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on Business, Economic and Financial History |
| By: | José M. Menudo (Department of Economics, Universidad Pablo de Olavide) |
| Abstract: | This article reinterprets the 1825 financial crisis by recovering the overlooked contribution of Álvaro Flórez Estrada, a Spanish economist whose 1826 pamphlet proposed a bullion-scarcity thesis as the root cause of financial collapse. Rather than attributing the crisis to speculative mania or domestic mismanagement, Flórez linked monetary contraction to the disruption of silver and gold inflows from Latin America following independence wars. Drawing on archival pamphlets, economic correspondence, and periodicals, the article traces the transnational circulation of Flórez’s ideas—through parliamentary debate in Britain, journalistic controversies in France, metaphorical reframing in Italy, and reprinting in postcolonial Latin America. By centering a Hispanic interpretation of crisis causality, the article challenges Anglo-centric narratives and reframes early financial thought as inherently global, multilingual, and geopolitically embedded. |
| Keywords: | Classical Economics; Economic crisis; Spread of economic ideas; Early modern period; Monetary policy |
| JEL: | B31 B12 B19 N2 B41 E5 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pab:wpaper:25.08 |
| By: | Blinkova, A. O.; Khakurel, U.; Gaddy, H. G.; Mamelund, S.-E.; Bekker-Nielsen Dunbar, M. |
| Abstract: | We present a structured data set allowing opportunity for insights into mental health admissions to Norwegian facilities covering the period 1872 to 1929. This resource enables quantitative analysis of historical mental health trends across multiple decades and may provide a deeper understanding of the burden of post-viral mental health conditions, which are of renewed interest following the coronavirus disease pandemic of the early twenty-first century. Our data set includes records from 29 facilities, comprising council, private, incarceration, state, and hospital facilities. To construct and curate our data set, we used optical character recognition using ABBYY Finereader to extract tables from historical reports. It was followed by manual validation, harmonization of facility names, and mapping of historical diagnostic terms to Bertillon’s classification of causes. In addition, sex and geography were incorporated as explanatory variables. We believe our data set offers a foundation for comparative historical studies and will contribute additional evidence to understanding long-term mental health patterns. |
| JEL: | I10 I18 N33 N34 |
| Date: | 2025–08–28 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:129336 |
| By: | Klovland, Jan Tore (Dept. of Economics, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration) |
| Abstract: | This article presents a data set that provides the basis for a quantitative narrative of the work done by domestic and foreign merchant shipping serving the United Kingdom 1820 - 1913. Using ton-miles (weight of goods times the distance carried) as an output measure a detailed description is provided along two dimensions: countries and commodities. Annual estimates of ton-miles are provided for 479 import goods and 525 export goods in UK trade with 90 countries and provinces. Two issues have been chosen to illustrate the use of the new data: the gain from the Suez Canal and the trend growth of shipping output as an indicator of trade globalisation. There is very firm evidence that the trend rate of growth in inward shipping volumes was highest in the decades in the middle of the nineteenth century before 1870. This is in contrast to the conventional perception that the period after 1870 represents the first era of trade globalisation. For imports to the United Kingdom from all countries the gain in terms of reduced ton-miles from shortening trade routes via the Suez Canal is calculated for each year from the opening of the canal in 1870 to 1913. On the eve of World War One the Suez gain is estimated at 26 per cent for imports from Suez affected routes, from all countries there is a 10 per cent reduction in ton-miles. |
| Keywords: | Shipping; trade history; globalisation |
| JEL: | F14 F62 N70 R40 |
| Date: | 2025–09–29 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:nhheco:2025_018 |
| By: | Cubel Montesinos, Antonio; Solaz, Marta; Sanchís Llopis, M. Teresa |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the pattern of world trade in capital goods during the two key decades following World War II (1954-1973) by applying the Network Analysis methodology to study world trade as proposed by De Benedictis and Tajoli (2011). Departing from the technological superiority of US and Germany in machinery and transport equipment industries, their role asthe world main exporters is unquestionable. However, their relative presence in the world market, and more specifically in the European market, changed along the Golden Age period. While exports from the US dominated the European markets in the aftermath of the Second World War, the way the reconstruction was addressed and the new order favorable to tradeliberalization consolidated a network less dependent on the quasi-aboslute dominace of the United States prevailing after the war. |
