|
on History and Philosophy of Economics |
| By: | Feld, Lars P.; Nientiedt, Daniel |
| Abstract: | This is the introduction to a forthcoming special issue of History of Political Economy edited by the same authors. We start from the observation that there is an ongoing debate about the extent to which Friedrich Hayek's large and diverse oeuvre forms a coherent whole. Our paper distinguishestwo ways in which the unity of Hayek's work can be established: either by identifying an overarching theme that pervades his contributions or by considering their practical purpose. We discuss both options, while also relating them to the papers of the special issue. |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:aluord:343102 |
| By: | de Moraes, Isaias Albertin |
| Abstract: | This article examines Alberto Guerreiro Ramos’s contributions to understanding the dilemmas and prospects of Brazilian economic development, emphasizing the originality and relevance of his thought. The methodological approach is based on a bibliographic review, aiming to identifying the State of the Art on the subject. The analysis is structured around four axes: i) biographical context, ii) theoretical-methodological foundations, iii) critiques of structural obstacles, and iv) proposals for a national-developmental project in Brazil. The study concludes that Guerreiro Ramos’s work represents a landmark in Critical Sociology and Sociology of Development, in Brazil and should be further explored in contemporary economic studies. |
| Keywords: | Guerreiro Ramos; economic development; sociological reduction; popular nationalism; critical sociology; sociology of development. |
| JEL: | B31 O10 P16 Z13 |
| Date: | 2026–08–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:130375 |
| By: | Jean-Marie Baland (Development Finance and Public Policies, University of Namur); Giorgio Ferroni (Development Finance and Public Policies, University of Namur) |
| Abstract: | Dewatripont and Tirole (2024) show that firms’ moral conduct in the market is independent of competitive pressure. We argue that such a result hinges on consumers’ ability to identify each producer’s moral conduct—an assumption that is, in general, unlikely to hold. Specifically, the number of firms and demand elasticity matter if consumers have only a general perception of morality in the market. In such a setting, morality becomes a public good: firms bear the full cost of their moral behaviour while capturing only a fraction of the benefits from increased consumer willingness to pay. |
| Date: | 2026–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nam:defipp:2606 |
| By: | Anna Schlaack; Christian Zimmermann |
| Abstract: | RePEc is an initiative created by economists for economists in 1997. It functions primarily as a bibliographic tool, but it also collects various linked metadata about economists, their institutions, and their impact. Thus, a labor economist may be interested in RePEc beyond literature searches and tracking—namely, as a dataset describing a profession, its members, and their output. This essay describes RePEc’s origins and history, the many facets of its data and how the data can be accessed. It also provides some examples of scholarly studies leveraging RePEc data that could be of interest to labor economists and lead them to other uses of RePEc data. |
| Keywords: | RePEc; dataset; sociology of economics; economics profession |
| JEL: | A11 A14 J44 J45 |
| Date: | 2026–08–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedlwp:103698 |
| By: | Leonardo Ivarola (CONICET - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas [Buenos Aires], University of Buenos Aires, Argentina); Alfredo Garcia (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina); Martín Szybisz (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina) |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the ideas of order and equilibrium in economics. Drawing on the philosophical concept of absolute contingency (Meillassoux, 2008; Hui, 2019), this paper shows that equilibrium-based economic approaches encounter three key conceptual issues. First, ontologically, there is no inherent order that must persist. Second, epistemically, there are no guarantees that current conditions will remain the same in the future. Third, pragmatically, individuals act and revise their plans in response to contingent, changing conditions. Economic action may involve optimization under particular arrangements, but very often requires adaptation and learning as these arrangements change. The terms ontology, epistemology, and pragmatics are used here as heuristic tools. These three dimensions are viewed as a triad that, open to contingency, evolves recursively. Instead of viewing economic systems as mechanistic, we suggest seeing them as metastable processes open to transformation. In this perspective, order is not a necessity but merely one possible state. It is also argued that traditional economic models, emphasizing deductive rigor, are limited in external validity and learning potential. Simulation models, such as ABMs, are proposed as valuable complements for examining economic scenarios shaped by absolute contingency. |
| Keywords: | Contingency, Recursion, Metastability, Equilibrium, Adaptive processes, Economic modeling, Simulation models |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05240376 |
| By: | Mahmood Alaghmandan |
| Abstract: | Emile Durkheim's Suicide: A Study in Sociology (1897) predates much of the statistical machinery that quantitative modellers now take for granted. Yet, working with sparse and imperfect observational data, Durkheim repeatedly arrives at practices that remain remarkably relevant to modern modelling. This paper revisits Suicide from the perspective of quantitative risk modelling, not for its substantive conclusions, but for the reasoning by which Durkheim reached them. His approach illustrates how careful definition, common sense, logical investigation, scepticism toward convenient explanations, and close attention to what the data can and cannot support---all of which must precede, and can often substitute for, statistical sophistication. The broader lesson is simple: good modelling begins not with technique, but with understanding the problem, interrogating the evidence, and reasoning carefully about what it can actually tell us. |
