Books like Essays in positive economics by Milton Friedman

Adam Smith’s seminal 1776 treatise that laid the groundwork for modern economic theory, presented here in a reprint of Edwin Cannan’s 1904 edition with a new preface by economist George J. Stigler.

Milton Friedman’s classic argues that competitive capitalism is essential for both economic and political freedom, offering a compelling case for limited government and free enterprise.

Milton and Rose Friedman explain how expanding freedom from government intervention can restore prosperity, outlining the harms of excessive regulation and the benefits of free enterprise.

In this foundational work, Adam Smith explains his theory of moral sentiments, arguing that human conduct is guided by an impartial spectator and that sympathy, not just self‑interest, binds society together.

9a. ed.

A witty and eye-opening look at the hidden logic behind human behavior, from a best-selling author.

When first published in 1959, this book revolutionized contemporary thinking about science and knowledge. It remains the one of the most widely read books about science to come out of the twentieth century.

What determines the size and form of redistributive programs, the extent and type of public goods provision, the burden of taxation across alternative tax bases, the size of government deficits, and the stance of monetary policy during the course of business and electoral cycles? A large and rapidly growing literature in political economics attempts to answer these questions. But so far there is little consensus on the answers and disagreement on the appropriate mode of analysis. Combining the best of three separate traditions -- the theory of macroeconomic policy, public choice, and rational choice in political science -- Torsten Persson and Guido Tabellini suggest a unified approach to the field. As in modern macroeconomics, individual citizens behave rationally, their preferences over economic outcomes inducing preferences over policy. As in public choice, the delegation of policy decisions to elected representatives may give rise to agency problems between voters and politicians. And, as in rational choice, political institutions shape the procedures for setting policy and electing politicians. The authors outline a common method of analysis, establish several new results, and identify the main outstanding problems. --back cover

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn.