Adam Smith in the chairs on political economy in Spain, 1780–1823 1

The creation of economic chairs in Spain was an effort of the enlightened ministers of King Charles III to disseminate the “lights” of political economy, with the object of promoting economic development and “public happiness.” The time of their establishment coincided with the diffusion of The Wealth of Nations (WN) in Spain, but a succession of circumstances made it that Smith’s work played a secondary role as a source for economic teaching. Texts of other authors, especially Genovesi and Say, were given preference. There is however evidence that Smithian ideas were disseminated through some of these chairs, and that the Spanish translations of the WN were used for teaching.