Harvard Economic Studies

This is one of the oldest and most distinguished of all scholarly series and has been published under the direction of the Department of Economics, Harvard University, since 1906.

Below are the in-print works in this collection. Sort by title, author, format, publication date, or price »

16.Cover: Industrial Restructuring with Job Security: The Case of European Steel

Industrial Restructuring with Job Security: The Case of European Steel

Houseman, Susan N.

Susan Houseman’s book presents some of the first hard evidence on the economic effects of providing job security, evidence gathered during the restructuring of the European Community’s steel industry in the 1970s and 1980s. The author reviews personnel practices by the Community’s leading steel companies, basing her analysis on extensive interviews with employers, workers, and government officials in West Germany, France, Britain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, and the Netherlands. Drawing on economic theory, she shows that the extent of workers’ rights to job security will affect how an industry optimally adjusts to a decline in demand and to a situation of excess capacity.

31.Cover: Karl Marx’s Interpretation of History: Second Edition

Karl Marx’s Interpretation of History: Second Edition

Bober, M. M.

38.Cover: The Theory of Monopolistic Competition: A Re-orientation of the Theory of Value, Eighth Edition

The Theory of Monopolistic Competition: A Re-orientation of the Theory of Value, Eighth Edition

Chamberlain, Edward Hastings

46.Cover: The Theory of Economic Development: An Inquiry into Profits, Capital, Credit, Interest, and the Business Cycle

The Theory of Economic Development: An Inquiry into Profits, Capital, Credit, Interest, and the Business Cycle

Schumpeter, Joseph A.
Opie, Redvers

Joseph A. Schumpeter proclaims in this classical analysis of capitalist society first published in 1911 that economics is a natural self-regulating mechanism when undisturbed by “social and other meddlers.”

80.Cover: Foundations of Economic Analysis: Enlarged Edition

Foundations of Economic Analysis: Enlarged Edition

Samuelson, Paul Anthony

A new Introduction portrays the genesis of this classic and analyzes how its contributions fit into theoretical developments of the last thirty-five years. A new and lengthy mathematical appendix gives a survey of the following post-1947 breakthroughs in political economy, in relation to the methodology of Foundations: linear programming and comparative statics; nonlinear programming, dynamic and stochastic; modern duality theory; the testable content of the neoclassical money model; probabilistic decision making, with new slants on the dogma of Expected-Utility maximizing; and portfolio and liquidity preference analysis by general methods that transcend mean-variance approximations.

89.Cover: Interregional Competition in Agriculture: With Special Reference to Dairy Farming in the Lake States and New England

Interregional Competition in Agriculture: With Special Reference to Dairy Farming in the Lake States and New England

Mighell, Ronald L.
Black, John D.

95.Cover: An Economic History of Sweden

An Economic History of Sweden

Heckscher, Eli Filip

Long respected as a classic in Europe, this translation is welcomed as the first comprehensive survey of Swedish economic history available in this country. Herein the late Eli Filip Heckscher discusses Swedish economy from the feudalism of the Middle Ages to World War II socialism.

99.Cover: United States v. United Shoe Machinery Corporation: An Economic Analysis of an Anti-Trust Case

United States v. United Shoe Machinery Corporation: An Economic Analysis of an Anti-Trust Case

Kaysen, Carl

Carl Kaysen offers a penetrating economic analysis of the issues in the civil antitrust suit brought by the United States Government against the United Shoe Machinery Corporation under Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act.

108.Cover: Canada in the World Economy

Canada in the World Economy

Stovel, John A.

114.Cover: Theory of Markets

Theory of Markets

Thin, Tun

Concerned primarily with oligopoly, this work includes a general study of pricing in three different markets—perfect competition, perfect monopoly, and imperfect competition. The solutions of these markets offered by Cournot, Smithies, Chamberlin, Stackelberg, Fellner, and Robinson are presented mathematically, followed by the author’s own version of the theory of rational pricing in oligopoly.

115.Cover: Trade and Economic Structure: Models and Methods

Trade and Economic Structure: Models and Methods

Caves, Richard E.

