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Modern economics has, at its foundation, scholarly contributions from many prominent Scottish thinkers. This revealing work examines the roots of this great tradition, places in perspective a selection of authors, and assesses their contribution over three centuries in the light of a distinctive Scottish approach to economics. Scottish Enlightenment is an established area of research interest, and this volume offers new scholarship on key Enlightenment figures whilst placing emphasis on their approach to economic thought. Smith and Hume are key, but other less familiar, yet important authors are also investigated here, including a murderer, a revolutionary, a medical practitioner and a novelist (John Law, Sir James Stuart, John Rae and Shield Nicholson, respectively). The latest in a prestigious series charting national traditions in the history of economic thought, this important book, an essential read for scholars of economic thought, features contributions from such major historians of economic thought as Andrew Skinner and Antoin Murphy.

The purpose of this article is to re‐examine the notion of a Scottish tradition in political economy in the light of recent developments in the methodology of economics. Consideration is given to the concept of tradition itself, which puts the focus on approach to theorising and the relationship between theory and reality rather than theoretical content. It is argued that the Scottish approach provided the foundations for much of modern political economy. Further, modern discussion of constructivism and critical realism can both be seen to have precedents in the Scottish tradition. Indeed the Scottish political economy tradition provides an exemplar of a constructive blending of the two strands.