| 1. | a social science dealing with political policies and economic processes, their interrelations, and their influence on social institutions. |
| 2. | (in the 17th–18th centuries) the art of management of communities, esp. as affecting the wealth of a government. |
| 3. | (in the 19th century) a social science similar to modern economics but dealing chiefly with governmental policies. |
| 4. | economics (def. 1). |
| political economy n.
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