John Sydenham Furnivall

Biography

Furnivall was born on 14 February 1878 in

He died on 7 July 1960 at

Political thought

In the 19th century it was believed that the correct sequence for preparing

In his Colonial Policy and Practice, Furnivall postulated that there are three principles of economic progress:

The first principle is "survival of the cheapest":

Everyone would pay twopence rather than threepence for the same thing; that is rational, a matter of universal common sense....but at the same time, unless kept under control, it reduces costs by eliminating all human qualities that are not required to maintain life.

The second principle “is the desire of gain”:

Everyone ordinarily wants threepence instead of twopence....a principle that all accept as rational....It is a condition of economic progress, because it checks the tendency toward the degradation of human life inherent in the principle of survival of the cheapest....[But] the desire for gain tends to subordinate all social relationships to individual economic interest, and, unless kept under control, leads...to general impoverishment.

The third principle is “that progress is conditional on the observance of certain social obligations”:

The two basic principles of economic progress are supplemented by a third: that progress is conditional on the observance of certain social obligations. These obligations are not natural, and cannot be justified by universal common sense. They can indeed be justified rationally, but only to members of the same society.

Books

Published works by J S Furnivall include:

• An Introduction to the Political Economy of Burma (Rangoon: Burma Book Club, 1931);
• Christianity and Buddhism in Burma: an address to the Rangoon Diocesan Council, August, 1929 (Rangoon: Peoples Literature Committee and House, 1930);
• An introduction to the history of Netherlands India, 1602-1836 (Rangoon : Published for the University of Rangoon by Burma Book Club, 1933);
• Wealth in Burma (1937);
• Netherlands India : a study of plural economy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1939);
• The fashioning of Leviathan (Rangoon: Zabu Meitswe Pitaka Press, 1939) - originally published in (1939) 29 Journal of the Burma Research Society 1-138;
• Progress and welfare in Southeast Asia: a comparison of colonial policy and practice (New York: Secretariat, Institute of Pacific Relations, 1941);
• Problems of education in Southeast Asia (New York: International Secretariat, Institute of Pacific Relations, 1942);
• Educational Progress in South East Asia (1943);
• Memorandum on reconstruction problems in Burma (New York: International Secretariat, Institute of Pacific Relations, 1944);
• The tropical Far East (London: Oxford University Press, 1945);
• Experiment in Independence (1947);
• Colonial Policy and Practice: A Comparative Study of Burma and Netherlands India (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1948/ New York: New York University Press, 1948);
• The Government of Modern Burma (New York: International Secretariat, Institute of Pacific Relations, 1958);
• An introduction to the political economy of Burma (Rangoon: Peoples' Literature Committee and House, 1957) 3rd ed;
• The Government of Modern Burma (2d ed. with an appreciation by FN Trager and a supplement on the Ne Win administration by JS Thompson), (New York: Institute of Pacific Relations, 1960);
• Studies in the Economic and Social Development of the Netherlands East Indies. I. An Introductory Survey, 1815-1930;
• Studies in the Economic and Social Development of the Netherlands East Indies. IIb. An Introduction to the History of Netherlands India, 1602-1836;
• Studies in the Economic and Social Development of the Netherlands East Indies. III. State and Private Money Making;
• Studies in the Economic and Social Development of the Netherlands East Indies. IIIc. State Pawnshops in Netherlands India;
• Studies in the Economic and Social Development of the Netherlands East Indies. IVd. Fisheries in Netherlands India.

For an assessment of Furnivall’s impact on the study of Burma, see R H. Taylor, “An undeveloped state: the study of modern Burma's politics (Melbourne: Monash University's Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Working Paper No 28, 1983).

See also