ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes the distinction, articulated, between theories of surplus-generation and its transfer from productive to non-productive on the one hand, and theories of interdependence on the other. The distinction is basic to the growth economics written for Western, socialist, and underdeveloped economies, from the seventeenth century to the present. The book aims to trace the historical and logical connections between early political economy's 'productive/unproductive' dichotomy and modern views about the scope of 'the economy', the relevance of 'mode' of production, the sources of 'output' growth, and the nature of the links between output and 'welfare'. On the boundary's economic side, activities designated as 'productive' were supposed to yield 'produce', 'products', 'output' that had positive utility. Output increased the welfare of those members of society whose welfare counts.
