<P>KEITH L. DOUGHERTY：Public Goods Theory from 18th Century Political Philosophy to 20th Century Economics</P>
<P>Abstract. Some scholars have studied Mancur Olson’s legacy by investigating the effects
of his research on the social sciences (McLean, 2000). Others have scrutinized the logical
and empirical implications of his theories (Sandler, 1992; Marsh, 1976; Chamberlin, 1974;
Frohlich and Oppenheimer, 1970). A third group have quietly claimed that his greatest work,
The logic of collective action, was little more than a popularization of earlier ideas (Dowding,
1997; Chamberlain, 1966). This paper attempts to exonerate Olson of the latter claim by
reviewing the major contributions to collective action theory before his time and comparing
them to The logic of collective action.</P>