Nobel laureate in economics James Buchanan has been called—
and indeed, calls himself—an outsider in American economics. 
Original and even unorthodox in his pioneering contributions to 
public choice theory and variously revered or berated for his 
influence on the economic policies that took hold in the Reagan 
years, he has stimulated a productive vein of economic inquiry and 
an important strain of public policy.

    First published in 1992 under the title Better Than Plowing 
And Other Personal Essays, this collection of autobiographic 
writings was hailed as engaging, honest, and fascinating. The four 
new chapters of the present volume fill some gaps in his earlier 
reflections and add valuable assessments of the roots of his 
academic work.

    Economics from the Outside In provides a fascinating look 
at the humble origins and academic development of a recipient 
of the Nobel Prize, the intellectual underpinnings of a key American 
economic policy, and the role of the academician in today's society.

_________________________________________________________

JAMES M. BUCHANAN is emeritus professor and advisory general 
director of the Center for Study of Public Choice at George Mason 
University in Fairfax, Virginia and emeritus professor from Virginia 
Polytechnic and State University.


Number Seventeen: Texas A&M University Economics Series


What people are saying about this book

" . . . consistent with [Buchanan's] self-conscious status as an 
intellectual outsider, [this] is an unorthodox book, . . . shifting 
frequently among times and places and mixing autobiography, 
intellectual history, and social commentary. . . ."—Commentary

" . . . most valuable in its exploration of the surprising twists and 
turns that shaped his views."—Library Journal