The correct answer is A. David Ricardo.
David Ricardo was an English economist who is considered one of the most influential of the classical economists. He is best known for his theory of comparative advantage, which states that countries should specialize in producing goods in which they have a comparative advantage, and trade with other countries for goods in which they have a comparative disadvantage.
Ricardo was born in London in 1772. He had little formal education, but he was a voracious reader and taught himself economics. He began working in the money market at the age of fourteen, and he eventually became a successful stockbroker.
Ricardo retired from business in 1815 to devote himself to economics. He published his most famous work, The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, in 1817. The book was an immediate success, and it established Ricardo as one of the leading economists of his day.
Ricardo died in 1823 at the age of fifty-one. His work has had a profound influence on economic thought, and his ideas continue to be debated and discussed today.
The other options are incorrect for the following reasons:
- Adam Smith was a Scottish economist who is considered the father of modern economics. He is best known for his book The Wealth of Nations, which was published in 1776. Smith argued that the free market is the best way to organize an economy, and he advocated for laissez-faire policies.
- V.F.D. Pareto was an Italian economist and sociologist who is best known for his work on Pareto efficiency. Pareto efficiency is a state in which it is impossible to make any one person better off without making someone else worse off.
- A.A. Cournot was a French mathematician and economist who is best known for his work on duopoly theory. Duopoly theory is the study of how two firms interact in a market.