The Constitution of Political Economy

Adrian Pabst is a scholar in political theory and political economy, with a focus on the role of human dispositions, institutions, and the common weal. His publications include monographs, edited collections and numerous essays. He has held academic appointments at the universities of Nottingham and Kent and leads the public policy team at National Institute of Economic and Social Research where he develops policy proposals and briefs both UK government departments and the opposition. Roberto Scazzieri works in the fields of economic theory and political economy, with a focus on patterns of interdependence and the socio-economic structures arising from them. His contributions span monographs, collections, and journal essays. He has held academic appointments at the Universities of Bologna, Padua and Cambridge. In his capacity as National Fellow of the National Lincei Academy he has developed public policy frameworks and advised regional, national and international bodies.

• Introduction: rethinking political economy; Part I. Interdependence and the Economic Constitution: 1. Political economy in question; 2. Sociability and interdependence; 3. Association and the division of labour; 4. The constitution of the economy; Part II. Political Spaces and Policy Actions; 5. A political economy of the body politic; 6. Constellations of interests and institutional architecture; 7. Policy actions in an embedded polity; 8. Conclusion: the constitution of political economy; References; Index.

'Adrian Pabst and Roberto Scazzieri's sophisticated analysis combines deep knowledge of intellectual history with critical assessment of the methods of political science and economics. They offer a better way of understanding the complex interdependencies between politics and the economy. Both disciplines - as well as historians - will benefit from their call for a new approach to political economy that understands economics and politics as mutually embedded.' Martin Daunton, Emeritus Professor of Economic History, University of Cambridge