Guests: James Heckman, Esther-Mirjam Sent, Philip Hans Franses and Erwin DekkerHosted by Reinhard Schumacher and Arjo Klamer In this episode we present a book panel on the book Jan Tinbergen (1903-1994) and the Rise of Economic Expertise (CUP, 2021) by our regular host Erwin Dekker. Reinhard Schumacher provides a brief introduction to the panel which is chaired by Arjo Klamer, Professor of Cultural Economics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The panel opens with reflections on the book and the legacy of Jan Tinbergen, the first Nobel Prize winner in Economics and famous econometrician, by another Nobel Laureate James Heckman, Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. The other panelists offer their reflections on the econometric and economic contributions of Tinbergen, and in particular his role as broker between academia and policy circles, a main argument of the book is that Tinbergen secured a permanent place for economic experts and models in policy circles. They also explore Tinbergen's socialist convictions, his internationalism and dedication to peace, as well as his and their personal motivations to be an economist.

Ceteris Never Paribus: The History of Economic Thought Podcast

Book Panel Jan Tinbergen and the Rise of Economic Expertise, Episode 27

Guests: Peter Bent, François Allisson, Herman Daly and Sara Stevano (see below for more information).Host and Producer: Maria Bach, Centre Walras Pareto, Unil, Lasuanne (former Assistant Professor of Economics at the American University of Paris)Guest hosts: Wilhelm Aminoff, Wyatt DeLong, Farrah Aridou, Jonathan Noulowe II and Paul Harding, students of a history of economics course at the American University of Paris. Inspired by Radiolab's episode on the cataclysm sentence, this episode explores whether we could find a cataclysm sentence for economics. Radiolab had found out about the famous and award winning physicist, Richard Feynman, who in the 60s wanted to revamp the physics undergraduate degree to get more researchers into physics. He started his course at Caltech with what he called the cataclysm sentence, which is: “If, in some cataclysm, all of scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence was passed on to the next generation of creatures, what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words?” We changed it a bit to apply only to economics: "The one piece of economic knowledge that you would pass on to a future society if ours were to perish in a cataclysm." Along with students at the American University of Paris, we interviewed four people, an economic historian, an ecological economist, a feminist political economist and an historian of economics. Here is the list of their cataclysm sentences: Peter Bent, Department of Economics, Trinity College, Connecticut, USA Julie Nelson's (UMass Boston) definition of economics: "The study of the ways societies organize themselves to provide for the survival and flourishing of life." Herman Daly, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, USA "Although not reducible to biophysics, the human economy is nevertheless ecologically constrained, especially in its primary macroeconomic goal of aggregate growth, by the fact that it is a physical subsystem of a finite ecosphere that lives from a non growing  entropic flow of solar energy captured by scarce and depleting terrestrial materials.” Sara Stevano, Department of Economics, The School of Oriental and African Studies, London "Power relations are intrinsic to economic phenomena at multiple and interconnected scales." François Allisson, Centre Walras Pareto, Unil, Lausanne "Economics was a temporary scienceNecessary in times of perceived scarcityTo understand the waysIn which human needsTranslatedIn various ways of organising human activities" (pictured above) While everyone had slightly different takes on the task and took us down different avenues of knowledge, there were several common themes. So fasten your seat belts, as we take you on a journey of discovery and at times a rather philosophical, utopic and radical discussion about what really matters. Featured music (apart from the usual intro and outro music): Sounds by Jordan Powell, Erokia: https://freesound.org/people/Erokia/

A cataclysm sentence for economics, Episode 26

Guests: Alain Marciano and Peter J. BoettkeHosted and produced by Erwin Dekker In this episode, Erwin talks with Alain Marciano and Pete Boettke about The Soul of Classical Political Economy a book they co-edited with archival material from the James Buchanan archives located at George Mason University. James Buchanan, Nobel Laureate in 1986 was an American economist who started as public finance scholar, who established the field of public choice and pioneered the constitutional political economy approach. They discuss the formation of the archives since Buchanan's death in 2013, his role in the development of the Virginia School of Political Economy, his academic entrepreneurship and attempts to develop intellectual centres in sometimes hostile academic environments as well the evolution of his research program. Pete Boettke details the way in which Buchanan attempted to create a vibrant intellectual environment at the various universities in which he worked. Alain Marciano, who is working on an intellectual biography of Buchanan, explains the way in which the archives inform his project and how life and work became one for Buchanan.