This comprehensive discussion of international trade theories focuses on logically distinct models of international trade rather than on chronology or “schools of thought.” The author gives primary attention to the differences in the empirical implications derivable from the “Heckscher-Ohlin model” and from the simple classical comparative models of international trade. He also emphasizes the recurrence of controversy over matters of aggregation, due to the lack of a common criterion, and the rich variety of model types that result from dynamic theorizing, discrediting the search for an ultimate dynamic international trade model.

116.Cover: British Monetary Policy and the Balance of Payments, 1951–1957

British Monetary Policy and the Balance of Payments, 1951–1957

Kenen, Peter B.

117.Cover: Investment and Production: A Study in the Theory of the Capital-Using Enterprise

Investment and Production: A Study in the Theory of the Capital-Using Enterprise

Smith, Vernon L.

121.Cover: The Theory of Trade and Protection

The Theory of Trade and Protection

Travis, William Penfield

How much does a country’s commercial policy affect its economic efficiency? How would free trade change the structure of a country’s economy and foreign trade? William Penfield Travis extends the Heckscher-Ohlin trade theory and addresses it to an empirical study of these and related questions. He argues that trade flows fail to reflect relative factor endowments because protection systematically nullifies their effects, and that therefore protection must be incorporated in any positive trade theory.

122.Cover: Competition in the Midwestern Coal Industry

Competition in the Midwestern Coal Industry

Moyer, Reed

123.Cover: General Equilibrium of International Discrimination: The Case of Customs Unions

General Equilibrium of International Discrimination: The Case of Customs Unions

Vanek, Jaroslav

124.Cover: The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups, With a New Preface and Appendix

The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups, With a New Preface and Appendix

Olson, Mancur

Olson develops a theory of group and organizational behavior that cuts across disciplinary lines and illustrates the theory with empirical and historical studies of particular organizations, examining the extent to which individuals who share a common interest find it in their individual interest to bear the costs of the organizational effort.

125.Cover: Secrecy and the Arms Race: A Theory of the Accumulation of Strategic Weapons and How Secrecy Affects It

Secrecy and the Arms Race: A Theory of the Accumulation of Strategic Weapons and How Secrecy Affects It

McGuire, Martin C.

Martin McGuire has written for the specialist and the concerned layman a highly original and valuable contribution to our understanding of the arms race, based upon economic theory in general and the theory of economic duopoly in particular.

128.Cover: Market Control and Planning in Communist China

Market Control and Planning in Communist China

Perkins, Dwight H.

In the first in-depth study of this subject by an economist, Perkins focuses on a major problem—common to all planned economies—that has confronted the Chinese Communists: whether to centralize all controls in the hands of planners, or allow factory and farm managers some degree of autonomy regulated only by the indirect pressures of the market.

129.Cover: Free Trade between the United States and Canada: The Potential Economic Effects

Free Trade between the United States and Canada: The Potential Economic Effects

Wonnacott, Ronald J.
Wonnacott, Paul

This is the first major attempt to estimate what would happen in Canada if all trade restrictions between that country and the United States were removed. Refuting a number of assumptions, the authors find that Canadian industries would benefit substantially, provided they seized opportunities to reorganize for the large North American market.

130.Cover: An Econometric Model of Canada under the Fluctuating Exchange Rate

An Econometric Model of Canada under the Fluctuating Exchange Rate

Officer, Lawrence H.

131.Cover: New England Textiles in the Nineteenth Century: Profits and Investment

New England Textiles in the Nineteenth Century: Profits and Investment

McGouldrick, Paul F.

This unique study determines, by means of rigorous quantitative analysis, how cycles in New England cotton textile profits, output, borrowing, and capacity affected investment—and therefore industrial growth—during the nineteenth century. The firms studied were transitional forms between owner-managed companies and the modern corporation. From primary sources, Paul McGouldrick has constructed standardized balance sheets and income statements for each company year by year. A painstaking comparison with a much broader sample of companies shows that trends and cycles in profit rates for companies studied were typical of the industry.

