Pareto on International Trade Theory and Policy

Although in the past some of the best-known trade specialists have lavished praise on Vilfredo Pareto's theory of international trade, this aspect of his writings has been neglected for many years. Pareto's name figures in trade-theoretic articles only combined with the word “optimum,” as if the concept of a “Pareto optimum” constituted the beall and end-all of Pareto's contribution. This parallels Pareto's fame as a general economic theorist, of which it has recently been said that “it is disappointing that this reputation should be constructed on the basis of such a small part of his work” (Kirman 1986, p. 808).