The Forgotten Godmother of Economic Literature

1776 年，隨著亞當·斯密《國富論》的出版，經濟學這一領域誕生。 And among the book's earliest readers, and most ardent advocates, was a Regency-era novelist named Maria Edgeworth. 在這本書最早的讀者及最熱情的倡導者中，便有一位來自攝政時期的小說家瑪麗亞·埃奇沃斯（Maria Edgeworth）。 In her time, Edgeworth was one of the most famous literary figures in England, and she smuggled into her stories economic concepts and debates around rent seeking, the idea of productive labor, and so on. 當時，埃奇沃斯是英國最著名的文學人物之一，她在小說中隱匿地融入了經濟概念與關於尋租、勞動生產力等議題的辯論。 These works were enormously influential and they helped expose a generation to practical applications of Smith's new theories. 這些作品極具影響力，幫助一代人瞭解斯密新理論的實際應用。 Yet when you read about the history of economics, Edgeworth's name is hardly ever mentioned. 然而，在閱讀經濟史時，埃奇沃斯的名字幾乎從未被提及。 Jeanna Smialek, a veteran reporter and the Brussels bureau chief at The New York Times, thinks Edgeworth's name needs to be placed back in the pantheon of economic history. 《紐約時報》布魯塞爾分社局長、資深記者傑安娜·斯米亞萊克（Jeanna Smialek）認為，埃奇沃斯的名字應重新納入經濟史的殿堂。 On this episode, we speak with Smialek about her biography, The Invisible Hand of Maria Edgeworth, and we discuss Edgeworth's friendly debates with the likes of Thomas Malthus and David Ricardo, how the Irish potato famine reshaped economic thought, and how Edgeworth used the novel form to educate the masses on the value of economics. 在本集節目中，我們與斯米亞萊克討論她的傳記《瑪麗亞·埃奇沃斯的無形之手》（The Invisible Hand of Maria Edgeworth），並談及埃奇沃斯與托馬斯·馬爾薩斯、戴維·李嘉圖等人的友好辯論、愛爾蘭馬鈴薯饑荒如何重塑經濟思想，以及埃奇沃斯如何利用小說形式教育大眾經濟價值。 Only Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox, plus unlimited access to the site and app. Sign up at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 只有 Bloomberg.com 訂閱者才能在收件箱收到 Odd Lots 通訊，並享有網站及應用程式的無限存取權。請於 bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots 註冊。詳見 omnystudio.com/listener 以瞭解隱私資訊。