The French Connection: Some Case Studies of French Influences on British Economics in the Eighteenth Century

Abstract

Towards the end of the first half of the century French influence was exerted on British economics from the remarkable group of financial economists France produced and more fundamentally from the work of the great Montesquieu, whose role in the development of political economy within a new secular social science was so extensive. The case studies presented help to capture both the changing pace, and the nature of, the substantial and varying influences French economics exerted on British political economists during the 18th century, the one century for part of which It can be said French economics dominated the subject.