http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ricardo

David Ricardo (18 April 1772 – 11 September 1823) was a British political economist. He was one of the most influential of the classical economists, along with Thomas Malthus, Adam Smith, and John Stuart Mill.[2][3] He began his professional life as a broker and financial market speculator. He amassed a considerable personal fortune, largely from financial market speculation and, having retired, bought a seat to enter Parliament. He held his parliamentary seat for the last four years of his life. Perhaps his most important legacy is his theory of comparative advantage, which suggests that a nation should concentrate solely on those industries in which it is most internationally competitive, trading with other countries to obtain products which are not produced nationally. In essence, Ricardo promoted the idea of extreme industry specialisation by nations, to the point of dismantling competitive and profitable national industries. Ricardo's theory of Comparative Advantage attempted to prove, using simple mathematics, that industry specialization and international trade always produce positive results. This theory expanded on the concept of absolute advantage which does not advocate specialization and international trade in all cases. Ricardo's theory of comparative advantage has been challenged by, among others, Joan Robinson and Piero Sraffa, but remains the corner stone of the theoretical argument in favour of international free trade.

Born in London, England, Ricardo was the third of 17 children. of a Sephardic Jewish family of Portuguese origin who had recently relocated from the Dutch Republic. His father was a successful stockbroker. He began working with his father at the age of 14. At age 21, Ricardo eloped with a Quaker, Priscilla Anne Wilkinson, and became a Unitarian, leading to estrangement from his family. His father disowned him and his mother apparently never spoke to him again.[4]

Following his estrangement from his father he started a successful business as a broker with the support of an eminent banking house. He made the bulk of his fortune as a result of speculation on the outcome of the Battle of Waterloo, using methods which today would result in prosecution for insider trading and market manipulation. Prior to the battle, Ricardo posted an observer to convey early results of the outcome, he then deliberately created the impression the French had won by openly selling British securities. A market panic ensued. Following this panic he moved to buy British securities at a steep discount. The Sunday Times reported in Ricardo’s obituary, published on 14 September 1823, that during the Battle of Waterloo Ricardo "netted upwards of a million sterling". Following this coup, he retired from business. He was 41. He purchased Gatcombe Park, an estate in Gloucestershire, now owned by Princess Anne, the Princess Royal. He was appointed High Sheriff of Gloucestershire for 1818–19.[5] At the time of his death his fortune was estimated at about £600,000.

Some years into retirement Ricardo became keen to enter Parliament and in August 1818 he secured Lord Portarlington’s borough for £4,000, as part of the terms of a loan of £25,000. Ricardo entered Parliament in the House of Commons, representing Portarlington, an Irish rotten borough. He was 47 years of age. He held the seat until his death four years later.

Ricardo became interested in economics after reading Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations in 1799. He wrote his first economics article at age 37. In 1817 he published his main work "Principles of Political Economy and Taxation". Ricardo was a close friend of James Mill. Other notable friends included Jeremy Bentham and Thomas Malthus, with whom Ricardo had a considerable debate (in correspondence) over such things as the role of landowners in a society. He also was a member of Malthus' Political Economy Club, and a member of the King of Clubs. He was one of the original members of The Geological Society.[4] His sister was Sarah Ricardo-Porter, and was an author in her own right (e.g., Conversations in Arithmetic).

Ten years after retiring and four years after entering Parliament Ricardo died from an infection of the middle ear that spread into the brain and induced septicaemia. He was 51. [6] In 1846, his nephew John Lewis Ricardo, MP for Stoke-on-Trent, advocated free trade and the repeal of the Corn Laws. He had eight children, including three sons, of whom Osman Ricardo (1795–1881; MP for Worcester 1847–1865) and another David Ricardo (1803–1864, MP for Stroud 1832–1833), became Members of Parliament, while the third, Mortimer Ricardo, served as an officer in the Life Guards and was a deputy lieutenant for Oxfordshire.[7]

Ricardo is buried in an ornate grave in the churchyard of Saint Nicholas in Hardenhuish, now a suburb of Chippenham, Wiltshire.[8]

https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/r...

