How to Coordinate Economic Activities in a Social Order : an Essay on the Saint-Simonian Economic Doctrine (1825-1832)

This paper questions the contribution made by Saint-Simonism to the emergence of political economy at the beginning of the nineteenth century. We follow A. Blanqui’s view (1860) that Saint-Simonian writings constitute a key stage in the development of political economy. The paper will be organised as follows: firstly, it will examine the extent to which the Saint-Simonians offered an innovative perspective since they rejected the concept of natural order adopted by economists at that time in favour of collective socialism. Secondly, it will give an outline of the key concepts of Saint- Simonism that led to a re-foundation of economics. In particular, the Saint-Simon - ians did not accept that competition is the appropriate device for coordination in an industrial economy. Planning and credit are imperative to an efficient coordination of economic activities and of individual capacities.