Abstract

In 1977, J.K. Galbraith claimed that ‘all races produced notable economists except the Irish’. Was Galbraith, with his Scottish ancestry, trying to copper fasten the claims of Adam Smith to be the true founder of political economy against the equally strong claims of the Irish-born Richard Cantillon, or did he have some inkling that the Irish relationship with political economy is disrespectful of its claims to be a universal science?