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The Malthus versus Ricardo 1815 Corn Laws Controversy: An appraisal

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  • Salvadori, Neri
  • Signorino, Rodolfo

Abstract

The paper proposes a rational reconstruction of the arguments developed by Malthus and Ricardo in their 1815 essays, Grounds of an Opinion and An Essay on Profits, to repudiate and endorse a policy of free corn trade, respectively. Malthus envisaged defence and opulence as two mutually alternative options and, if required to make a choice, he had no doubt in choosing the former. By contrast, Ricardo excluded any alternative between defence and opulence: trade does note give a sustainable weapon to potential enemies of Great Britain whereas trade-driven opulence may give Great Britain greater means to wage a war.

Suggested Citation

  • Salvadori, Neri & Signorino, Rodolfo, 2013. "The Malthus versus Ricardo 1815 Corn Laws Controversy: An appraisal," MPRA Paper 50534, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:50534
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    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/50534/1/MPRA_paper_50534.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    7. Hollander, Samuel, 1992. "Malthus's Abandonment of Agricultural Protectionism: A Discovery in the History of Economic Thought," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(3), pages 650-659, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bellino, Enrico & Serrano, Franklin, 2017. "Gravitation of market prices towards normal prices: some new results," MPRA Paper 79297, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Malthus; Ricardo; Corn Laws; Coordination Games;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B12 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Classical (includes Adam Smith)
    • B31 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought: Individuals - - - Individuals

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