The Bullionist Controversy Revisited

Abstract

The debate between Ricardo and Thornton and Malthus about the causes of balance of trade deficits is reexamined. It is argued that, given the state of real trade theory in the period, the debate could not have been resolved. With the discovery of the principle of comparative advantage Ricardo changed the views he had expressed during the controversy and implicitly repudiated the arguments he had used against Thornton and Malthus.