דוד ריקארדו

''''''(באנגלית: David Ricardo ״דייוויד ריקארדו״; 18 באפריל 1772—11 בספטמבר 1823) היה כלכלן יהודי-בריטי, מהמשפיעים המרכזיים בכלכלה הקלאסית. בנוסף היה איש עסקים מצליח, איש פיננסים וספקולנט אשר צבר הון רב. עיקר השפעתו בתאוריה המאקרו-כלכלית הייתה בנושא היתרון היחסי, שעל פיו מדינה צריכה לפתח ענפים כלכליים ותעשייתיים שיש לה בהם יתרון יחסי[1], ושהסחר הבינלאומי בין מדינות יתבצע ביעילות מרבית במוצרים שיש למדינות יתרון יחסי בייצורם. הוא המנסח הראשון של חוק הברזל של השכר.

תוכן עניינים 1 חייו 2 משנתו הכלכלית 3 קישורים חיצוניים 4 הערות שוליים חייו דוד ריקארדו נולד באנגליה כצאצא למשפחה יהודית שברחה מפורטוגל להולנד בתחילת המאה ה-18 בעקבות גל של רדיפות נגד היהודים. המשפחה הגיעה תחילה לאמסטרדם, ואחר כך עברה ללונדון שבה נולד ריקארדו. אביו היה סוכן בורסה מצליח שהכניס את בנו לעסקיו, והקנה לו חינוך מוקדם בפיננסים. לאחר שנשא אישה קוויקרית למורת רוחו של אביו, החליט ריקארדו בן ה־21 לפתוח עסק משלו, שבו הצליח מאוד. בגיל 40 פרש מעסקיו ורכש לו אחוזה בכפר.

ריקארדו החל להתרועע עם קבוצת אינטלקטואלים, שאחד מהם, ג'יימס מיל (אביו של ג'ון סטיוארט מיל), דחק בו להיכנס לבית הנבחרים ולהעלות על הכתב את משנתו הכלכלית. כפי שהיה נהוג באותם ימים, רכש ריקארדו חלקת קרקע שזיכתה את בעליה במושב בפרלמנט הבריטי. שם הוכיח את עצמו כליברל תקיף, שתמך אף בעניינים שנגדו את האינטרסים הפרטיים שלו.

משנתו הכלכלית ריקארדו הושפע מכתביהם הכלכליים של אדם סמית ותומאס מלתוס. בכתביו זיהה כמה מנקודות הכשל העיקריות שלהם וגיבש את הכלכלה לכלל תאוריה מקיפה אחת, המתייחסת הן לטווח הארוך והן לטווח הקצר. כחלק מתפקידו כמדינאי פרסם ריקארדו מספר כתבים הנוגעים לענייני מדיניות שעמדו על הפרק, כמו למשל ההצעה לבטל את המכסים על יבוא התבואה ("חוקי התבואה") והצעות שונות לגבי אופן גיוס הכספים של השלטון. במקביל, תרם גם לפיתוח הכלכלה כתחום נפרד ממדע המדינה באמצעות ספריו המקיפים על התאוריה הכלכלית.

בשנת 1817 יצא לאור ספרו "עקרונות הכלכלה הפוליטית והמיסוי" שבו פיתח את כלל התפוקה השולית הפוחתת. חידוש נוסף של ריקארדו הוא עקרון היתרון היחסי: המניע להתמקצעות אישית ולסחר עם אחרים הוא היתרון היחסי שיש לאנשים או למדינות בייצור מוצר מסוים.

ריקארדו נאבק נגד הכוח הכלכלי הרב של מעמד בעלי הקרקעות אל מול כוחם המוחלש של בעלי ההון (אליהם השתייך) והפועלים. מאוחר יותר, השפיעו עקרונות אלו על קרל מרקס, ששם דגש על מאבקם של הפועלים בבעלי ההון.

בזמן מלחמת הבריטים בנפוליאון התלבטה הממשלה אם לממן את המלחמה באמצעות מסים או בדרך של נטילת מלוות כגון באמצעות הנפקת אגרות חוב לציבור. ריקארדו הראה ששתי האפשרויות בעצם זהות מבחינה מקרו-כלכלית, והוביל לטביעת המונח "שקילות ריקארדו". העיקרון לשקילות הוא שגיוס אגרות חוב שקול להטלת מיסים בעתיד, מכיוון שבזמן הפירעון של אגרות החוב תאלץ הממשלה לממן את ההחזר מתקציב המדינה שמגיע ממסי האזרחים, ולכן, אם יהוון מחיר ההחזר לזמן הנוכחי תתקבל שקילות בין סכום זה לסכום הטלת המיסים כיום.

