Basil Yamey

Basil Selig Yamey CBE FBA (4 May 1919 – 9 November 2020) was a South African economist and expert in the history of accounting.

He was born in Cape Town in South Africa in May 1919, and educated at the University of Cape Town. For many years he was a professor at the London School of Economics. He was a part-time member of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission from 1966 to 1978, and author of many books and articles, including one on the economics of underdeveloped countries co-authored with Peter Thomas Bauer.

Yamey's interest in rational economic decision-making led him to study historical accounting records. Yamey rejected the claim by Werner Sombart that the double-entry bookkeeping system was a pre-condition, or at least an important stimulating factor, for the emergence of modern capitalism. Yamey combined his interest in Accounting History with his love of art (he was a trustee of the National Gallery, London from 1974 to 1981 and of the Tate Gallery, London from 1978 to 1981) in his book Art & Accounting, a richly-illustrated survey of paintings portraying commercial scenes and business-people. He died in November 2020 at the age of 101.

• Peter Thomas Bauer; Basil S. Yamey (1951). "Economic Progress and Occupational Distribution". The Economic Journal. 61 (244): 741–755. doi:10.2307/2226978. JSTOR 2226978.
• Basil S. Yamey (1949). "Scientific bookkeeping and the rise of capitalism". The Economic History Review. 1 (2–3): 99–113. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1949.tb00108.x. JSTOR 2589824.
• Basil S. Yamey (1972). "Predatory Price Cutting: Notes and Comments". The Journal of Law & Economics. 15 (1): 129–142. doi:10.1086/466730. JSTOR 725017. S2CID 153377713.

• Peter Thomas Bauer; Basil S. Yamey (1957). The Economics of Under-developed Countries. Cambridge University Press – via Internet Archive.
• Basil S. Yamey (1978). Essays on the history of accounting. New York: Arno Press. ISBN 0-405-10933-4 – via Internet Archive.
• Basil S. Yamey (1989). Art & Accounting. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-04227-2.