J.-B. Say: Political Economy and Social Justice

Abstract This paper deals with some issues on Say’s methodological and social approach. Say’s political opinions have aroused great interest and contrasting opinions: he was considered as liberal, illiberal or even socialist ante litteram. Not to mention the debate about his theory of value and the role of the entrepreneur, from the sharp criticism given by Marx to the recent reappraisal of his seminal identification of the importance of risk and asymmetrical information in entrepreneurial activities. His liberal opinions, apparently contrary to any form of public intervention in economy, have been examined thoroughly, and a multi-faceted Jean-Baptiste Say has emerged as someone concerned with the fate of unskilled labourers and, generally speaking, with the greatest happiness of the greatest number, in the wake of Beccaria and Bentham. In the first paragraph I discuss Say’s opinion on democracy and equality in relation to political economy and the role of government. In the second paragraph the position of Say on value, distribution and market mechanism is briefly recalled, whereas in the third one, attention is devoted to entrepreneurial behaviour and the débouchés problem, and some final remarks are provided.