132.Cover: The New York Money Market and the Finance of Trade, 1900–1913

The New York Money Market and the Finance of Trade, 1900–1913

Goodhart, C. A. E.

The early 1900s U.S. saw considerable seasonal variations in the balance of trade, primarily caused by the annual agricultural cycle. This examination of the New York money market demonstrates that the frequent fluctuations in monetary conditions were caused by variations in the trade flows rather than capital movements by banks.

135.Cover: Capital Transfers and Economic Policy: Canada, 1951–1962

Capital Transfers and Economic Policy: Canada, 1951–1962

Caves, Richard E.
Reuber, Grant L.

136.Cover: Studies in Development Planning

Studies in Development Planning

Chenery, Hollis B.

137.Cover: Time in India’s Development Programmes

Time in India’s Development Programmes

Repetto, Robert C.

In India the high cost of savings makes the efficient use of investable resources crucial. Robert Repetto’s empirical study of selected Indian development programs shows that efficiency in investment depends largely on the effective management of time and on success in accelerating the benefits of investment projects.

138.Cover: The International Economy and Monetary Movements in France, 1493–1725

The International Economy and Monetary Movements in France, 1493–1725

Spooner, Frank C.

This volume makes available the first English version of L’Économie mondiale et les frappes monétaires en France, 1493–1680, Frank C. Spooner’s original and distinguished contribution to economic and monetary history. Generously illustrated with maps and graphs, and abridged by the author, this study introduces the English-reading audience to the methodological approaches of the modern school of French economic history. In this edition, Spooner covers an additional forty-five years not included in his original work: the period 1680–1725 which marks the prelude to the great monetary reform and consolidation of France in 1726.

140.Cover: Collected Papers

Collected Papers

Metzler, Lloyd A.

141.Cover: The Service Sector in Soviet Economic Growth: A Comparative Study

The Service Sector in Soviet Economic Growth: A Comparative Study

Ofer, Gur

The service sector represents a smaller share of the national economy in the Soviet Union than in other countries at similar levels. This gap is found in trade, in private and business services, and, surprisingly, in public administration. Gur Ofer provides a twofold examination of this phenomenon. He uses cross country comparisons to study the “normal” relationships between the size of the service institutions and economic development. At the same time he investigates specific factors operating in Socialist and Soviet countries, thus uniting the special Soviet case with general development theory.

144.Cover: Advertising and Market Power

Advertising and Market Power

Comanor, William S.
Wilson, Thomas A.

145.Cover: The Economics of Multi-Plant Operation: An International Comparisons Study

The Economics of Multi-Plant Operation: An International Comparisons Study

Scherer, Frederic M.
Beckenstein, Alan
Kaufer, Erich
Murphy, Dennis R.
Bougeon-Massen, Francine

This book examines the economics of multi-plant operation of manufacturing firms in national industries, analyzing the experience of twelve industries in West Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Canada, and the United States.

147.Cover: Government Policy and the Distribution of Income in Peru, 1963–1973

Government Policy and the Distribution of Income in Peru, 1963–1973

Webb, Richard C.

148.Cover: Employment Hazards: An Investigation of Market Performance

Employment Hazards: An Investigation of Market Performance

Viscusi, W. Kip

The safety of the workplace is now a highly visible public issue. Many want tighter regulation to reduce worker risk; others find government intervention ineffective and costly. Viscusi develops a theory of individual responses to job hazards under conditions of uncertainty in this exploration of how well markets for hazardous jobs actually work.

149.Cover: Essays in the Economics of Uncertainty

Essays in the Economics of Uncertainty

Laffont, Jean-Jacques

These three elegant essays develop principles central to the understanding of the diverse ways in which imperfect information affects the distribution of resources, incentives, and the evaluation of economic policy.

150.Cover: Competition in an Open Economy: A Model Applied to Canada

Competition in an Open Economy: A Model Applied to Canada

Caves, Richard E.
Porter, Michael E.
Spence, A. Michael
Scott, John T.

