Some of the finest essays in the social sciences, written by one of
the twentieth century's most influential and provocative thinkers
The Essential Hirschman brings together some of the finest essays in
the social sciences, written by one of the twentieth century's most
influential and provocative thinkers. Albert O. Hirschman was a master
essayist, one who possessed the rare ability to blend the precision of
economics with the elegance of literary imagination. In an age in which
our academic disciplines require ever-greater specialization and
narrowness, it is rare to encounter an intellectual who can transform
how we think about inequality by writing about traffic, or who can slip
in a quote from Flaubert to reveal something surprising about taxes. The
essays gathered here span an astonishing range of topics and
perspectives, including industrialization in Latin America, imagining
reform as more than repair, the relationship between imagination and
leadership, routine thinking and the marketplace, and the ways our
arguments affect democratic life. Throughout, we find humor,
unforgettable metaphors, brilliant analysis, and elegance of style that
give Hirschman such a singular voice.
Featuring an introduction by Jeremy Adelman that places each of these
essays in context as well as an insightful afterword by Emma Rothschild
and Amartya Sen, The Essential Hirschman is the ideal introduction to
Hirschman for a new generation of readers and a must-have collection for
anyone seeking his most important writings in one book.
