内容
The French classical political economy was a school of thought developed during the 18th century in France that attempted to understand economic and social behavior in terms of natural laws. This school drew upon the ideas developed by economists like Adam Smith, Jean-Baptiste Say, David Ricardo and others, but it differed from the British approach. Instead, the French classical political economists sought to systematize their economic analysis by looking for universal laws, and they used abstract principles to create a theory of economic activity.
The central idea of French classical political economy was that the true source of wealth was labor, not capital, and that the natural progress of economic activity was through a process of capital accumulation. This idea was established by mathematician and philosopher and public finance professor, François Quesnay, in his Tableau économique, published in 1758. Quesnay argued that it was labor, not capital, that was the main source of wealth, and that capital was only able to accumulate when it was invested in agricultural production.
French classical political economists sought to systematize their economic analysis by looking for universal laws. They used the theory of supply and demand to explain economic prices and the labor theory of value to explain economic production and distribution. They believed that economic behavior could be understood in terms of natural laws, and that these laws could be used to predict economic behavior.
In addition to these basic theoretical concepts, the French classical political economists sought to understand the dynamics of economic growth and development. They saw the development of nations as being dependent upon the ability of capital and technology to increase the productivity of labor, and they paid close attention to the functioning of international markets and to the processes of industrialization.
The French classical political economists also recognized the importance of the state in influencing economic decision-making and in promoting economic growth. They argued that the state should intervene in the economy to correct any market failures and to promote industry and commerce. They also argued that government policies should be designed to ensure that labor received a fair share of the benefits from economic growth.
The main figures of French classical political economy included Quesnay, Say, A.R.J. Turgot, and J.B. Say. These thinkers argued that economic activity was best regulated by individual self-interest and free competition in markets, and that government intervention in economic activity should be used to stimulate economic growth.
The school of French classical political economy declined in importance in the 19th century, as new economic thought developed. However, the ideas of the French classical political economists remain influential today, as do their contributions to understanding economic behavior, the dynamics of economic growth, and the role of the state in regulating the economy.