קישורים חיצוניים https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%93%D7%95%D7%93_%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%A7...

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ricardo

David Ricardo (18 April 1772 – 11 September 1823) was a British political economist. He was one of the most influential of the classical economists, along with Thomas Malthus, Adam Smith, and John Stuart Mill.[2][3] He began his professional life as a broker and financial market speculator. He amassed a considerable personal fortune, largely from financial market speculation and, having retired, bought a seat to enter Parliament. He held his parliamentary seat for the last four years of his life. Perhaps his most important legacy is his theory of comparative advantage, which suggests that a nation should concentrate solely on those industries in which it is most internationally competitive, trading with other countries to obtain products which are not produced nationally. In essence, Ricardo promoted the idea of extreme industry specialisation by nations, to the point of dismantling competitive and profitable national industries. Ricardo's theory of Comparative Advantage attempted to prove, using simple mathematics, that industry specialization and international trade always produce positive results. This theory expanded on the concept of absolute advantage which does not advocate specialization and international trade in all cases. Ricardo's theory of comparative advantage has been challenged by, among others, Joan Robinson and Piero Sraffa, but remains the corner stone of the theoretical argument in favour of international free trade.

Born in London, England, Ricardo was the third of 17 children. of a Sephardic Jewish family of Portuguese origin who had recently relocated from the Dutch Republic. His father was a successful stockbroker. He began working with his father at the age of 14. At age 21, Ricardo eloped with a Quaker, Priscilla Anne Wilkinson, and became a Unitarian, leading to estrangement from his family. His father disowned him and his mother apparently never spoke to him again.[4]

Following his estrangement from his father he started a successful business as a broker with the support of an eminent banking house. He made the bulk of his fortune as a result of speculation on the outcome of the Battle of Waterloo, using methods which today would result in prosecution for insider trading and market manipulation. Prior to the battle, Ricardo posted an observer to convey early results of the outcome, he then deliberately created the impression the French had won by openly selling British securities. A market panic ensued. Following this panic he moved to buy British securities at a steep discount. The Sunday Times reported in Ricardo’s obituary, published on 14 September 1823, that during the Battle of Waterloo Ricardo "netted upwards of a million sterling". Following this coup, he retired from business. He was 41. He purchased Gatcombe Park, an estate in Gloucestershire, now owned by Princess Anne, the Princess Royal. He was appointed High Sheriff of Gloucestershire for 1818–19.[5] At the time of his death his fortune was estimated at about £600,000.

Some years into retirement Ricardo became keen to enter Parliament and in August 1818 he secured Lord Portarlington’s borough for £4,000, as part of the terms of a loan of £25,000. Ricardo entered Parliament in the House of Commons, representing Portarlington, an Irish rotten borough. He was 47 years of age. He held the seat until his death four years later.

Ricardo became interested in economics after reading Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations in 1799. He wrote his first economics article at age 37. Ricardo was a close friend of James Mill. Other notable friends included Jeremy Bentham and Thomas Malthus, with whom Ricardo had a considerable debate (in correspondence) over such things as the role of landowners in a society. He also was a member of Malthus' Political Economy Club, and a member of the King of Clubs. He was one of the original members of The Geological Society.[4] His sister was Sarah Ricardo-Porter, and was an author in her own right (e.g., Conversations in Arithmetic).

Ten years after retiring and four years after entering Parliament Ricardo died from an infection of the middle ear that spread into the brain and induced septicaemia. He was 51. [6] In 1846, his nephew John Lewis Ricardo, MP for Stoke-on-Trent, advocated free trade and the repeal of the Corn Laws. He had eight children, including three sons, of whom Osman Ricardo (1795–1881; MP for Worcester 1847–1865) and another David Ricardo (1803–1864, MP for Stroud 1832–1833), became Members of Parliament, while the third, Mortimer Ricardo, served as an officer in the Life Guards and was a deputy lieutenant for Oxfordshire.[7]

Ricardo is buried in an ornate grave in the churchyard of Saint Nicholas in Hardenhuish, now a suburb of Chippenham, Wiltshire.[8]