| Keywords: | Bilateral trade; Equipment; Golden Age; Network analysis |
| JEL: | F43 F21 O33 O51 |
| Date: | 2025–09–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cte:whrepe:48102 |
| By: | Mosler, Martin; Schaltegger, Christoph; Mair, Lukas; Brandt, Przemyslaw |
| JEL: | E31 M41 N14 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:vfsc25:325423 |
| By: | Hagen M. Krämer (Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences) |
| Abstract: | Kurt W. Rothschild, an Austrian economist known for his multiparadigmatic and inter¬discipli-nary approach, made significant contributions to Keynesian and post†Keynesian economic theory. Born in 1914 in Vienna, his work encompassed price theory, labor market economics, growth and distribution, power and ethics in economics, and economic policy. His incisive critique of neoclassical theories, advocacy for state intervention, and commitment to methodological pluralism distinguish his work as a vital contribution to economic thought. Since income distribution is a central theme in Rothschild’s research, this paper examines his contributions to post†Keynesian distribution theory. Following a brief overview of his life, academic formation, and the historical context that shaped his thinking, the paper explores his theoretical innovations, emphasizing his rejection of mono†causal explanations in favor of an approach that integrates economic, political, and social dynamics. Rothschild’s perspective on income distribution as a product of complex interactions between markets, institutions, power structures, and ongoing conflict is a defining feature of his work. The paper concludes by assessing the continued relevance of his insights for contemporary economic research. His legacy remains a guiding framework for scholars seeking a more holistic and dynamic understanding of income distribution and its policy implications. |
| Keywords: | Kurt Rothschild, Multiparadigmatic Approach, Post†Keynesian Theory, Bargaining Power, Labor Market Economics, Distribution Theory |
| JEL: | E24 D31 J31 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imk:fmmpap:118-2025 |
| By: | Michela GIORCELLI; Yuki HIGUCHI; Yutaro TAKAYASU; Mari TANAKA |
| Abstract: | In the aftermath of World War II, a large-scale management program, sponsored by the United States and known as the Productivity Program, was implemented in several European countries and Japan. The program involved sending corporate executives to observe business practices at U.S. firms and aimed to share modern management practices and enhance productivity in the recipient countries. In this paper, we first summarize the similarities and differences in how the program was implemented in Japan and European countries based on historical documents. Next, using data on Japanese firms that participated in the program, combined with a database of stock-listed firms, we document the characteristics of participating firms and compare them to other stock-listed firms during the same period. We also provide a simple comparison of firm performance over the first two decades of the program between participating firms and non-participating firms with similar initial characteristics. |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eti:dpaper:25092 |
| By: | Matthias Weigand (Harvard University); Cathrin Mohr (University of Bonn); Davide Cantoni (LMU Munich, CEPR, CESifo) |
| Abstract: | How does culture respond to institutional change? We study the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire (1789–1815), when half of Central Europe changed rulers. Using 44 million birth records from hundreds of cities between 1700 and 1850, we measure cultural traits in real time. Cities that experienced ruler change saw greater naming turnover, dispersion, and novelty. We construct control groups using diplomatic records to isolate these effects, which emerged immediately and persisted. The collapse of hegemonic authority weakened state-aligned identities while strengthening religiosity and nationalism. These shifts undermined subsequent state building, highlighting challenges of ideological integration after regime change. |
| Keywords: | institutional change; cultural persistence; identity formation; |
| JEL: | N33 P16 Z10 |
| Date: | 2025–09–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rco:dpaper:545 |
| By: | Olivier Marie; Esmée Zwiers |
