Léon Walras, Economist and Liberal Socialist

This book offers an in-depth exploration of the genesis of Léon Walras's work and its impact on the history of economics. Through a thorough examination of both published and unpublished writings, correspondence, and personal notes, the book reveals new insights into Walras's intellectual evolution and his overall conception of economics. It traces the formation of his theoretical framework, the elements of his "political and social economy," and his aspirations for a "liberal and humanitarian scientific socialism."

The book is organized into five parts:

• Part I investigates the influences shaping Walras's thought, including his relationship with his father, Auguste Walras, and the intellectual legacy of Jean-Baptiste Say. This section also discusses Walras's views on the stages of historical development, reflecting on the industrial and commercial transformations of his time and his framework for categorizing the social and political sciences.
• Part II examines the development of Walras's general equilibrium theory, the role of free competition within a "pure economy," and the reception of his ideas in Italy and France. It highlights the historical and intellectual context surrounding his theoretical innovations.
• Part III addresses Walras's approach to the teaching of economics, with a focus on avoiding intellectual rigidity, particularly in France. It explores his work in social and applied economics at Lausanne and his efforts to shape academic resources, such as library acquisitions, to support this vision.
• Part IV critiques French liberalism, analyzing Walras's responses to figures like Louis Blanc and the Saint-Simonians, and discusses his editorial work with Le Travail, which advocated cooperative approaches.
• Part V highlights Walras's reformist ideas, including his vision for labor market organization, the state's role in land repurchase to replace taxes, the regulation of public services and natural monopolies, and his ideas on democracy, particularly his campaign for professional representation of interests.

This comprehensive analysis appeals to scholars and students of the history of economic thought and anyone interested in understanding the formation and legacy of Walras's work.

Chapter 1. Introduction. - Part I. Paternal Legacy and Formation of the Field of Political and Social Economy. - Chapter 2. Auguste Walras as a Transmitter of Ideas: From Jean-Baptiste Say to Léon Walras. - Chapter 3. From the Theory of Five Stages to the Industrial and Commercial Regime . - Chapter 4. Taxonomy of Sciences and Divisions of Political and Social Economy : An Attempt at Reconstruction. - Part II. Pure Economics and Its Reception. - Chapter 5. Genesis of a Masterpiece: the Theory of General Economic Equilibrium. - Chapter 6. The Conception of Free Competition in the
Éléments d économie politique pure. -
Chapter 7. An Early Reception of Pure Economics in Italy: The Correspondence with the Lombard-Venetians . - Chapter 8. The Reception of Pure Economics in France (1873-1926). - Part III. Reforming the Teaching of Political Economy. - Chapter 9. From Criticism to the Reform Plan for the Teaching of Political Economy in France in the xix
^th
Century. - Chapter 10. Teaching Social and Applied economics in Lausanne. - Chapter 11. Léon Walras and the Commission of the University Library of Lausanne: the Purchases of Books in Economics. - Part IV. Critique of " Orthodox" Liberalism and Empirical Socialism. - Chapter 12. Ideas and Men: Criticism of the French Liberal School . - Chapter 13. Criticism of Empirical Socialism : The Cases of Louis Blanc and the Saint-Simonians. - Chapter 14. Léon Walras, Paul Voituron and Constant Leirens at the Editorial Team of
Le Travail
: The Polemics on Cooperation (1866-1867). - Part V. Social Reforms for the Implementation of a Liberal Socialism. - Chapter 15. Organisation of the Labour Market, Labour Legislation and Social Insurance. - Chapter 16. Towards the Repurchase of Land by the State and the Abolition of Taxes. - Chapter 17. Public Services and Natural Monopolies: What Role for the State? . - Chapter 18. Towards a Political Reform? Universal Suffrage and Professional Representation of Interests. - Chapter 19. General Conclusion.