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on History and Philosophy of Economics |
| By: | Mohsen Javdani (Simon Fraser University) |
| Abstract: | This study contributes to growing calls for greater pluralism in economics by examining how gender shapes economists' normative and epistemological orientations. Drawing on original survey data from 2, 425 economists across 19 countries, we document systematic gender differences in views on a broad range of issues. Female economists are significantly more likely to support progressive equity-oriented positions, challenge mainstream assumptions, and endorse pluralistic approaches to inquiry. We also find stark gender differences in political ideology: women are far more likely than men to identify as left-leaning—particularly far-left—while men disproportionately align with centrist or right-leaning ideologies. These ideological divides account for some of the gender differences in views, underscoring the mediating role of political ideology. However, the influence of ideology itself varies by gender: moving rightward on the ideological spectrum reduces support for some progressive positions more sharply among men than women. This suggests that gendered experiences inform distinct interpretive frameworks that persist even within shared ideological categories. Taken together, our findings highlight that gender diversity in economics is not merely demographic but epistemic—and that realizing its transformative potential requires institutional environments that value and legitimize dissenting and underrepresented perspectives. |
| Keywords: | Gender Diversity, Economics Profession, Pluralistic Diversity, Political Ideology. |
| JEL: | A11 A13 B54 J16 D63 |
| Date: | 2024–08–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:thk:wpaper:inetwp238 |
| By: | Beinhocker, Eric; Bednar, Jenna |
| Abstract: | Since the first volume in this series (Anderson, Arrow & Pines, 1987), a variety of scholars have claimed that complexity economics presents a fundamentally different and more scientifically grounded way of explaining and modelling the economy than more traditional perspectives. Looking back at over thirty-five years of development in the field, this essay argues that complexity economics is not merely an alternative and advantageous set of methods for understanding the economy but could play a critical role in the construction of a new economic paradigm. Complexity economics is part of a broader interlocking set of ideas—an "ontological stack"—that has the potential to supplant the dominant economic paradigms of the twentieth century. The development of such a paradigm would have major implications for economic policy and politics. The essay concludes with a discussion of what can be done to advance the complexity economics agenda and how such a paradigm might be developed. |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:amz:wpaper:2025-20 |
| By: | Jan Toporowski (International University College) |
| Abstract: | This paper commemorates the 70th anniversary of Kalecki's seminal lecture in Mexico on financing economic development. The first part of this paper outlines the theoretical model underlying Kalecki's view of development financing. A second part of the paper summarizes the foundations of structuralist development economics in the Prebisch-Singer approach to international trade and import-substitution development strategies. A third part of the paper examines the confrontation between Kalecki’s view of economic development strategy, and the structuralist approach, in the case of Cuba, highlighting the differences between the two approaches. A fourth part concludes with some reflections on the relevance today of structuralism and Kalecki's view of economic development. |
| Keywords: | Kalecki, structuralist economics, economic development, development finance, land reform, import substitution, Prebisch-Singer. |
| JEL: | B24 B31 F54 O11 O19 |
| Date: | 2025–06–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:thk:wpaper:inetwp234 |
| By: | Buchner, Martin; Rose, Julian; Johannesson, Magnus; Malan, Mandy; Ankel-Peters, Jörg |
| Abstract: | Consensus is crucial to authoritative science, as is replicability. Yet, in economics and the social sciences, the publication of contradictory replications often sparks fierce debates between replicators and original authors. This paper investigates whether experts can reach a consensus on a famous yet unsettled debate about the robustness of the seminal paper by Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson (AJR, 2001) following a replication by Albouy (2012). We recruited 352 experts mainly from the pool of scholars citing one of the involved or similar articles. Through a structured online questionnaire, we assess the extent to which these experts align with AJR or Albouy. Our findings indicate no consensus on whether the original results hold after Albouy's replication, although there is a slight tendency among experts to side with the replicator. Exploratory heterogeneity analysis suggests that experts with greater academic credentials are more likely to align with Albouy. Our study demonstrates a potential way to scope scientific consensus formation and navigate replication debates and contested literatures. |
| Keywords: | replication, scientific consensus, scientific credibility, expert survey, institutions and growth |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:i4rdps:270 |
| By: | Dani Rodrik |
| Abstract: | Economics students today learn about mercantilism through Smith’s prism, as a series of logical and policy errors that Smith clarified and settled for good. But far from settled doctrine, mercantilism encapsulated a variety of pragmatic practices that survived Smith’s critique, often to good effect. It found echo in a continuous tradition of what later came to be called “developmentalism, ” running from Alexander Hamilton and Friedrich List’s advocacy of trade protection to Hans Singer and Raul Prebisch’s ideas on import-substitution and, more recently, to East Asian models of export-oriented industrialization. Three of its core tenets hold continued appeal: the primacy of production and jobs (and of their composition) over consumption; preference for close, collaborative relationship between business and government over an arms’ length relationship; and the need for contextual, pragmatic, and often unorthodox policies over universal remedies and “best-practices.” |
