How did John Stuart Mill’s economic views change after studying socialist writers?

After studying socialist writers, John Stuart Mill’s economic views evolved significantly, marking what he described as his third stage as a political economist.

While he did not adopt a socialist solution, his engagement with these ideas led to several key shifts in his perspective:

• Separation of Production and Distribution: Mill concluded that while the laws of production are governed by physical necessity, the laws of distribution are a matter of human institution. He believed society could and should alter how wealth is distributed to prevent the laboring classes from suffering in wretched conditions or starvation.1
• Reevaluation of Property: He moved away from viewing property as a sacred, fixed institution. He argued that property rights, which were originally established to secure peace in primitive societies, were not necessarily appropriate for the existing, more advanced stage of society.1
• Social Importance: He became convinced that the "social question" was as critical as the political question, leading him to reconsider the fundamental foundations of society rather than simply focusing on technical economic problems.1

These changes reflected a broader, more humanistic approach to his work, influenced in part by his wife, Harriet Taylor Mill.1