Boisguilbert’s liberalism (a fighter of counter-productivity)
Résumé
This study reconsiders Boisguilbert’s economic thought with the view to put forward the originality and the specificity of the liberalism argued by this author. The major issues of this liberalism applies first to “consumption” (i.e. solvent demand) and to the “proportional prices”; and second to the argument for expectations and information, which requires a significant reform of the “taille” and of the pernicious system of the “aides” and “customs”. Two kinds of explicit warnings go through Boisguilbert’s economic writings. There is first a warning toward the economic agents (and in particular producers) who are invited not to loose sight of the conditions of possibility of their own survival, namely the scrupulous maintain of the “porportional prices”. There is second a warning towards public authorities, which are continuously reminded that the intention to do good is very likely to turn into making matters worse.