ADAM SMITH AND THE POTATO. The importance of potatoes for economic growth from 1750 to 1950, as measured in the Nathan Nunn and Nancy Quian article I cited yesterday, can be traced back to Adam Smith’s campaign for the potato as a contributor to “the wealth of nations”.
Rebecca Earle had an article on “the conversation” website which pointed out how Adam Smith’s argument for the potato fit in with his views on the wealth of nations generally. She wrote:”Smith linked the personal benefits individuals would derive from a greater consumption of potatoes to a greater flourishing of the economy.”
Adam Smith’s forecast of what would happen if Britain ate more potatoes is an example of an economist making a prediction and recommending a policy and being borne out by history.