Rival Views of Market Society and Other Recent Essays

For close to half a century, Albert O. Hirschman has been known for his innovative, contributions to economics, the history of ideas, and the social sciences. Two essays in this collection explore new territory. The title essay distinguishes among four very different conceptions of the characteristics and dynamics of capitalist societies. A related plea for embracing complexity is made in "Against Parsimony", a wide-ranging critique of traditional economic models. In other writings Hirschman revisits his own views on economic development, the concept of interest, and the roles of "exit" and "voice" in economic and social systems.