| Abstract: | This paper presents new causal evidence on the “power” of oral contraceptives in shaping women’s lives, leveraging the 1970 liberalization of the Pill for minors in the Netherlands and demand- and supply-side religious preferences that affected Pill take-up. We analyze administrative data to demonstrate that, after Pill liberalization, minors from less conservative areas were more likely to delay fertility/marriage and to accumulate human capital in the long run. We then show how these large effects were eliminated for women facing a higher share of gatekeepers – general practitioners and pharmacists – who were opposed to providing the Pill on religious grounds. |
| Keywords: | birth control, religion, fertility, marriage, human capital, the Netherlands |
| JEL: | I18 J12 J13 Z12 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12157 |
| By: | Rocco Rante (Panthéon-Sorbonne University); Federico Trionfetti (Aix Marseille University); Priyam Verma (Ashoka University) |
| Abstract: | For the first time in the literature we estimate the contribution of spatial centrality to determine city size. We do this using archaeological data on cities of the region of Bukhara observed in the 9th CE. The unique feature of this region is that it was homogeneous in all respects (technology, amenities, climate, culture, language, religion, etc.) and has been homogeneous for the twelve centuries before the 9th CE. This homogeneity rules out confounding factors and endogeneity issues. We develop a simple general equilibrium spatial model that we estimate using the method of moments. The estimated model predicts very well the 9th century city size thus showing that spatial centrality is the major determinant of city size. The Silk Road contributes to explaining what centrality cannot. Interestingly, the estimated on data for the same region in the 21st  century performs less well, indicating that other factors influence city size in modern economies. In a further comparison with the 21st century, we find little evidence of the persistence of the oasis urban structure. We find instead that the centroid of the region has moved towards the economic core of the Uzbek economy, both in terms of population and location of cities. In a counterfactual exercise we use the model estimated for the 9th century to compute the counterfactual population shares of the U.S. commuting zones. As expected, the model underestimates the population share of large and central zones while overestimates the share of small and peripheral zones. This suggests that agglomeration mechanisms of modern “cities†have contributed to make large zones larger and small zones smaller. In a comparative counterfactual we estimate that centrality based on infrastructures explain about 20 percent of populations shares of U.S. commuting zones. Infrastructures also have modified the centrality with respect to †walking paths†thereby improving ex-ante expected welfare by 8%. |
| Keywords: | Spatial model, archaeological data, centrality |
| JEL: | R |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:inf:wpaper:2025.13 |
| By: | Matthias Weigand; Cathrin Mohr; Davide Cantoni |
| Abstract: | How does culture respond to institutional change? We study the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire (1789–1815), when half of Central Europe changed rulers. Using 44 million birth records from hundreds of cities between 1700 and 1850, we measure cultural traits in real time. Cities that experienced ruler change saw greater naming turnover, dispersion, and novelty. We construct control groups using diplomatic records to isolate these effects, which emerged immediately and persisted. The collapse of hegemonic authority weakened state-aligned identities while strengthening religiosity and nationalism. These shifts undermined subsequent state building, highlighting challenges of ideological integration after regime change. |
| Keywords: | institutional change, cultural persistence, identity formation |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12155 |
| By: | Ashwin, Sarah; Gomez, Rafael; Laroche, Patrice |
| Abstract: | David Marsden enriched and extended the field of employment relations with his interdisciplinary and comparative practice. This introduction to the special issue honouring his work examines the nature of David’s contribution and analyses his influence on employment relations and adjacent fields. The article highlights David’s original engagement with the social science questions of his day, and his comparative craft which entailed sensitivity to difference and a commitment to grounded, institutionally-embedded analysis. Previewing the articles that make up this special issue, this introduction shows how David’s work provides signposts to a better world of work. |
| Keywords: | comparative employment relations; interdisciplinarity; embeddedness; mployment systems; varieties of capitalism; wellbeing |
| JEL: | R14 J01 J50 |
| Date: | 2025–09–29 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:129505 |
