The combination of the two dimensions of economics, which this word has exhibited with varying degrees of importance throughout its history, is reflected in the original name of economics: political economy. This label echoes the ancient conception of the discipline; however, the “principles of the good life in the home” are now extended to the organisation of social relations. Accordingly, the main works of Adam Smith and David Ricardo contain detailed discussions of state action. “For the classics and their critics, political economy is a social theory, i.e., it encompasses the totality of socio-economic relationships, right down to the mental (ideological) components of politics.”