On Eponymy in Economics and Other Essays

"The essays and papers in this book represent a fair sampling of my views on some of the main themes and research topics that have held my professional attention over the past three decades," writes economist Julio Cole, the author of this collection. The topics of the essays vary widely, from history of economic thought to studies of economic growth to detailed analysis of the economics of patents and copyrights. "Julio Cole is a free thinker with a curious, systematic and creative mind," writes Gustavo Prado, in his Foreword to this book. "His intellectual interests are not confined to diverse subfields of economic theory and quantitative methods. He is also well read in history and literature. The wide range of his scientific and humanistic research interests is impressive. Over the years, he has conducted extensive scholarly research in monetary issues, economic growth, economic foundations of patents and copyrights, and the history of economic thought, with a special concentration on the work of prominent liberal thinkers, such as Adam Smith and Milton Friedman ... Dr. Cole is a rara avis among contemporary academic economists, who are often constrained by overspecialization and face the risk of knowing more and more about less and less."