| JEL: | B1 F1 O10 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34353 |
| By: | Verónica Amarante; Marisa Bucheli; Tatiana Pérez |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the link between the ideological profile of Uruguayan economists and their opinions regarding inequality and discrimination. Drawing on data from an online survey of Uruguayan economists, we explore the links between their economic opinions and three dimensions of ideology: political orientation, sexist attitudes (benevolent and hostile sexism), and pro-market views. Economists' opinions encompass diagnostic assessments of inequality and discrimination, as well as views on specific policies designed to address these issues. Using ordered probit models, we find that right-wing political ideology, hostile sexism, and pro-market attitudes are associated with a lower likelihood of agreeing that income distribution in Uruguay should be more equitable and that women face barriers to full-time employment. These ideological factors are also linked to a higher likelihood of believing that there are equal gender and race opportunities in Uruguay. Benevolent sexism exhibits a more mixed relationship with opinions on inequality and discrimination. Furthermore, we show that economists' diagnoses of inequality and discrimination mediate the relationship between ideological variables and their policy preferences. Our results point to the need for greater introspection within the discipline regarding the influence of personal values and beliefs on economic analysis and policy recommendations. Our findings challenge the notion of economics as a purely objective and unbiased discipline, revealing significant associations between ideological factors, economists' perceptions of inequality and discrimination, and their support for specific policies. |
| Keywords: | ideology, sexism, inequality, discrimination |
| JEL: | A13 D63 J16 |
| Date: | 2024–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ude:wpaper:0624 |
| By: | Liu, Yan |
| Abstract: | This study posits that macro-social structures are not determined by macro-level laws but emerge from interactions among micro-level biological and psychological foundations of individuals. To this end, we first construct a novel micro-foundational model: the "Model of Cognition and Practice Governed by the Desire Mechanism." Drawing on methodologies from computer science, we introduce analytical frameworks of "Variation and Evolution" and "System Adaptation" to facilitate the study of systemic macro-level manifestations and their underlying causes. Building on this foundation, we demonstrate how macro-level regularities, including those empirical patterns accurately identified by Marxism, emerge and evolve from micro-level mechanisms. Ultimately, this research develops theoretical tools such as "Social Internal and External Adaptation and Their Co-adaptation" and the "Social Ripple Model, " applying them to interpret several contentious historical issues. This study aims to transcend the traditional dichotomy between reductionism and holism, establishing a mechanistic theoretical framework for sociology that is compatible with contemporary natural sciences. |
| Date: | 2025–10–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:hdb42_v1 |
| By: | Abramson, Corey; Nian, Yuhan |
| Abstract: | The CMAP (cultural mapping and pattern analysis) visualization toolkit introduced in this paper is an open-source suite for analyzing and visualizing text data—from qualitative fieldnotes and in-depth interview transcripts to historical documents and web-scaped data like message board posts or blogs. The toolkit is designed for scholars integrating pattern analysis, data visualization, and explanation in qualitative and/or computational social science (CSS). Despite the existence of off-the-shelf commercial qualitative data analysis software, there is a dearth of highly scalable open source options that can work with large data sets, and allow advanced statistical and language modeling. The foundation of the toolkit is a pragmatic approach that aligns research tools with social science project goals— empirical explanation, theory-guided measurement, comparative design, or evidence-based recommendations— guided by the principle that research paradigm and questions should determine methods. Consequently, the CMAP visualization toolkit offers a range of possibilities through the adjustment of relatively small number of parameters, and allows integration with other python tools. |
| Date: | 2025–10–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:v4h9a_v1 |
| By: | Fazio, Andrea; Reggiani, Tommaso; Santori, Paolo |
| Abstract: | This paper experimentally examines Max Weber's thesis on the influence of religious narratives - particularly the Protestant Ethic - on attitudes toward wealth redistribution. Weber argued that the Protestant Reformation fostered the belief that economic success signals divine favour, thereby legitimising wealth inequality. We test this idea using a variation of the dictator game, leveraging a religious narrative that casts the dictator's role - and the endowment of wealth - as a divine blessing. By exogenously evoking the blessingof- wealth narrative to different religious groups, we then examine how subjects' redistribution behaviour is affected. Our findings reveal that low-income Protestants exposed to the blessing narrative are significantly less inclined to redistribute wealth than their Catholic counterparts, consistent with Weber's claim that Protestantism can serve to rationalise inequality through the lens of divine providence. A complementary narrative analysis further reveals that Protestants, Calvinists, Methodists, and Atheists tend to interpret blessings as a sign of divine election that is contingent upon wealth. In contrast, Catholics more often associate them with spiritual meanings alone. These results underscore the decisive role of religious narratives in shaping economic preferences, providing empirical support for Weber's enduring thesis. |
