The First Serious Optimist

Discover the intellectual biography of A.C. Pigou, a pioneer in welfare economics and spillover costs. The First Serious Optimist sheds light on Pigou's impact on the public perception of government's economic role and the basis of carbon taxes. Ian Kumekawa skillfully sets Pigou's ideas in their historical context and traces his evolution from a liberal bon vivant to a reserved but reform-minded professor. As a timely reminder of economics' ethical origins and intermediary role between the state and the market, this book explores some of the most important economic ideas of the last century.