Check here periodically for additional readings, sites and pages related to our course (I will try to keep this page updated throughout the quarter) • On occassion, I may post required readings here as well.

READINGS ON LIBERALISM (added on April 29, 2005)

Students interested in learning more about comparative advantage should read the online article David Ricardo and Comparative Advantage on the NetMBA web site. There are also a number of online sources that provide access to the full-text of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. For those of you interested in learning more about Smith, there is even an institute devoted to his work, called, appropriately enough, The Adam Smith Institute. Another useful source to learn more about classical liberal ideas is the Ludwig von Mises Institute, which is devoted to the study and promulgation of classical liberalism, libertarian political theory, and the Austrian School of Economics.

READINGS ON MERCANTILISM (added on April 20, 2005)

From our lecture on mercantilism, we know that Friedrich List was a key figure. One of his most noteworthy books is the National System of Political Economy, which is available, in its entirety, online. We also learned that mercantilists are skeptical of powerful countries who advocate "free trade." Thus, it's no surprise that George W. Bush, like all American presidents, is willing to sacrifice liberal economic principles when necessary. Though no friend of mercantilist thought, the Ludwig von Mises Institute (a bastion of classical liberalism and libertarian thought) provides a nice discussion of the Bush administration's transgressions on free trade.

COMMANDING HEIGHTS: THE BATTLE FOR THE WORLD ECONOMY

Throughout the quarter, we will watch various excerpts from this six-hour PBS series. On April 5, I plan to show two excerpts on the Asian financial crisis. Chapter 11: Global Contagion Begins (7:55) and Chapter 12: Contagion Engulfs Asia (7:13). You can find links to both excerpts on the Commanding Heights website.

ADDITIONAL READINGS AND SITES ON MARXISM

Contradictions of Capitalism: An Introduction to Marxian Economics • by Lenny Flank • an online book that "is an attempt to begin an investigation of modern political economy using the Marxian method of analysis. It presents a comprehensive study of the development of capitalism, from its beginnings in the feudalist society to its modern corporate incarnation. And, since developments in the capitalist economies are inextricably linked with developments in the non-industrialized 'Third World' and the non-market 'Communist' states, these phenomena are also examined" • this book is included on the Non-Leninist Marxism Page

The Marxist System • By Charles Sackrey & Geoff Schneider • an introductory online book to the ideas of Karl Marx; authors purpose to link Marxian ideas to an understanding of contemporary economics

EconoMarx • a very simple web site devoted to Marxian economics

Marxists Internet Archive • the Marxists Internet Archive provides the most complete database of Marxism hitherto made. The archive is divided into three major sections: Marxist writers, Marxist history, and reference materials. The Marxist Writers archive holds extensive databases of documents, photos, and biographies on a wide variety of Marxists from Karl Marx and Frederick Engels to Che Guevara to Vladimir Lenin to Rosa Luxemburg. The Marxist History archive contains original documents on the Paris Commune, the early history of the Soviet Union, the history of the Spanish Civil War and the Encyclopedia of Marxism; which contains biographies, terms, organizations, events, places and periodicals relevant to the history of Marxism. The Reference Writers archive holds non-Marxist authors, from Adam Smith to Albert Einstein; Joseph Stalin to Michael Bakunin, and features a large database on Hegel.

In Defense of Marxism • another web site devoted to the study of Marxism; extensive listing of links and online texts

Historical Materialism FAQ • Frequently asked questions about historical materialism answered by Sam Pawlett

Historical Materialism and the Economics of Karl Marx Chapter 1. Concerning the Scientific Form of Historical Materialism • online article by Benedetto Croce

Materialism and Historical Materialism • by Anton Pannekoek (as J. Harper) • text was first published in english in the american journal New Essays (Vol VI No 2 Fall 1942)

Historical Materialism • another online article • by R.J. Kilcullen

Marx's Concept of Historical Materialism • an online article by members of the Marxist-Humanist Forum

ADDITIONAL READINGS AND SITES ON MERCANTILISM

How the World Works • "Americans persist in thinking that Adam Smith's rules for free trade are the only legitimate ones" writes James Fallows. "But today's fastest-growing economies are using a very different set of rules. Once, we knew them--knew them so well that we played by them, and won. Now we seem to have forgotten." What Fallows is talking about, of course, is mercantilism. Read this article for a useful overview of the mercantilist position, particularly as it relates to Adam Smith's argument for the free market • article first appeared in the Atlantic Monthly

The National System of Political Economy • complete text online

Between Karl Marx and Adam Smith: The Legacy of Freidrich List • online article by Gwydion M. Williams

ADDITIONAL READINGS ON LIBERALISM

Infant Industry Protection and Dynamic Comparative Advantage • an online article by by Steven Suranovic ©1997-1999 • this article offers a critique of infant industry protection, which is generally held up as one of the clearest justifications for protectionism and mercantilist policies more generally.

The Philosophy of Trade Protectionism, Its Costs and Implications • online article on protectionism by Robert W. McGee, Seton Hall University

ADDITIONAL READINGS ON DEVELOPMENT

A Guide to Literature on East Asian Economic Development • a very basic, but useful bibliography (sorry, no hyperlinks) to articles and books on East Asian development • not all cited references, of course, focus on the role of the state and neomercantilist policies in East Asia, but all the primary sources are listed • excellent bibliography for students planning to write or research East Asian capitalism

Liberalization, Globalization and the Developing Countries • short article on that questions liberal prescriptions for the Third World; author argues, instead, that what the exemplar countries of East Asia (Japan, South Korea and Taiwan) did was to implement what may be termed "strategic" rather than close integration. This involved varying degrees of integration in different spheres and over time, according to what would best serve the aims of national economic and social development. In short, neomercantilism.