From Marx to Markets: An Intellectual Odyssey

In this revealing and eminently readable book, Geoffrey M. Hodgson takes readers on an intellectual odyssey through his distinguished career and his work as one of the leading institutional and evolutionary economists. Depicting his life throughout the Cold War, grappling with the military and economic rivalry of two different systems and the threat of nuclear war, to becoming an economist in the 1970s, and his ventures into institutional and evolutionary economics. Examining the evolution of Hodgson’s thinking and citing the events and experiences that helped to transform his vision, chapters cover the impact of the Cold War and subsequent events on Hodgson's thinking. He summarizes his main written contributions, with suggestions for the reform of economics and the development of its theoretical foundations. The book also calls for the development of better theories and policies in economics, helping to yield more effective outcomes to enhance human wellbeing and build a better and fairer world. Showcasing some of the problems and potentialities of the discipline, From Marx to Markets is a useful resource for students considering, or having embarked on, the study of economics. It is also an essential read for academics in the social sciences and law.