Principles of Political Economy - A Classic Work of Economic Theory and Social Philosophy

Wilhelm Roscher's influential study of economics and society helped shape the development of modern political economy and the German Historical School of economic thought. In Principles of Political Economy, Roscher examines the foundations of economic life through a broad historical and social perspective, arguing that economic systems cannot be understood apart from culture, history, institutions, morality, and human development.

Originally published during the nineteenth century, the work challenged purely abstract economic models by emphasising the importance of historical context and social evolution in understanding wealth, labour, production, trade, and national prosperity. Roscher explores topics including agriculture, industry, commerce, population, markets, government policy, social organisation, and the relationship between economics and civilisation itself.

Rather than presenting economics as a rigid mathematical system, Roscher treats political economy as a living historical science shaped by changing human conditions and social structures. His work became foundational to the German Historical School and influenced later debates concerning economic policy, social reform, industrialisation, and the role of the state within economic life.

Blending economics, philosophy, sociology, and historical analysis, Principles of Political Economy remains an important document in the intellectual history of modern economic thought and nineteenth-century social theory.

Ideal for readers of economic history, political economy, social philosophy, nineteenth-century intellectual history, classical economics, and the history of social science.

Wilhelm Roscher (1817-1894) was a German economist and historian widely regarded as one of the founders of the German Historical School of economics. Rejecting purely abstract economic theory, Roscher argued that economic systems must be studied within their historical, cultural, and social contexts, helping transform political economy into a broader historical and social discipline.A professor at the University of Leipzig for much of his career, Roscher produced influential works on economics, history, agriculture, commerce, and social development. His emphasis upon historical method, institutional evolution, and the relationship between economics and civilisation shaped generations of economists, historians, and social theorists throughout Europe.