| Keywords: | experimental economics, Max Weber, religious narratives, pro-social behaviour, redistribution |
| JEL: | J14 J15 Z12 Z1 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1505r |
| By: | McGuirk, Eoin; Trebesch, Christoph |
| Abstract: | We examine the intersection of two subfields within political economy: geoeconomics and conflict. Geoeconomics is primarily concerned with the use of "economic weapons " of coercion, while the conflict literature mainly focuses on military weapons and war. We propose bridging these two approaches, focusing on the international dimension of conflict. We start by reviewing the existing literature linking both fields, in particular research on the relationship between trade and war and on the use of geoeconomic tools such as foreign aid and sanctions. We then highlight four main directions for future research. First, we call for a broader view of the geoeconomic toolkit, as rogue leaders do not limit themselves to economic coercion. In addition to economic weapons, future research should also consider more aggressive -and often costlier - forms of intervention short of war, including sabotage, cyberattacks, covert operations, and the sponsorship of terrorism or insurgency. Second, we require a better understanding of how geoeconomic tools affect the likelihood of conflict. Do sanctions, strategic tariffs, or military aid provoke or deter war? Third, more research is needed on the domestic political economy of geoeconomic actions and their link with conflict. When and why do governments and citizens support the use of economic versus noneconomic weapons? Finally, we stress the importance of research on explicitly peacemaking tools of diplomacy, including mediation, security guarantees, and transparency initiatives. |
| Keywords: | Geoeconomics, conflict, political economy |
| JEL: | F01 F51 F13 F50 D74 H56 N40 F01 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifwkwp:328237 |
| By: | Andrzej Baranski; Ernesto Reuben; Arno Riedl |
| Abstract: | In a laboratory experiment, we study the role of fairness ideals as focal points in coordination problems in homogeneous and heterogeneous groups. We elicit the normatively preferred behavior about how a subsequent coordination game should be played. In homogeneous groups, people share a unique fairness ideal how to solve the coordination problem, whereas in heterogeneous groups, multiple conflicting fairness ideals prevail. In the coordination game, homogeneous groups are significantly more likely than their heterogeneous counterparts to sustain efficient coordination. The reason is that homogeneous groups coordinate on the unique fairness ideal, whereas heterogeneous groups disagree on the fairness ideal to be played. In both types of groups, equilibria consistent with fairness ideals are most stable. Hence, the difference in coordination success between homogeneous and heterogeneous groups occurs because of the normative disagreement in the latter types of group, making it much harder to reach an equilibrium at a fairness ideal. |
| Keywords: | fairness ideals, focal points, coordination, cooperation, experiment |
| JEL: | H41 C92 D63 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12195 |
| By: | Taejin Park; Fernando Perez-Cruz; Hyun Song Shin |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the landscape of economic ideas as revealed in the machine learning embedding of a comprehensive dataset of central bank speeches. This dataset, maintained by the BIS, encompasses 19, 742 speeches delivered by almost 1, 000 officials from over 100 central banks over a period spanning three decades, from 1997 to 2025. As well as topic analysis of speeches at any moment in time, the evolution of the topics over time provides insights into how the focus of central bank thinking has been shaped by shifting policy challenges since 1997. Parsing the embedding both through topics and through time provides rich insights into how economic ideas have taken shape through communication practices of central banks worldwide. To demonstrate its utility, we have conducted a series of analyses that map the global landscape of monetary policy discourse. Furthermore, we construct a quantitative framework-referred to as the "space of central bankers' ideas"-which uncovers institutional patterns and highlights shifts in policy approaches over time. |
| Keywords: | central bank communication, central bank speeches, AI, topic modeling, embeddings |
| JEL: | E52 E58 C55 C38 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bis:biswps:1299 |
| By: | Kedrosky, Davis; Mokyr, Joel |
| Date: | 2025–10–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:11230 |
| By: | Nobel Prize Committee (Nobel Prize Committee) |
| Abstract: | Over the past 200 years, the world has witnessed more economic growth than ever before. Its foundation is the constant flow of technological innovation; sustained economic growth occurs when new technologies replace old ones as part of the process known as creative destruction. This year’s laureates in economic sciences explain, using different methods, why this development was possible and what is necessary for continued growth. |
| Keywords: | technological innovation; economic growth |
| JEL: | O |
| Date: | 2025–10–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:nobelp:021676 |
| By: | Nobel Prize Committee (Nobel Prize Committee) |
| Abstract: | On a daily basis, we are reminded of how fast technology progresses and how it changes the world around us. New discoveries and new innovations affect our lives directly and they also fundamentally affect the economy. Technological change is of course not a new phenomenon. Progress and innovations have occurred since ancient times. What is relatively recent, however, viewed against the entire history of hu- mankind, is the type of innovation-driven economic growth enjoyed by the advanced countries of the world during the last two centuries, and how such high growth rates are sustained. |
| Keywords: | technological innovation; economic growth |
| JEL: | O |
| Date: | 2025–10–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:nobelp:021675 |