This nontechnical book provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary survey of political economy that can easily be understood by any reader with an introductory-level background in economics.• Provides in-depth historical analysis of the development of political/economic ideologies and their influence on contemporary debates among social scientists as well as the general public• Gathers ideas and policy proposals from many prominent social scientists representing divergent ideological perspectives into a single volume• Analyzes the roles of science and ideology in the development of political economy• Exposes students to the findings of advanced social science research in easily understood and accessible language