1. Introduction; L. Magnusson. Part I: Classical Mercantilism. 2. Early Spanish Mercantilism: the First Analysis of Underdevelopment; C. Perrotta. 3. An Appreciation of Mercantilism; W.D. Grampp. 4. Conceptions of History and Society in Mercantilism, 1650-1730; L. Herlitz. 5. Mercantilism as a Rent-seeking Society; S. Rashid. 6. Virginian Tobacco during the Reign of the Early Stuarts: a Case Study of Mercantilist Theories, Policies, and Results; D. Walker. Part II: Modern Mercantilism. 7. Mercantilism and the Economics of State Formation; K. Tribe. 8. Historical Economics and the Revival of Mercantilism Thought in Britain, ca. 1870-1920; G.M. Koot. 9. Neo-Mercantilism in American Official Thinking in the 1920s and Early 1930s; W.J. Barber. 10. The Concept of Neo-Mercantilism; B. Hettne. Part III: Afterthoughts. 11. Concluding Reflections; A.W. Coats. Index.

This collection of papers reflects the variety of interpretations and definitions connected with the concept of `mercantilism' which have evolved historically during the last two centuries. They range from interpretations of `mercantilistic' ideas to interpretations of policies. They stress the relationship between economic, social and political ideas and range from the 17th to the late 20th century. Lastly, they provide us with more knowledge of specific national cases as well as a discussion of mercantilism as a general phenomenon.