| Date: | 2026–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2608.21506 |
| By: | Genevieve Dufour; Annabelle Fournier; Dalibor Stevanovic |
| Abstract: | This report provides a detailed overview of university-level economics education in Quebec, based on administrative data covering the past few decades and interviews with program directors and employers. At the bachelor’s level, the growth in enrollment observed since the 2000s has been concentrated in English-language universities. In the French-language system, the number of Canadian citizens enrolled has been declining over the long term. At the master’s level, the situation is more concerning: enrollment has been declining since the mid-2000s, particularly at French-language institutions, and recent stability relies heavily on international students. Economics programs are thus becoming increasingly dependent on temporary residents, while the local student pool is shrinking. A clear consensus emerged from the interviews regarding several vulnerabilities specific to the programs. Respondents highlighted a perceived weakening of methodological preparation, increased heterogeneity in mathematics and statistics skills, and a mismatch between students’ expectations and the actual requirements of the program. There is also a persistent lack of understanding of the discipline, which is often confused with management sciences. The challenge thus appears to be less about career opportunities than about the attractiveness and very understanding of economics itself. In order to strengthen recognition and visibility of the profession, the establishment of a permanent body for the coordination and recognition of the title of economist appears to be a foundational solution consistent with the report’s findings. This body, which could take the form of a professional association or an organization with a formal mandate to protect the title and provide collective representation, would serve as an institutional lever to clarify the competencies associated with the profession, highlight the expertise of graduates, increase the clarity of career paths, and sustainably support the attractiveness and stability of economics education in Quebec. Ce rapport dresse un portrait détaillé de la formation universitaire en sciences économiques au Québec à partir de données administratives couvrant les dernières décennies et d’entrevues menées auprès de responsables de programmes et d’employeurs. Au baccalauréat, la croissance des effectifs observée depuis les années 2000 est concentrée dans les universités anglophones. Dans le réseau francophone, le nombre de citoyens canadiens inscrits diminue à long terme. À la maîtrise, la situation est plus préoccupante : les effectifs reculent depuis le milieu des années 2000, particulièrement dans les établissements francophones, et la stabilité récente repose largement sur les étudiants étrangers. Les programmes d’économie deviennent ainsi de plus en plus dépendants des résidents temporaires, tandis que le bassin local s’érode. Un consensus clair se dégage des entrevues quant à plusieurs fragilités propres aux programmes. Les répondants soulignent un affaiblissement perçu de la préparation méthodologique, une hétérogénéité accrue des compétences en mathématiques et en statistiques, ainsi qu’un décalage entre les attentes des étudiants et les exigences réelles de la formation. On perçoit également une méconnaissance persistante de la discipline, souvent confondue avec les sciences de la gestion. L’enjeu apparaît ainsi moins lié aux débouchés qu’à l’attractivité et à la compréhension même des sciences économiques. Afin de renforcer la reconnaissance et la visibilité de la profession, la mise en place d’une instance permanente de coordination et de reconnaissance du titre d’économiste apparaît comme une solution structurante et cohérente avec les constats du rapport. Cette instance, qui pourrait prendre la forme d’un ordre professionnel ou d’un organisme doté d’un mandat formel de protection du titre et de représentation collective, constituerait un levier institutionnel pour clarifier les compétences associées à la pratique, valoriser l’expertise des diplômés, accroître la lisibilité des parcours professionnels et soutenir durablement l’attractivité et la stabilité de la formation en sciences économiques au Québec. |
| Keywords: | training, education, labor market, economic, formation, éducation, marché du travail, économique |
| Date: | 2026–09–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cir:cirpro:2026rp-16 |
| By: | Felix Kersting (HU Berlin); Iris Wohnsiedler (Trinity College Dublin, Economic and Social Research Institute) |
| Abstract: | This paper studies how collective bargaining institutions emerged from competition within the labor movement. We draw on newly assembled data on strikes, union membership, and bargaining agreements at the county-occupation level in Imperial Germany around 1900. Three rival factions competed for control of the labor movement: the social-democratic Free Trade Unions, the radical unions, and the moderate unions, divided over whether to confront employers, negotiate with them, or both. The Free Trade Unions struck more effectively than the radical unions and bargained far more than the moderate ones. Instrumenting Free Trade Union strength with distance to their headquarters, we show that stronger organization raised the likelihood that agreements emerged. Strike activity rose ahead of first agreements and fell thereafter. The effect is concentrated in multi-employer agreements with peace obligations, the bargaining form that later defined the German model. Organized employers played little part in this process. Durable bargaining institutions emerged where a movement could both sustain conflict and commit to settling it. |
| Keywords: | labor conflict; collective bargaining agreement; unions; endogenous institutions; |
| JEL: | N33 J51 J52 D72 |
| Date: | 2026–07–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rco:dpaper:581 |