Among the book's six papers dealing with contemporary issues of food and agriculture, Nobel Laureate Robert Fogel discusses the implications for nutritional standards of a novel theory of 'technophysio evolution' and the Editor examines the postwar record of 130 countries in agricultural technology, prices and outputs. Five papers consider labour markets and income distribution - on the latter Thomas Piketty surveys recent theory. Broader social issues are taken up in three papers, led by Assar Lindbeck on incentives in a welfare state.