In A History of Canadian Economic Thought, Robin Neill relates the evolution of economic theory in Canada to the particular geographical and political features of the country. Theories and policies are critiqued by testing them against both the conditions to which they were applied and against competing theories.

This study reflects a number of issues in Canadian history. The two most crucial issues are the existence of a distinctive Canadian economics, and the nature and importance of the staple theory as an explanation of the development process in Canada. While there were distinctively Canadian economic discourses in nineteenth-century Ontario and early twentieth-century Quebec, Neill argues that these have now been absorbed into the broader North American mainstream. He also examines the nature and importance of the staple theory controversy and its suitability for the Canadian case.

With full accounts of the work of major Canadian economists including John Rae, H.A.Innis, and Harry Johnson, A History of Canadian Economic Thought is the first definitive treatment of the subject in 30 years.