Reflections on the Formation and the Distribution of Riches

by Anne Robert Jacques Turgot

Wealth, land, and the price of progress—learn how early economies become modern in this classic study.

This edition presents Reflections on the Formation and Distribution of Riches, a foundational work that traces how land, moveable wealth, and capital interact to create value. It also explains how wages, taxation, and commerce shape the distribution of riches, with a focus on how societies transition from pastoral to agricultural and industrial economies.

How land’s revenue and the value of moveable wealth set the stage for economic exchange What capital is, how it is used, and why it matters for development How different taxes affect workers, landlords, and producers in historical perspective Ideal for readers of economics and history who want a clear view of the ideas that helped shape early modern economic thought.

Genres: Economics, Politics, France, History, Philosophy, Classics

138 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1770

About the author

Louis XVI appointed French economist Anne Robert Jacques Turgot as controller general in 1774 but, after he proposed unpopular reforms with the aristocracy, dismissed him in 1776.

People today best remember this baron de Laune, a statesman, as an early advocate for liberalism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Ro...

Reviews

[Gordof Mon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Para mi sorpresa fue muy digerible, yo esperaba un lenguaje más rebuscado, pero no, nada que ver, muy sencillo.

Turgot, un pre-clásico de los más influyentes, un adelantado a su época sin duda, cuando lo estaba leyendo pensé que leía a un autor de +1800 o así, bastante sorprendente.
Aquí puedes encontrarte con indicios sobre la acumulación del capital, el libre comercio, se anticipó al concepto del valor temporal del dinero, etc.
Cortito y lleno de información, este si te recomiendo que te lo leas.

- 3.875/⭐
- 3:55 ⌛

[Nicolas Beynet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Des bases sur le sujet de la Richesse des nations. La réflexion est intéressante sur les échanges de richesses. Le postulat que seule la terre crée de la richesse me paraît moins sensé.

[Griffin Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main treatise of M Turgot, early proponent of economic liberalism and a foundational thinker in study of political economy.

Here you may find the germ of many ideas later developed and critiqued by Smith, Ricardo, Marx, and countless others.