Continental Proto-Marginalists
(See also the British Anti-Classicals)
18th Century Enlightenment Proto-Marginalists
- Anne-Robert Jacques Turgot, 1727-1781.
19th Century French Proto-Marginalists
- Achylle-Nicolas Isnard, 1749-1803.
- Nicolas-François Canard, 1750-1833.
- Antoine Augustin Cournot,
1801-1877.
- Arsène Jules Étienne Dupuit,
1804-1866.
- Antoine-Auguste Walras
, 1801-1866.
- De la nature de la richesse et de l'origine de la valeur, 1831.
- "Considérations sur la mesure de la valeur et
sur la fonction de métaux precieux", 1836, Revue mensuelle d'économie
politique,
Vol. 5, p.243-74 (Part 1) and p.312-341
(Part 2).
- Theorie de la Richesse Sociale, 1849.
- Esquisse d'une Théorie de la Richesse, 1863.
- The highly influential father of Léon Walras,
Auguste Walras told his son to make rareté (scarcity) and utility the
source of value and encouraged him in the use of mathematical tools. His own efforts in
that regard did not extend beyond a skecth of a theory which Leon Walras was to draw upon.
His policy stance on land nationalization was also adopted by the young
Walras.
19th Century German Proto-Marginalists
- Karl Heinrich Rau,
1792-1870
- Friedrich B.W. Hermann
, 1795-1868.
- Staatswirtschaftliche Untersuchungen, 1832.
- German economist who developed an early supply-demand theory. Purportedly, highly
influential upon Menger.
- Hermann Heinrich Gossen,
1810-1858.
Hans Karl Emil von Mangoldt,
1824-68.
- Die Lehre vom Unternehmergewinn, 1855.
- Grundriss der Volkswirtschaftsleher, 1863.
- The quintissential "protomarginalist", his theory of international trade and
his development of "offer curves" and multiple exchange equilibrium were to
become part of the Neoclassical literature. Magoldt's works were ignored in his German
homeland, but were taken up instead, with generous acknowledgements, by Marshall and Edgeworth.
Resources on the Continental Proto-Marginalists