hiː wʌzɐ lˈaɪflɔŋ stˈuːdənt ʌv pəlˈɪɾɪkəl ɪkˈɑːnəmi ænd wʌz dˈiːpli ˈɪnfluːənst baɪ ðə ɹˈaɪɾɪŋz ʌv ˈædəm smˈɪθ, dʒˈɛɹəmi bˈɛnθæm, tˈɑːməs ɹˈɑːbɚt mˈælθəs ænd dˈeɪvɪd ɹɪkˈɑːɹdoʊ.
He was a lifelong student of political economy and was deeply influenced by the writings of Adam Smith, Jeremy Bentham, Thomas Robert Malthus and David Ricardo.