Sylvia Nasar: Charles Dickens, Economist (1/5)

1,935 views · Published 7 February 2012 · 5:44 · Indexed 27 September 2026

Channel: New Economic Thinking · 2012 · Film & Animation

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In part 1 of this INET interview, Sylvia Nasar talks about her book, Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius. She suggests that Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol was an early work of economics. Dickens realized that the old view of stagnant, persistent poverty didn't fit the dynamics of the real-world economy. In her view, A Christmas Carol was essentially an economic conversion story. Following through on Dickens' vision, Alfred Marshall would later introduce the idea of productivity growth as a driver of economic progress.

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