Hobson, John Atkinson (1858–1940)

British economist and publicist who was a staunch opponent of the Boer War 1899–1902. He condemned it as a conflict orchestrated by and fought for the preservation of finance capitalism at the expense of the British working class.

In his Imperialism: A Study 1902, he argued that imperial expansion was driven by a search for new markets and opportunities for investment overseas. Resultant underconsumption of finance capital in the domestic arena stifled the development of social welfare policies which would benefit the impoverished classes.