Why read The Provocative Joan Robinson?

Book cover of The Provocative Joan Robinson: The Making of a Cambridge Economist

Book description

One of the most original and prolific economists of the twentieth century, Joan Robinson (1903-83) is widely regarded as the most important woman in the history of economic thought. Robinson studied economics at Cambridge University, where she made a career that lasted some fifty years. She was an unlikely candidate…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Provocative Joan Robinson as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Roger E. Backhouse

Author

Joan Robinson is widely considered to be the woman who should have received the Nobel Memorial Prize in economics but never did. This book is the story about how she managed to forge a career as an economic theorist, at a time when such a career path was unusual, in the misogynistic environment of Cambridge. Not only did she succeed in writing a book that arguably changed the way firms and markets were analysed, but she also became involved in the Keynesian revolution. Her career did not just happen: it needed to be promoted and for that strategy was important.…

From Roger's list on 20th century economists.