'Short Treatise' on the Wealth and Poverty of Nations (1613)
Although no less an authority than Joseph A. Schumpeter proclaimed that Antonio Serra was the world’s first economist, he remains something of a dark horse of economic historiography. ‘A ‘Short Treatise’ on the Wealth and Poverty of Nations’ presents, for the first time, an English translation of Serra’s ‘Breve Trattato’ (1613), one of the most famous tracts in the history of political economy. The treatise is accompanied by Sophus A. Reinert’s illuminating introduction which explores its historical context, reception, and relevance for current concerns.
Antonio Serra (f.1613) was a Neapolitan lawyer and political economist.
Sophus A. Reinert is Assistant Professor at Harvard Business School. From 2008–2011 he was Research Fellow in History at Gonville & Caius College, University of Cambridge, UK.