Politická ekonomie 2012, 60(3):380-394 | DOI: 10.18267/j.polek.847

David Ricardo, Robert Torrens a autorstvo princípu komparatívnych výhod

Martin Grančay, Nóra Szikorová
Ekonomická univerzita Bratislava.

David Ricardo, Robert Torrens and the Origins of the Principle of Comparative Advantage

The authorship of the principle of comparative advantage is generally credited to David Ricardo. Recent papers published in scientific journals have cast doubt on this axiom and have debated roles of Robert Torrens, James Mill and John Stuart Mill in its history. We show many of the arguments used in this debate are unscientific and unverifiable. After conducting an analysis of the history of development of the principle we define the difference between minimum satisfactory and complex formulation of the principle. We come to the conclusion that the first satisfactory explanation of comparative advantage was offered by Robert Torrens.

Keywords: 18th century rule, comparative advantage, relative costs, history of economic science, economics of 19th century
JEL classification: B12, F10

Published: June 1, 2012  Show citation

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Grančay, M., & Szikorová, N. (2012). David Ricardo, Robert Torrens and the Origins of the Principle of Comparative Advantage. Politická ekonomie, 60(3), 380-394. doi: 10.18267/j.polek.847
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