Social Comptabilism

Solvay, Ernest, 1838-1922Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 203K words
Chapters: 21

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Social Comptabilism by Hector Denis and Ernest SolvayAuthor: Solvay, Ernest, 1838-1922,Language: English, Class: HG: Social sciences: Finance, Release Date: May 30, 2014

Editor's review

This book is Ernest Solvay’s text on social economy, an early theoretical document on the theme of finance and social accounting. Its value lies not in offering directly applicable policy proposals but in showing how an early twentieth-century industrialist and thinker tried to use the idea of “social accounting” to discuss wealth distribution and social organization. The Project Gutenberg edition is easy to search and cite and is suitable as supplementary material for research in intellectual history, the history of economic thought, or the history of the social sciences. When reading, place it in its historical context and note the differences between its conceptual system and contemporary economic and accounting terminology; its proposals should not be treated as designs for real institutions. For general readers, the book’s appeal comes more from the historical document itself than from fluent argument or narrative.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and graduate students studying the history of economic thought and social thought
Readers interested in early theoretical literature on social accounting and wealth distribution
Thesis writers who need to cite public-domain English primary sources
Advanced readers interested in Solvay’s life and intellectual background

Not a good fit for

Practitioners seeking contemporary operational proposals for social policy
General readers looking for light introductory reading
Beginners with limited English reading ability and no social science background

Reading tips

Read the introduction or table of contents first to clarify the book’s central questions and chapter structure, then proceed to the main text.
While reading, note core concepts and compare them one by one with contemporary economic terminology to avoid taking words too literally.
Read alongside chapters on social accounting and distribution theory in textbooks on the history of economic thought.
For the original English edition, read slowly with a dictionary and reference notes; take excerpt notes on key passages.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable as an introductory economics text?

Not very. This is an early twentieth-century document of social economic theory, and its conceptual system and mode of argument differ considerably from contemporary economics textbooks; readers without basic background will find it difficult. It is better suited to readers with some training in the history of economic thought who can discern the historical context for themselves.

What are the features of this edition?

This edition is published by Project Gutenberg as a free public-domain ebook, with the main text in English, easy to search, copy, and cite. It contains no modern editor’s introduction or detailed notes; readers must supply background material themselves, making it suitable as a primary source rather than a popular reader.

What is the core theme discussed in the book?

It revolves around “social accounting,” discussing the measurement and distribution of social wealth and modes of social organization, reflecting the author’s effort to address social problems through an accounting approach. Specific arguments should be judged from the original text, and readers should understand its concepts in light of the historical context.

Comments

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About the author

Solvay, Ernest, 1838-1922 Author · Belgian · 1838–1922

Ernest Solvay (1838–1922) was a Belgian chemist and industrialist. He invented the ammonia-soda process for making soda and founded the Solvay company on the basis of that achievement, leaving a lasting mark on the history of the chemical industry. One work by him is held in this collection, namely Social Comptabilism. Because public information about the book's background, its composition, and its specific arguments is limited, no details are given here; in terms of subject matter alone, it shows that Solvay was concerned with questions of social organization and accounting beyond the chemical industry, reflecting an industrialist's approach of thinking about social affairs in a systematic way. Overall, Solvay is first and foremost a technologist and entrepreneur who made his name through the ammonia-soda process, and the influence of his writings is mainly attached to this industrial achievement and to his public concerns.