When Lord Harris of High Cross (Ralph Harris) died in October 2006, at the age of 81, the tributes to him described him as one of the ‘men who changed Britain’. Friends and opponents alike acknowledged that Ralph, in his role as General Director of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and in partnership with his friend, Arthur Seldon, had been instrumental in providing the ideas and the intellectual entrepreneurship that sparked the ‘Thatcher revolution’ of the 1980s, transforming the British economy from one of the worst performers among developed countries to one of the best. This book selects from Ralph’s considerable opus, revealing that economics need not always be a ‘dismal science’. Economic analysis was, in the hands of Ralph Harris, deployed to great effect in plain language and with a wit and wisdom that made it fun.

Colin Robinson’s Introduction places Ralph Harris’ work in context and provides an invaluable insight into the author’s beliefs and personality.

Ralph Harris in His Own Words will be warmly welcomed and read by academics and researchers of economics, politics and the history of ideas as well as those interested in the work of the Institute of Economic Affairs.