The French Tradition: An Alternative Theoretical Framework

Abstract

This paper deals with the French economic thought throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. A series of distinctive concepts were developed to come to a clear understanding of the economic problems which the French authors were interested in. J.A. Schumpeter called these economists 'the French tradition'. The arguments presented in this paper aim at illustrating the process of construction of this framework of theoretical concepts which can be regarded as an unsuccessful alternative to the British classical economics. However, this fruitful view of the economy has left a legacy of important contributions to economic theory.

Keywords: Classical and Preclassical, Economic Methodology, Entrepreneurship, Production and Organisations

JEL Classification: B1, B41, M13, D2