ABSTRACT
This chapter is devoted to the major contribution of Jules Dupuit (1804–1866), a renowned engineer-economist, to economic analysis. Dupuit is at the origin of a path-breaking reflection on the measurement of utility, which he mainly applied to issues of public economics (economic calculation for public works, optimal pricing for infrastructures). His conception of public utility and “surplus”, in particular, based on the consideration of deadweight loss in case of price variation, profoundly changed both the subsequent analysis and the practice of economic calculation. He also introduced major theoretical developments in the analysis of taxation, price discrimination and monopoly. The chapter concludes with an examination of Dupuit’s lesser-known contributions to political economy, concerning such issues as property rights, freedom of trade and demography.
