political economy
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Science of the production, distribution, and management of wealth, especially as dealing with the principles where- by the revenues and resources of a nation are made the most of.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “political economy” mean?
Science of the production, distribution, and management of wealth, especially as dealing with the principles where- by the revenues and resources of a nation are made the most of.
Is “political economy” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.