Unlimited supplies of labor

This paper examines the background to the birth and reception of W Arthur Lewis's 1954 Manchester School paper on 'Economic Development with Unlimited Supplies of Labour'. It considers the development of Lewis's thinking leading up to the paper, weighing the diverse influences from economic history and economic thought. It then discusses the reception of Lewis's paper in the context of the diverse standpoints representing economic thinking on development at the time, and their impact on Lewis's Subsequent refinement of his model.