W. Stanley Jevons was a central figure linking political economy with social policy, and The State in Relation to Labour is the quintessential product of that fusion. Jevons reviews how legislation enacted for the protection of labor re-established the social contract on a new industrial footing. The concept of industrial partnership insured that the state continued to hold a monopoly of power while taking account of rising labor agitation. Jevons' scholarly brilliance is evident in this pathbreaking work on economics and policy construction. The State in Relation to Labour deals with the economic role of government in resolving conflicts between different groups of English citizens. The issue of class is central to the topic and two further points are implicit. The first is the market economy as a product of the institutions which form and operate through it. Jevons argues that markets can be and indeed have been formed to favor one class interest or another. Second, he asserts that conventional arguments favor the class interests they serve, whether or not they are recognized to doing so. Jevons neither shrinks from candid analysis of English social, political and economic history and institutions nor espouses an openly pragmatic approach to the economic role of government. He eschews the erection of class or other ideological sentiment into principles of policy. Implicit in his analysis is an understanding that some law, some set of legal rights and limitations, is necessary. The issue is not whether government will establish relative rights and responsibilities but what they will be and, further, when they will be changed. Among the topics discussed are principles of industrial legislation, direct interference of the state with labor, the Factory Acts, and similar legislation directly affecting laborers, trade union legislation, the law of industrial conspiracy, cooperation and industrial partnership, and arbitration and conciliation. In a new introduction, Warren J. Samuels examines the life and works of William Stanley Jevons. He discusses the various arguments put forth in The State in Relation to Labour, and the consequences of Jevons' approach.

W. Stanley Jevons was a central figure linking political economy with social policy, and The State in Relation to Labour is the quintessential product of that fusion. Jevons reviews how legislation enacted for the protection of labor re-established the social contract on a new industrial footing. The concept of industrial partnership insured that the state continued to hold a monopoly of power while taking account of rising labor agitation. Jevons' scholarly brilliance is evident in this pathbreaking work on economics and policy construction.

The State in Relation to Labour deals with the economic role of government in resolving conflicts between different groups of English citizens. The issue of class is central to the topic and two further points are implicit. The first is the market economy as a product of the institutions which form and operate through it. Jevons argues that markets can be and indeed have been formed to favor one class interest or another. Second, he asserts that conventional arguments favor the class interests they serve, whether or not they are recognized to doing so.

Jevons neither shrinks from candid analysis of English social, political and economic history and institutions nor espouses an openly pragmatic approach to the economic role of government. He eschews the erection of class or other ideological sentiment into principles of policy. Implicit in his analysis is an understanding that some law, some set of legal rights and limitations, is necessary. The issue is not whether government will establish relative rights and responsibilities but what they will be and, further, when they will be changed.

Among the topics discussed are principles of industrial legislation, direct interference of the state with labor, the Factory Acts, and similar legislation directly affecting laborers, trade union legislation, the law of industrial conspiracy, cooperation and industrial partnership, and arbitration and conciliation. In a new introduction, Warren J. Samuels examines the life and works of William Stanley Jevons. He discusses the various arguments put forth in The State in Relation to Labour, and the consequences of Jevons' approach.

Originally published in London in 1863, A Serious Fall in the Value of Gold Ascertained, and Its Social Effects Set Forth is an interesting study of the gold standard at a time when gold was considered one of the most valuable metals in the world, and when many countries on silver standard coins were transferring to the gold currency of the United Kingdom and the United States. Economist William Stanley Jevons analyzes the effects of the gold rush in the western U.S. and Australia and how the increasing supply of gold will decrease the value. He uses multiple charts and formulas to support his theories, and predicts a departure from the gold standard, which most of the world did after World War I, though not for the reasons Jevons cites. Regardless, it is a fascinating study, especially considering the 21st century inflation in the price of gold, and will delight modern economists and history buffs. English economist and logician WILLIAM STANLEY JEVONS (1835-1882) was born in Liverpool. He studied chemistry and botany at University College, London, and was later professor of logic and political economy at Owens College, Manchester. He is also the author of The Theory of Political Economy (1871) and The State in Relation to Labour (1882).

Originally written in 1882, The State in Relation to Labour is a treatise discussing the rights of workers (specifically blue-collar or factor workers) and how certain workers or jobs should be governed, both by factory owners and labor laws. Author W. Stanley Jevons discusses the principles of factory legislation, interference in industry by both the government and labor unions, acts and laws that directly affect laborers, and methods of cooperation and compromise between laborers and their superiors. Jevons wrote several books that dealt with issues of the industrial age, and this would have come at a time when industrial laborers greatly needed an advocate. Jevons avoids supporting either side, striving for a neutral conclusion as to how the state and laborers should interact, resulting in an interesting study of labor policies for history buffs and political science students. English economist and logician WILLIAM STANLEY JEVONS (1835-1882) was born in Liverpool. He studied chemistry and botany at University College, London, and was later professor of logic and political economy at Owens College, Manchester. He is also the author of The Theory of Political Economy (1871) and The State in Relation to Labour (1882).