Progress: Poverty or Prosperity?

A bstract .Henry George and Alfred Marshall agreed that prosperity —growth in national income —was necessary but not sufficient to eliminate the poverty both believed impeded the mental and moral development of mankind. This inherent optimism in the potential benefits of economic growth was , however, their only common ground. George asserted that as long as land was privately owned, prosperity would increase poverty; and called for the fiscal remedy of a “single tax” to appropriate land rent. Marshall argued that increased poverty was only a temporary concomitant of growth caused by a population that was too big in numbers but too Low in skills; and advocated “taming” competition by education, charity, thrift , and breeding restraint. This study constructs a joined debate on progress and poverty by aligning the arguments of these two influential authors whose different personalities and personal histories precluded any true communication during their lifetimes.