Thomas Tooke on the Corn Laws
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4987901 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Matthew Smith (0000-0002-3430-2176, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 343-382 |
| Publication date | 2009-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History of Political Economy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0018-2702 • E-ISSN: 1527-1919 |
| Publisher | Duke University Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1215/00182702-2009-006 |
| OpenAlex | W2070505972 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 10 |
This article examines Thomas Tooke's (1773-1858) position on the English Corn Laws from 1815 until their repeal in 1846. It shows that like most classical economists, Tooke was a strong supporter of free trade who vehemently opposed the Corn Laws, believing that they generally contributed toward greater instability in the price of corn without effectively protecting domestic farming and securing for Britain a ready supply of corn. The article also explores Tooke's view on the distributional impact of the Corn Laws, showing that distinct from Ricardo's position, he believed they tended to redistribute income in favor of landlords at the expense of workers rather than capitalists. Indeed, it is shown that above all Tooke opposed the Corn Laws because they tended to lower the living standards of working people and, at times of unproductive harvests, contributed to acute shortages of foodstuffs that imposed much hardship onto the "lowest classes" of society
Agricultural economics · Agriculture · Economic history · Economic shortage · Economics · Geography · Government (linguistics · Political science · Position (finance · Repeal · Supporter · Economic Theory and Institutions · Economic Theory and Policy · Law · Philosophy · Political Economy and Marxism
Value and Distribution in the Classical Economists and Marx 1
Adam Smith’s Theory of Value and Distribution
On the Principles of Political Economy, and Taxation
On Interest and Profit
Economic Annals of the Nineteenth Century, 1821-1830
The Nineteenth-Century Corn Law Reconsidered
The Repeal of the Corn Laws and the Politics of the Forties
A History of the English Corn Laws from 1660-1846
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |