Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Conversation
The Conversation
Thomas Michael Mueller, Maître de conférence HDR en histoire de la pensée économique à l'Université Paris 8, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain)

How Monopoly informs academia and economics, even when it's not obvious

Designed by Elizabeth Magie in the early 20th century, _The Landlord Game_ would go on to inspire _Monopoly_. Creative Commons

At the top hat’s turn to roll, the dice land on ‘Chance’ and it’s a one-way ticket to Mayfair. Aged just ten years old, I won my first game of Monopoly, but I strangely didn’t feel a sense of joy. I was rich, very rich indeed. But I was the sole proprietor of the houses, hotels and lots left behind by a fictional society of which I was the last remaining survivor.

Perhaps even back then, I suspected that the true lesson of Monopoly was that capitalism (in its most radical form) would lead most of us either to solitude, if we were lucky, or to bankruptcy, if we weren’t.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.