A comparative reading of The Wealth of Nations and of The Theory of Moral Sentiments has made it possible to identify the characteristics of Smith's 'undertaker', and to reveal the irreconcilable nature of these with those that Bentham ascribed to 'projectors'. In particular, Smith developed a...

In this paper I have attempted to show the Hutchesonian roots of Smith's approach in relation both to the role and character of the prudent man, with the attendant references to the sense of propriety, and the theory of value. As regards the first point, the paper claims that Smith construed the...

The aim of the first part of this paper is to analyse the role of institutions in Smith's thought, with special emphasis upon the reciprocal relations which link together individual behaviour, the evolution of property rights, relations of subordination and personal incentives up to the...

Analysis of Hearn's approach to industrial localisation shows that he anticipated with unusual acuteness some issues also addressed by contemporary debate on the cause of the rise and competitiveness of firms' conglomerations. One of the main themes of Plutology is analysis of efficiency and the...

An important observer in Italy of the debate on market socialism was Attilio Cabiati, who discussed the central issues of the controversy with Luigi Einaudi from a Paretian perspective. The essay shows how Cabiati addressed those issues, pointing out some peculiarities in his intellectual style....

The aim of this essay is to describe the concept of self-interest and show how it relates to the idea of the individual as an economic agent, focusing only on Smith's Wealth of Nations. Self-interest is analysed from three different perspectives that highlight its conceptual complexity. The...

Il presente lavoro prende le mosse dal seguente quesito: in che misura muto' fra Sei e Settecento la visione delle relazioni fra natura e rapporti economici? Piu' specificamente ci si domanda se la visione della natura degli autori presmithiani fosse la stessa di Adam Smith e, una volta valutata...

La tesi sostenuta in questo lavoro Š che nell'opera di Hayek vi siano non una, ma due nozioni di conoscenza. La prima Š una conoscenza informazionale consistente in un insieme di dati dispersi fra una molteplicita' di agenti. La seconda Š una conoscenza potenziale, conosciuta nella...

Firstly, the paper seeks to show that Simon's notion of bounded rationality should be interpreted in light of its connection with artificial intelligence. This connection points out that bounded rationality is a highly structured concept, and sheds light on several implications of Simon's...