‎DU BOIS-AYME, (J.M.J. AIME DUBOIS, DIT:)‎
‎Examen de quelques questions d'économie politique et notamment de l'ouvrage de M. Ferrier intitulé 'Du gouvernement dans ses rapports avec le commerce'.‎

‎A Paris, Chez Pelicier, 1823. (4), 248 pp. 8vo. Modern half calf, marbled boards, spine gilt in compartments, top edge gilt, original blind covers preserved. Kress C.1052; Goldsmiths 23733; Einaudi 1625; Mattioli 1052. First (and only) edition. A scathing attack on Ferrier in which Du Bois-Aymé deals with the four parts which constitute the work by Ferrier: sur les richesses des peuples - sur l'argent - sur le commerce - le systême commercial. The work is also an early French attempt to express economic relations in mathematical terms. In his discussion of Ferrier's book Du Bois develops mathematical formulae for the relation of power between two countries (the number of inhabitants, the value of goods absolutely necessary to each inhabitant, and the total value of goods in the two countries respectively), the relation between the salary of the unskilled worker and that of the skilled worker, and he develops a number of mathematical formulae in his discussion of 'value' (pp. 102-103): these are important and widely overlooked contributions. For a detailed discussion see Theocharis, Early developments in mathematical economics (Second edition), p. 80-1. ‎

Reference : 18498

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