| By: | Laurent Pech (Académie de Créteil); Pierre Pech (LADYSS - Laboratoire Dynamiques Sociales et Recomposition des Espaces - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - UP8 - Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UPCité - Université Paris Cité) |
| Abstract: | Between 1880 and 1931, the spatial strategy of the entrepreneur Henri Gignoux led to the development of several industrial activities in the Buëch sector of the Southern Alps. The production of natural ice, sparkling mineral water and hydroelectricity was complemented by a sawmill for the manufacture of packaging for ice blocks and bottles of sparkling water, which were exported throughout south-eastern France and, in the case of the mineral water, to Asia and North Africa. Henri Gignoux, originally from Geneva and initially based in Lyon, set up his industrial business in Aspres-sur-Buëch, in the heart of the Buëch sector, in the Hautes-Alpes department, where he built a family home on an estate where he planted remarkable trees and the first tennis court in the Hautes-Alpes. An innovative entrepreneur, he provided the village of Aspres-sur-Buëch with electric lighting before Marseille by installing a hydroelectric power station on the local river, the Buëch. He had one of the first Ripert-brand cars manufactured in Marseille, an outward sign of his social status as a notable with two properties, one in Marseille and the other in Aspres-sur-Buëch. He was involved in social clubs such as the Provence Automobile Club and the Gap Tennis Club, which he founded and became its first president. He was also a member of committees and professional bodies, where he forged many relationships with other entrepreneurs. A geo-historical approach to this strategy reveals a series of interlocking areas in which this captain of industry invested. Locally, he bought land, rebuilt and created a hydraulic network, developed industrial infrastructure and negotiated concessions to export his products by rail. Taken together, these form the territory of the company's spatial footprint. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the spatial model of the "territorialising" industrial owner, shared by many entrepreneurs, led to strong local roots through the acquisition of land occupied not only by industrial sites and transport infrastructure, but also by workers' housing, which often took the form of workers' housing estates. Although Henri Gignoux was partly part of this model, in particular by not developing a workers' housing estate, it seems that the seasonal migration of labour, specific to the mountain environment and space, limited the forms of spatial strategy of this industrial boss, who contributed to the "soft" industrial revolution characteristic of these mountain environments. |
| Abstract: | Entre 1880 et 1931, la stratégie spatiale de l'entrepreneur Henri Gignoux se traduit par le développement de plusieurs activités industrielles dans le secteur du Buëch, dans les Alpes du sud. Les productions de glace naturelle, d'une eau minérale gazeuse, de l'hydroélectricité sont complétées par une scierie utilisée pour la fabrication des emballages des blocs de glace et des bouteilles d'eau gazeuse exportées dans tout le sud-est de la France mais aussi jusqu'en Asie et en Afrique du nord pour l'eau minérale. Henri Gignoux, originaire de Genève et initialement installé à Lyon, localise ses activités industrielles à Aspres-sur-Buëch, au cœur de ce secteur du Buëch, dans le département des Hautes-Alpes où il fait construire une demeure familiale au sein d'une propriété où il installe des arbres remarquables et le premier court de tennis des Hautes-Alpes. Patron innovateur, il équipe avant Marseille le village d'Aspres-sur-Buëch en éclairage électrique en équipant d'une centrale hydroélectrique la rivière locale, le Buëch. Il fait fabriquer à Marseille une des premières voitures de la marque Ripert, signe extérieur de son statut social de notable avec ses deux propriétés, à Marseille et à Aspres-sur-Buëch. Il est investi dans la sociabilité sociale au sein de clubs, comme le club automobile de Provence, ou le tennis club de Gap qu'il crée et dont il devient le premier président. Il intègre des comités et des organismes professionnels dans lesquels il noue de nombreuses relations avec d'autres entrepreneurs. L'approche géohistorique de cette stratégie révèle un emboitement des espaces investis par ce capitaine d'entreprise. Au niveau local, il achète du foncier, transforme et crée un réseau hydraulique, aménage des infrastructures industrielles et négocie des concessions pour exporter par le train ses productions. L'ensemble constitue le territoire de son emprise spatiale. Au cours de la seconde moitié du XIXe siècle, le modèle spatial du patron « territorialisateur », partagé par de nombreux entrepreneurs, se traduit par un ancrage local fort avec acquisition d'espaces fonciers occupés non seulement par les emprises industrielles et les infrastructures de transport mais aussi par les habitats des salariés qui prennent souvent l'aspect de cités ouvrières. Si Henri Gignoux appartient partiellement à ce modèle, notamment en n'ayant pas développé de cité ouvrière, il semble que les migrations saisonnières de travail, spécifiques du milieu et de l'espace montagnard, ont contraint les formes de la stratégie spatiale de ce patron d'industrie qui contribue à la révolution industrielle « douce » caractéristique de ces milieux de montagne. |
