Wealth and Freedom An Introduction to Political Economy [Paperback]

Wealth and Freedom provides a comprehensive introduction to political economy for the student or other interested nonspecialist. The book explores such key issues as: the place of our economy in the larger social system, the importance of market institutions for individual autonomy, private enterprise as a system of economic development, poverty and inequality in market economies, global inequality, the limits of the market and the role of government. The book is distinctive in employing a rights-based approach to understanding and evaluating economic institutions.List of figures and tables; Preface; Introduction; Part I. Economy and Society: 1. The place of the economy; 2. Needs and wants; Part II. Capitalism: 3. Capitalism; 4. The self-regulating market; 5. Creative destruction; 6. Labor; Part III. Inequality and Difference: 7. The classical argument for inequality; 8. Income and productive contribution; 9. Rights and the market; 10. Poverty and inequality; Part IV. International Society: 11. International inequality; 12. International society; Part V. Individual and Community: 13. The limits of the market; 14. Private ends, public good; References; Index.