Noneconomic Objectives in the History of Economic Thought

A bstract .   Noneconomic objectives were a significant part of the international economics subspecialty in economics.     

Paradigms and Novelty in Economics: The History of Economic Thought as a Source of Enlightenment

Over time, economics has experienced paradigm shifts, and there is every reason to think this will continue. In economics, as in the development of technological knowledge, paradigms do not emerge from nowhere, but build on precursors, possibly from other fields. Our understanding of current economic thinking can be enhanced by paying greater attention to the role of paradigms and by using concepts such as myth, plot structure, and cultural endowment, which are typically given greater attention by literary analysts than by economists, to study paradigms. Here we argue that together these can help us better understand how ideas from other times and fields may be combined with our own to generate better research and publications, and that a greater awareness of the history of economics may well be an excellent vehicle for enhancing that understanding.     

The Sociology of Knowledge as a Tool for Research Into the History of Economic Thought

A bstract . Hill and Rouse's formulation of Mannheim's framework for the sociology of knowledge as a means of examining the history of economic thought is rejected although it is held that they render an important service to economics by arguing the need for employment of the sociology of knowledge as a research tool. They have not appropriated Mannheim's categories authentically and they apply them in an overly simplified and undialectical manner. Even Mannheim's authentic formulation of the sociology of knowledge suffered limitations which more recent work enables us to overcome. What is believed to be a superior sociology of knowledge framework for investigating the evolution of economic thought is constructed by joining the Berger-Luckmann model of legitimation with Habermas's philosophical anthropology. Increasingly economists are recognizing that their discipline is in a state of crisis. The crucial issue is how we can better understand the sociological nature of economic thought—its social functioning—to enable us to formulate our own economic theory so as to maximize human welfare.     

Contemporary American Economic Thought

"All of them are learned; some are almost readable." R. H. Tawney, Religion and the Rise of Capitalism .     

The Case for Economic Thought

Does the current state of the British economy provoke a sense of déjà vu? Sir Alfred Sherman, the co-founder and former Director of Studies at the Centre for Policy Studies, argues that monetarism is not enough.     

Justice and the Foundations of Economic Thought

A bstract . Justice in the economy is a subject of renewed interest among contemporary economists. In the growing literature, Joseph A. Spengler's Origins of Economic Thought and Justice may become a standard reference work. Its great merit is the way it handles values and value judgments. Economics as an objective science cannot tell us anything about ends, Spengler holds, but it illuminates Valuation and facilitates isolation of costs and some benefits of realizing ends. Still, economists "need to base their policy-oriented arguments on distributive justice and not on efficiency. "     

City and Country: Lessons from European Economic Thought

The article concerns some European thought on the issue of city and country. We discuss the contributions of Henri von Storch, Gustav von Schmoller, Werner Sombart, Wilhelm Röpke, and Friedrich Hayek and attempt to translate these theories into practice in documenting the case of the city of Marl.     

Towards a Personal Knowledge of Economic History

A bstract . Our intellectual heritage from the Polanyi Brother: Michael, the scientist-philosopher, and karl, the economic historian, is explicated. Michael Polanyi's Post-critical philosophy of personal Knowledge is explained and analyzed.
Michael Polanyi applied his philosophy to develop a powerful historical epistemology and methodology. The classic economic history. The Great Transformation , by Karl Polanyi is analyzed and interpreted as a prototypical example of a historical work which utilized and applied Michael Polanyi's historical epistemology and methodology. It is concluded that the Polanyi Brothers have developed a powerful historical epistemology and have applied their methodology to expand historical knowledge beyond the limits of the "new" economic history.     

经济责任审计的实践与思考

本作在回顾海门市经济责任审计实践的基础上,总结了抓计划、抓队伍、抓网络、抓查处四个方面的经验,分析了捉“蛀虫”、查违纪、 考察干部、督促财务管理、提高审计权威等五个方面的社会效益,提出了对解决审计力量不足、处理好任前、任中和任后审计之间的关系以及评价问题的三点思考,有一定的借鉴意义。     

Economic Thought Among American Aboriginals Prior to 1492

This article explores the nature of economic thinking among indigenous Americans prior to European contact using a methodology that can best be described as applied cultural materialism. The article begins with a discussion of the approach used to infer the economic thought in the preliterate societies that populated the USA before 1492. This analysis is followed with an overview of aboriginal economic practices and thinking. The article's third section—an interpretation of Amerindian economic thought—builds on the materials in the previous sections. The article concludes with two case studies: Cahokia and the Iroquois.     

Dialectics, Functionalism, and Structuralism, in Economic Thought

A bstract . "Structuralism" and "functionalism" facilitate an analysis of the evolution oi economic thought as a series of cultural, institutional , and socioeconomic challenges and responses. The methodologies of "structuralism" and "functionalism," like Hegelian dialectics, ¹ to which they are closely related, do not consider thought systems or socioeconomic systems in terms of fixed and stable relationships but in the light of dynamic processes of change. They emphasize communication, feedback , and continuity. The aim of these methodologies is to facilitate the analyses of changes in interrelationships which constitute the processes of evolution. The economist is concerned with the theoretical analysis of socioeconomic processes. His task can be facilitated by describing and analyzing structural-functional relationships of the economy and its parts. However, the methodologies of structuralism and functionalism cannot be used to predict theoretical developments. At best they can be utilized to select from some set of possible alternatives.     

“东方凯恩斯”管仲的经济哲思——浅谈管仲与凯恩斯经济思想之略同

本文以管仲的经济思想为基础,通过对比管仲与凯恩斯在宏观管理和市场经济中类似的经济理论,从而找寻先哲留下的智慧。     

A Brief History of the American Economic Association

The 20^th‐century American economics profession and its leading professional organization—the American Economic Association (AEA)—were privileged and shaped by the federal government's need to direct resources and to call on experts. Bureaucratic tendencies to classify and count had an impact on the discipline's self‐concept, the articulation of subdisciplines, and the establishment of multiple research agendas. They also powerfully framed the strategies for growth and development formulated and deployed by the AEA itself. A consensus of professional opinion and the standardization of curriculums emerged out of the involvement of economists and the AEA with governmental affairs. At the same time, such public engagement was fraught with risks and contradictions—posing challenges and difficulties with which the AEA and the profession would have to contend for decades to come.