As we enter the 300th anniversary of the birth of Adam Smith The Herald speaks with Dr Craig Smith, Adam Smith Senior Lecturer in the Scottish Enlightenment at the University of Glasgow, about how his work has been interpreted and misunderstood.

"He has been cited as an influence by politicians including Gordon Brown, Barack Obama and Margaret Thatcher.

Widely regarded as the first systematic account of a modern commercial economy, The Wealth of Nations is considered as relevant now as it was groundbreaking when it was published in 1776.

Adam Smith’s ideas and terminology pepper parliamentary debates and party manifestos centuries after they were written down.

However, the so-called “Father of Economics” is as misunderstood as he is revered says Dr Craig Smith, Adam Smith Senior Lecturer in the Scottish Enlightenment at the University of Glasgow."

See the full article in The Herald

Image credit: Pete Souza, Obama White House Archive on Flickr 

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First published: 3 December 2022

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