Sir John Hicks’s Contributions to Economic Theory

The works of Professor Hicks span more than half a century from his earliest published work in Economica (1928) to his latest book Causality in Economics (1979a). However, so much of his prestigious output has been rapidly absorbed into the main body of economic analysis that the Hicksian origin of much of contemporary theory has become obscured. Therefore, the main purpose of this essay will be to highlight the early contributions of Hicks and to emphasise the revolutionary impact that much of his writings have had on the literature. A curious aspect in this development is that, despite their novelty, Sir John’s writings have produced very little controversy. As regards his earlier writings, this lack of controversy can be explained by the almost immediate acceptance by the profession of Hick’s pioneering efforts but his later works have stirred little controversy largely because they have been neglected.