Review Essay: The History, Essence, and Future of Global Capitalism (original) (raw)
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The Return of Economic History
Guillaume Calafat & Éric Monnet, « The Return of Economic History? », Books and Ideas , 30 January 2017. ISSN : 2105-3030., 2017
The recent success of books on economic history – at a time when this specialism often seems disregarded in universities – coupled with parallel developments in both history and economics gives hope for new links between the two disciplines. Both historians and economists regularly note that economic history has almost completely disappeared from universities, whether in terms of teaching or publications. This undeniably founded and well-documented observation applies to all countries. However, it stands in marked contrast with the recent public and/or academic success of a certain number of books on economic history. These include works as different, in terms of methodology, analysis, and conclusions, as those by, and, of course, Thomas Piketty or even Jared Diamond and his Collapse, which includes some analysis of economic history. 1 More generally, references to economic history substantially fuelled political and economic debate during the financial crisis (for an overview, see Barry Eichengreen's latest * We would like to express our thanks to Nicolas Delalande for his comments on an initial version of this text. 1 The aim of this text is not to provide an overview of current works in economic history and much less to provide an exhaustive bibliographical analysis. However, the following selection of references and authors can give the reader some initial pointers. Jared Diamond, Collapse.
On the Status and Future of Economic History
2012
How many economic historians are there? In which countries or regions are they concentrated? What can we learn from the number of economic historians participating in world congresses, and which determinants encourage or limit participation? Using an e-mail questionnaire, we analyse the discipline's global status. Overall 59 countries were surveyed in this overview. Although the majority of economic historians are concentrated in rich countries, developing regions do have a substantial number of practitioners. Cross fertilisation between development studies, development economics and economic history is bearing increasing fruit. It is therefore important to strengthen the discipline of economic history in those regions where development is the core issue.
On the status and the future of economic history in the world
2011
How many economic historians are there in the world? In which countries or world regions are they concentrated? Can we explain differences in the number of economic historians who are participating in world congresses, and which determinants encourage or limit participation propensity? Using an e-mail questionnaire, we analyse the global situation of this discipline. Overall 59 countries were available to be surveyed in this overview. We estimate the overall number of economic historians in the world to be around 10,400 scholars.
Economic Histories: Between Facts and Models (review essay)
The European Legacy, 2013
A review essay of the following three volumes: (1) The Poverty of Clio: Resurrecting Economic History. By Francesco Boldizzoni; (2) Post-Soviet Social: Neoliberalism, Social Modernity, Biopolitics. By Stephen J. Collier; (3) Private Ratings, Public Regulations: Credit Rating Agencies and Global Financial Governance. By Andreas Kruck. Transformations of the State.
Economic History: ‘An Isthmus Joining Two Great Continents’?
ABSTRACT: This paper offers (yet another) reflection on the history and current status of economic history. No other sub-discipline of economics or history has tried so hard to be loved as economic history. That love is unrequited, because economic history’s problem is existential: it is an inherently interdisciplinary field. Economists and historians are interested in only small parts of what economic history should embrace. Some examples are given of how narrow views of the past the impoverish research. Not all is gloom and doom, however. The controversies economic history provokes and the insights it provides touch on issues that resonate and that will continue to do so.
Back to the future: How economic history can gain more relevance by abandoning modernization thinking, 2024
Economic history has built a solid scientific foundation over the past decades but may need to enhance its academic and societal relevance. Ways to do so could include a clearer focus on societal issues and using history as a ‘laboratory’ in which to investigate these, strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration, better incorporating social and environmental dimensions, and abandoning modernization thinking to fully employ periods further back in time and across the globe as sources of relevant knowledge.
Is history of economic thought a serious subject?
Erasmus, 2008
The purpose of this paper is to clarify the nature of research methods in the history of economic thought. In reviewing the "techniques" which are involved in the discipline, four broader categories are identified: a) textual exegesis; b) "rational reconstructions"; c) "contextual analysis"; and d) "historical narrative". After examining these different styles of doing history of economic thought, the paper addresses the question of its appraisal, namely what is good history of economic thought. Moreover, it is argued that there is a distinction to be made between doing economics and doing history of economic thought. The latter requires the greatest possible respect for contexts and texts, both published and unpublished; the former entails constructing a theoretical framework that is in some respects freer, not bound by derivation, from the authors. Finally, the paper draws upon Econlit records to assess what has been done in the subject in the last two decades in order to frame some considerations on how the past may impinge on the future.