author
J. A. (John Atkinson) Hobson
1858–1940
A sharp, independent-minded English economist and social critic, remembered for challenging imperialism and questioning how modern capitalism distributes wealth. His writing helped shape debates on empire, inequality, and economic reform well beyond his own time.
4 Audiobooks
Problems of Poverty: An Inquiry into the Industrial Condition of the Poor
by J. A. (John Atkinson) Hobson
The Evolution of Modern Capitalism: A Study of Machine Production
by J. A. (John Atkinson) Hobson
Morals of Economic Internationalism
by J. A. (John Atkinson) Hobson
A vagyon tudománya
by J. A. (John Atkinson) Hobson
About the author
Born in Derby in 1858, John Atkinson Hobson was educated at Lincoln College, Oxford, and worked as a teacher, lecturer, journalist, and prolific writer. Rather than building a conventional university career, he made his name through books and essays that brought economics into public argument and political debate.
Hobson is best known for two big lines of thought. In economics, he argued that unequal incomes could weaken consumer demand and lead to overproduction, an idea often linked to underconsumption theory. In politics, his 1902 book Imperialism: A Study offered a powerful critique of empire, arguing that expansion abroad was tied to economic interests at home.
He wrote in a clear, argumentative style meant for general readers as much as specialists, which helps explain why his work traveled so widely. Later thinkers did not always agree with him, but his questions about wealth, power, and the motives behind empire kept his work influential long after his death in 1940.