With the nations of the world becoming more interdependent, it is imperative to take international influences into account in understanding the organization of industry within a country. This book extends the structure/conduct/performance framework of analysis to present a fully specified simultaneous equation model of an open economy—Canada.

152.Cover: Vertical Integration and Joint Ventures in the Aluminum Industry

Vertical Integration and Joint Ventures in the Aluminum Industry

Stuckey, John A.

A consultant with McKinsey & Co. surveys the international aluminum industry and asks why its various activities are divided among firms in the way that they are. These components include the minding of bauxite, its refining into alumina, aluminum smelting, fabrication, and manufacture of the final product.

153.Cover: The Taxation of Capital Income

The Taxation of Capital Income

Auerbach, Alan J.

This volume presents seven theoretical essays examining the effects of capital income taxation on the behavior of firms. It examines optimal tax design, firm financial policy, and inflation. The essays demonstrate the powerful role taxes play in shaping the behavior of American corporations, and also provide insights into the task of tax reform.

154.Cover: Negotiating the Law of the Sea

Negotiating the Law of the Sea

Sebenius, James K.

The Law of the Sea (LOS) treaty resulted from some of the most complicated multilateral negotiations ever conducted. Bargaining produced a sophisticated agreement on the financial aspects of deep ocean mining and on the financing of a new international mining entity. Sebenius analyzes those negotiations and the U.S. rejection of their results.

155.Cover: Growth, Distribution, and Prices

Growth, Distribution, and Prices

Marglin, Stephen A.

What determines the rate of growth, the distribution of income, and the structure of relative prices under capitalism? What, in short, makes capitalist economies tick? This watershed treatise analyzes the answers to these questions provided by three major theoretical traditions: neoclassical, neo-Marxian, and neo-Keynesian.

156.Cover: Modeling Japanese-American Trade: A Study of Asymmetric Interdependence

Modeling Japanese-American Trade: A Study of Asymmetric Interdependence

Petri, Peter A.

This book examines, in rigorous, quantitative detail, the structure of trade between Japan and the United States, tracing the evolution of trade interdependence and the causes of its increasing intensity. It also looks at sectoral differences in interdependence—at the patterns behind changes in the composition of trade and the complex factors that determine how individual sectors of each economy respond to economic change in all the others.

157.Cover: Housing and Neighborhood Dynamics: A Simulation Study

Housing and Neighborhood Dynamics: A Simulation Study

Kain, John F.
Apgar, William C.

This book assesses the effects of spatially concentrated programs for housing and neighborhood improvement. These programs provide direct assistance to low–income property owners in an attempt to arrest neighborhood decline and encourage revitalization.

158.Cover: Consumption Behavior and the Effects of Government Fiscal Policies

Consumption Behavior and the Effects of Government Fiscal Policies

Mariger, Randall P.

160.Cover: Economic Analysis of Product Innovation: The Case of CT Scanners

Economic Analysis of Product Innovation: The Case of CT Scanners

Trajtenberg, Manuel

162.Cover: The Money Interest and the Public Interest: American Monetary Thought, 1920–1970

The Money Interest and the Public Interest: American Monetary Thought, 1920–1970

Mehrling, Perry G.

Perry Mehrling tells a story of continuity around the crucial question of the role of money in American democracy through the ideas and lives of three prominent institutionalists—Allyn Young, Alvin Hansen, and Edward Shaw.

Sort by title, author, format, publication date, or price »

Back to top

The Legacy of Slavery at Harvard: Report and Recommendations of the Presidential Committee, by the Presidential Committee on the Legacy of Slavery, with a Preface by Lawrence S. Bacow, from Harvard University Press

Recent News

Black lives matter. Black voices matter. A statement from HUP »

From Our Blog

Jacket: Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-Speaking Peoples since 1500, by Peter Wilson, from Harvard University Press

A Lesson in German Military History with Peter Wilson

In his landmark book Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-Speaking Peoples since 1500, acclaimed historian Peter H. Wilson offers a masterful reappraisal of German militarism and warfighting over the last five centuries, leading to the rise of Prussia and the world wars. Below, Wilson answers our questions about this complex history,