| Keywords: | Industrial owner, Southern Alps France, Spatial strategy, Industrial landscape |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05265358 |
| By: | Dirks, Maximilian W. |
| JEL: | F51 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:vfsc25:325433 |
| By: | Carola Frydman; Raven S. Molloy; Austin Palis |
| Abstract: | Housing is an important component of wealth for most American households (Bricker, Moore and Thompson 2019; Kuhn et al., 2020), so studying trends in homeownership can shed light on changes in aggregate household wealth and how it is distributed across families. The aggregate US homeownership rate increased by 20 percentage points from 1940 to 1960, the largest change in American homeownership in the past 100 years. |
| Date: | 2025–09–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedgfn:2025-09-24-2 |
| By: | Bauer, Thomas; Glawe, Linda; Westphal, Matthias; Zudenkova, Galina |
| JEL: | D72 N33 N43 N73 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:vfsc25:325438 |
| By: | Matteo Cervellati; Gerrit Meyerheim; Uwe Sunde |
| Abstract: | This paper demonstrates that a tractable heterogeneous agent endogenous growth model can quantitatively match the stylized empirical facts of long-run development trajectories of income, life expectancy, and fertility for 86 countries over the past 140 years. A decomposition of comparative development differences into contributions of country-specific "deep determinants'', accumulation forces during the historical development process, and balanced growth dynamics sheds new light on the mechanisms leading to country-specific differences in development and establishes a link between the largely disparate literatures on endogenous growth, comparative development, and growth accounting. Structural estimation results show that historical accumulation dynamics explain most of today's comparative development patterns. A quantification of the demographic dividend suggests implications for future growth dynamics. |
| Keywords: | long-run growth dynamics, quantitative growth dynamics, comparative development, structural estimation |
| JEL: | O10 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12176 |
| By: | Konysev, Vasilij; Fehrle, Daniel |
| JEL: | E13 E24 N14 O11 O47 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:vfsc25:325462 |
| By: | Arvai, Kai; Coimbra, Nuno |
| JEL: | E42 F02 F33 N10 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:vfsc25:325376 |
| By: | Benson, Todd; De Weerdt, Joachim; Duchoslav, Jan; Masanjala, Winford |
| Abstract: | Malawi has been at the center of the debate on agricultural input subsidies in Africa ever since it significantly expanded its fertilizer subsidy program about two decades ago. When it did so, Malawi was a trailblazer, receiving international attention for seemingly leveraging the subsidy program to move the country from a situation characterized by food deficits and widespread hunger to crop production surpluses. In this paper we trace the history of Malawi’s subsidy program over the past 70 years, describing how the country arrived at that watershed moment earlier this century and how the subsidy program has developed since. We show how donor support for the program has wavered and how external pressure to remove the subsidy has repeatedly been unsuccessful. We also demonstrate how over the years the program’s total fiscal burden has fluctuated significantly. However, we find that since the expansion of the subsidy program in 2004, the fiscal costs of the program have shown little correlation with the maize harvest that same agricultural season. We show that the subsidy program has succeeded in raising awareness about the value of the fertilizer for increased crop productivity. However, despite its continued prominence in the country’s agricultural policy, most Malawian smallholder do not manage to grow sufficient maize to feed their households throughout the year, and every year millions depend on food assistance during the worst months of the lean season. |
| Keywords: | fertilizers; subsidies; maize; food security; Malawi; Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2024–02–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:masspp:138880 |
| By: | Kumhof, Michael |
| JEL: | E44 E52 G21 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:vfsc25:325358 |
| By: | Matthew Baron; Luc Laeven; Julien Pénasse; Yevhenii Usenko |
