In Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius by Sylvia Nasar, Nasar describes the history of economics since the theories of Dickens and Malthus in the 1800s up to Maynard Keynes. and Freidrich Hayek in the early 1900s, as well as on the policies of FDR and the emergence of China as a global economic power. Ultimately, throughout the history of economics, four major principles have been highlighted in various fields, including the relationship between economics and class structure, population, and Dickens's idea that rigid class structure is the reason for economic failure. This demonstrates the economic principle that economic systems influence individual choices and incentives. In Dickens's time, many members of the lower classes became increasingly angry with their economic system as the rules changed and became even more unfair. In countries like France, India, and England, the rigid class structure at this time was a driver of economic turmoil. Due to the lack of political power among the lower classes, the economic structure leaned heavily in favor of the aristocracy. This involved high taxation of the poor and minimal, if any, taxation of the rich. Additionally, this meant that most available resources were allocated to the wealthy. This limited the choices of the lower classes when it came to trade, because due to the scarcity of money, they had to choose their necessities over their wants when making economic choices. Because wages and work incentives were so minimal, individuals reacted in predictable ways, such as protesting laws that restricted them and trying to change the system to improve their incentives. For many years, the lower classes cooperated with the laws set forth, but...... middle of paper...... their perceptions of the expected costs and benefits of the alternatives. Individuals' choices are often similar across a region due to the impact of local customs, economic systems, and local utility on individual choices. These individual choices then add up to determine the distribution of resources in the future. Throughout world history, class structure, economic and political freedom, and population have always been important topics. These areas are also extremely important to the history of economics, as Sylvia Nasar explains in her book Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius. This novel explains how voluntary trade, individual choices, consequences, and opportunity costs are all interconnected elements of various issues such as population and class structure, and are often attributed in part to economic and political systems..