Importing Modernity: the Evolution of Economic Thinking in Chile During the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

Studying the evolution of economic thought within a country allows us to trace the history of ideas in a given country and analyze the transfer of ideas across nations. This process is also important in terms of the development of national public policies. In this paper we study the evolution of economic ideas in Chile from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century through an examination of the teaching of political economy in the country. Specifically, we study textbooks in political economy published in Chile during this period, considering their structure and citations. Our analysis complements historical studies that suggest a decline of economic liberalism associated to the (French version of) classical political economy in Chile towards the end of the 19th century.