| Abstract: | We study the mechanisms driving bank losses across historical banking crises in 46 economies and the effectiveness of policy interventions in restoring bank capitalization. We find that bank stocks experience large, permanent declines at the onset of crises. These losses predict commensurate long-term declines in banks’ earnings and dividends, rather than elevated future equity returns. Bank losses are primarily driven by write-downs of nonperforming assets, not asset sales during panics. Forceful liquidity-based interventions during crises predict only small, temporary increases in bank market value. Overall, these results suggest that bank losses during crises are not primarily due to temporary price dislocations. Early liquidity interventions can avert banking crises, but only under specific conditions. Once large bank equity declines have occurred, policy responses have historically failed to prevent persistent undercapitalization in the banking sector. |
| JEL: | G01 G21 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34288 |
| By: | Boris Gershman; Tinatin Mumladze |
| Abstract: | Empirical research on culture and institutions in economics often relies on cross-cultural data to examine historical or contemporary variation in traits across ethnolinguistic groups. We argue that this work has not adequately addressed the problem of cultural non-independence due to common ancestry and show how phylogenetic regression, along with newly available global language trees, can be used to directly account for this issue. Our analysis focuses on Murdock's Ethnographic Atlas (EA), a widely used database of preindustrial societies, with broader implications for any cross-cultural study. First, we show that various economic, institutional, and cultural characteristics in the EA exhibit substantial phylogenetic signal - they tend to be more similar among societies with closer ancestral ties. Second, through simulations in a sample resembling the EA, we demonstrate that phylogenetic correlation leads to severe inefficiency of the standard OLS estimator and unacceptably high type I error rates, even when clustered standard errors are used. Phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS), exploiting the information on shared ancestry contained in language trees, improves estimation accuracy and enables reliable hypothesis testing. Third, we revisit some of the recently published results in a phylogenetic regression framework. In many specifications, PGLS estimates differ markedly from their OLS counterparts, indicating a smaller magnitude and weaker statistical significance of relevant coefficients. |
| Keywords: | Common ancestry, Cross-cultural analysis, Culture, Cultural non-independence, Ethnographic Atlas, Institutions, Phylogenetic comparative methods |
| JEL: | C10 O10 N30 Z12 Z13 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:amu:wpaper:2025-02 |
| By: | Fabien Eloire (CLERSÉ - Centre Lillois d’Études et de Recherches Sociologiques et Économiques - UMR 8019 - Université de Lille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Julien Gradoz (CLERSÉ - Centre Lillois d’Études et de Recherches Sociologiques et Économiques - UMR 8019 - Université de Lille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) |
| Abstract: | This article examines "the economics of singularities" by Lucien Karpik, which is a sociological theory explaining the functioning of markets for a specific type of goods, labeled as "singularities", defined according to three criteria: the plurality of qualities, quality uncertainty and the primacy of quality. According to Lucien Karpik, singularities complement the typology of goods traditionally used by economists, consisting of homogeneous and differentiated goods. He argues that singularities represent a "blind spot" of what he calls "neoclassical economic theory." According to him, while neoclassical economic theory is adequate for studying homogeneous and differentiated goods, an autonomous framework is indispensable for studying singularities. In this article, we propose a comprehensive overview of the economics of singularities, and we formulate a critique of Karpik's positioning in relation to neoclassical economic theory. |
| Keywords: | interdisciplinarity, economic sociology, singularities, Lucien Karpik |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05265677 |
| By: | Pies, Ingo |
