, and love and benevolence. The title essay offers a wide-ranging discussion of four very different interpretations of the essential characteristics of capitalism. The final set of essays cover topics ranging from alarmist views on the crisis of the welfare state to an interpretation of the new democratic currents in Latin America. ISBN 0-670-81319-2: $18.95