| Abstract: | This article interprets Kant from an ordonomic perspective: How does Kant think, and why does he think the way he does? - Kant seeks to ground human dignity. To this end, he conceives the idea of thinking the supreme principle of morality as an end that is at the same time a duty. He thus identifies a specific form that enables every person to apply the categorical imperative as a moral criterion. Kant ties the universality of this form to the universality of human dignity. His rigorism-his strategy of purification-thus concerns thinking, not acting. He welcomed actions done from duty, even when they were accom- panied by personal interests, by "pleasure and love." For contemporary theory-building, two aspects are of particular interest: (a) Kant recognized the importance of institutional incentives for moral progress; (b) Kant's theoretical architecture employs purposiveness as a regulative idea and aims to produce theory for practice-by formulating ideas that anticipate and prepare their own realization. |
| Abstract: | Dieser Aufsatz interpretiert Kant aus ordonomischer Sicht: Wie denkt Kant, und warum denkt er so, wie er denkt? - Kant will die Menschenwürde begründen. In dieser Absicht entwickelt er die Idee, den höchsten Grundsatz der Moral als Zweck zu denken, der zugleich Pflicht ist. So identifiziert er eine spezifische Form, mit der jeder Mensch den kategorischen Imperativ als moralisches Prüfkriterium anwenden kann. An die Allgemeinheit dieser Form knüpft Kant die Allgemeinheit der Menschenwürde. Kants Rigorismus, seine Purifizierungsstrategie, bezieht sich deshalb allein aufs Denken, nicht aufs Handeln. Er begrüßte es, wenn ein Handeln aus Pflicht von eigenen Interessen, von "Lust und Liebe" begleitet wird. Für eine zeitgenössische Theoriebildung sind vor allem zwei Aspekte von besonderem Interesse: (a) Kant wusste um die Bedeutung institutioneller Anreize für moralischen Fortschritt; (b) Kants Theoriearchitektur verwendet Zweckmäßigkeit als regulative Idee und zielt darauf ab, Theorie für die Praxis zu betreiben, indem sie Ideen denkt, die ihrer eigenen Verwirklichung vor- und zuarbeiten. |
| Keywords: | Liberal philosophy of reason, moral and political autonomy, human dignity, priority of the right over the good, purposiveness as a regulative idea, conflict as a driver of progress, Vernunftphilosophie der Freiheit, moralische und politische Autonomie, Menschenwürde, Vorrang des Rechten vor dem Guten, Zweckmäßigkeit als regulative Idee, Konflikt als Motor des Fortschritts |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:mlucee:327134 |
| By: | Kabadayı, Berkay Kaan |
| Abstract: | This review synthesizes three paradigms: developmental state theory, inclusive institutions, and mission-oriented policy into a unified AIM (Autonomy × Inclusivity × Mission) framework of state capacity. The AIM framework is based upon three works, along with supporting papers, symbolizing each dimension: Milor's France–Turkey comparison, Acemoglu & Robinson's institutional framework, and Mazzucato's entrepreneurial state theory as an empirical anchor. It introduces a new configuration model that reveals how autonomy, inclusivity, and mission- orientation interact as complementary rather than competing dimensions of state capacity. We demonstrate through comparative case analysis that optimal state capacity requires balanced achievement across all three dimensions, which is not static and variable as evidenced through historical examples. |
| Date: | 2025–09–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:8jwfc_v1 |
| By: | Chaudhary, Latika (Naval Postgraduate School); Dupraz, Yannick (Paris Dauphine University, PSL University, LEDA, CNRS, IRD); Fenske, James (University of Warwick and CAGE) |
| Abstract: | Combining detailed data on language and migration across colonial Indian districts in 1901 with a gravity model, we find origin and destination districts separated by more dissimilar languages saw less migration. We control for the physical distance between origin-destination pairs, several measures of dissimilarity in geographic characteristics, as well as origin and destination fixed effects. The results are robust to a regression discontinuity design that exploits spatial boundaries across language groups. We also find linguistic differences predict lower migration in 2001. Cultural channels are a small part of the link from linguistic diversity to lower migration. Rather, the evidence suggests communication and information channels are more important. |
| Keywords: | Migration, Linguistic Diversity, India JEL Classification: N35, O15, Z13 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cge:wacage:774 |
| By: | Jean-Daniel Boyer; Claude Diebolt; Michael Haupert |
| Abstract: | In the final chapter of The Rules of Sociological Method (1895), Émile Durkheim, the principal founder of French sociology, stresses the importance of adopting systematic quantitative comparisons in sociological research. First, quantitative methods enable the detection of previously unrecognized causalities and social laws that remain imperceptible through observation alone. Second, they assist in establishing and substantiating causal links. Durkheim even outlines two types of applications for serial quantitative analysis, distinguished by both static and dynamic perspectives. In this article, we argue that cliometrics offers a way to fulfill Durkheim’s initial (but soon abandoned) ambitions and transform sociology from a narrative discipline to one that incorporates quantitative methods and the precision they can bring to the treatment of social facts. This epistemological shift could open new avenues for both sociology and cliometrics. |
| Keywords: | Cliometrics; Durkheimian Sociology; Social Causality; Quantitative Methods; Epistemology of the Social Sciences; Social Physics. |
| JEL: | B41 N01 Z13 A12 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulp:sbbeta:2025-29 |
| By: | Alicia H. Munnell |
| Abstract: | The brief’s key findings are:(1) After a century of decline, work activity among older men stabilized in the 1980s and began to rise in the early 1990s.(2) This turnaround reflected changes in Social Security, retirement plans, the nature of work, education levels, and health coverage.(3) In response, the average retirement age for men rose by about three years to 64.(4) In recent years, it has remained relatively stable as the changes that drove the increase have played themselves out. (5) Thus, further significant increases in the average retirement age are unlikely. |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crr:issbrf:ib2025-8 |
| By: | Claude Diebolt |
| Abstract: | Cet article propose une relecture critique et cliométrique du système d’assurance vieillesse et invalidité instauré en Allemagne à partir de 1889 sous l’impulsion de Bismarck. Loin du mythe d’un modèle fondateur maîtrisé, il met en lumière les nombreuses fragilités d’un dispositif confronté, dès ses débuts, à des déséquilibres financiers, à des effets d’incitation non anticipés et à d’importantes disparités régionales. Construit sur une logique capitalisante sans mécanisme d’ajustement progressif des cotisations, le système révèle rapidement une insoutenabilité structurelle, aggravée par une dynamique des dépenses plus soutenue que celle des recettes. L’analyse quantitative mobilise un ensemble inédit de séries statistiques portant sur les rentes, les cotisations, les frais de gestion et leur distribution territoriale. Elle met en évidence la croissance spectaculaire des rentes d’invalidité, préférées par les assurés pour leur accessibilité et leur rendement comparatif, au détriment des rentes de vieillesse. Le taux de remplacement demeure très faible, révélant ainsi les limites assurantielles du dispositif et son incapacité à garantir un revenu de substitution suffisant. Au-delà de l’étude historique, ce travail ambitionne de nourrir la réflexion contemporaine sur la soutenabilité des systèmes de retraite. Il invite à repenser les fondements économiques, sociaux et politiques des régimes contributifs, et souligne l’importance de la confiance intergénérationnelle et de l’adaptabilité institutionnelle face aux mutations démographiques. L’expérience allemande de la fin du XIXe siècle, à bien des égards, entre en résonance avec les questionnements actuels en France sur l’équilibre et la légitimité des politiques de retraite. |
| Keywords: | Retraite, Bismarck, Assurance sociale, Soutenabilité financière, Cliométrie |
| JEL: | N33 H55 I38 J14 C82 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulp:sbbeta:2025-28 |
| By: | Federica Arena |
| Abstract: | Since the seminal work ofBaccaro and Pontusson(2016), the Comparative Political Econ- omy (CPE) literature has increasingly reintegrated aggregate demand as a central determinant of growth trajectories in advanced economies. This paper contributes to this burgeoning Growth Model (GM) research agenda by applying the Supermultiplier decomposition to analyze Italy’s economic growth from 1960 to 2022. Our approach provides a granular examination of the demand components driving growth, distinguishing between autonomous and induced expenditures, a critical separation often overlooked in traditional decompositions. By situating our empirical findings within the institutional and political context of each identified sub-period, we offer a comprehensive analysis that bridges post-Keynesian economic theory with the CPE focus on the †politics of growth.†|
| Keywords: | Italy’s Economic Growth, Demand-Led Growth, Post-Keynesian Economics, Comparative Political Economy (CPE), Growth Models. Jel Classification: E12, O52, B50, P16 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:usi:wpaper:930 |
| By: | Jean Arrous |
| Abstract: | Reading about the « process of creative destruction » (Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, chap. III and VII), I think Schumpeter should have named it the « process of destructive creation ». |
| Keywords: | Schumpeter, creative destruction, destructive creation |
| JEL: | B2 B3 L16 L26 O3 P10 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulp:sbbeta:2025-35 |
| By: | Bouvard, Matthieu; Jullien, Bruno; Martimort, David |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tse:wpaper:130945 |