James Buchanan and the Soul of Classical Political Economy, Episode 25

Guest: Kapil RajHost and Producer: Maria Bach Join Maria Bach for an interview with Kapil Raj about his approach in the history of science. Dr. Raj is Professor of the History of Science at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences) in Paris. In particular, they discuss Raj's book Relocating Modern Science. Links to works and institutions mentioned: 1. The Go Between by L.P. Hartley 2. The Lund Centre for History of Knowledge (LUCK)

Relocating Modern Science with Kapil Raj, Episode 24

Guests: Stefan Kolev and Mark McAdamHosted and produced by Reinhard Schumacher and Erwin Dekker In this episode, Reinhard and Erwin talk with Stefan Kolev and Mark McAdam about the recent translation of eight classic articles in the tradition of German Socio-Economics including work by Georg Simmel, Joseph Schumpeter, Gustav Schmoller and Ferdinand Tönnies. These articles were picked from the rich archive of Schmollers Jahrbuch (currently Journal of Contextual Economics). They discuss the best way to understand the German tradition of Socio-Economics, the helpfulness of the Historical School label, how institutional change is best studied, and how relevant this tradition of thought is to under current socio-economic transformations around the world. The editors of these translations also discuss the process of translation both language wise and between different intellectual traditions.The issue of the Journal of Contextual Economics with all translation and original articles is open-access for a limited amount of time.

German Socio-Economics, Episode 23

Guests: Jaci Eisenberg, Gerardo Serra and Sharmin KhodaijiHosted and produced by Maria Bach In this episode, Maria interviews three scholars who study underrepresented or what she calls marginalised voices in the history of policy and economics. They discuss why they came to study such lesser known figures and how the research can give us new perspectives. They also share the difficulties and constraints that they face. Jaci Eisenberg studied American women who contributed to the League of Nations. Gerardo Serra studies the history of economics and statistics in 20th century Ghana. Sharmin Khodaiji researches the institutionalisation of political economy in India. Listen to find out more about their research!

Marginalised Voices, Episode 22

Guest: Till DüppeHosted and produced by Reinhard Schumacher In this episode, Till Düppe talks with Reinhard about the development of Economics in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), better known as East Germany – a state that existed from 1948 until 1990. We discuss Till’s general approach of historical epistemology of economics before discussing in detail the development of Marxist-Leninist economics in the GDR from its beginning to its abrupt end in 1990. Till also compares this system of knowledge with economics before and after the GDR. Additionally, we discuss some methodological approaches, such as Karl Mannheim’s concept of generations and institutional history. Till is an associate professor at the Department of Economics Sciences at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Articles by Till Düppe mentioned in this episode: Border Cases Between Autonomy and Relevance: Economic Sciences in Berlin – A Natural Experiment, Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 2015.The Generation of the GDR: Economists at the Humboldt University of Berlin Caught Between Loyalty and Relevance, History of the Human Sciences, 2017.A Science Show Debate: How the Stasi Staged Revisionism, Contemporary European History, 2020. Also mentioned in this episode is Episode 12 with Adam Leeds on the Development of Soviet and Russian Economics.

Till Düppe on Economics in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), Episode 21

Hosts: Maria Bach and Reinhard SchumacherProduction: Maria Bach In this episode, we interview Beatrice Cherrier to talk about what it is like being a parent in academia - the ups, the downs and all the things we can do to make life and work easier.

Parenting in Academia, Episode 20

Guest: Andrew SartoriHosted and produced by Maria Bach In this episode, Maria shares a recent interview with Andrew Sartori, an intellectual historian at NYU. Andrew discusses his work in South Asian Intellectual History and how he ended up in this relatively small field when he started. He also talks about how he deals with the international diffusion of ideas. Finally, they debate the need to find a distinct Indian way of thinking and how this perceived need makes it hard to research in this area of study. Check out his publications here.

South Asian Intellectual History with Andrew Sartori, Episode 19

Guest: Dennis RasmussenHosted and produced by Reinhard Schumacher In this episode, Dennis Rasmussen talks with Reinhard about David Hume and Adam Smith. The episode focuses on Dennis’s book The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship that Shaped Modern Thought. We discuss the Scottish Enlightenment, Hume’s and Smith’s lives, their mutual influence, and friendship in science. Additionally, Dennis talks about Adam Smith and economic inequality, as well as writing for a broader academic audience and for the general public. Dennis is a professor of Political Science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. His research is mostly in the history of political thought. Books and articles by Dennis Rasmussen mentioned in this episode: The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship that Shaped Modern ThoughtAdam Smith and the Death of David Hume The Letter to Strahan and Related TextsThe Problems and Promise of Commercial Society Adam Smith's Response to RousseauAdam Smith on What Is Wrong with Economic Inequality, American Political Science ReviewThe Problem With Inequality, According to Adam Smith, The AtlanticDoes “Bettering Our Condition” Really Make Us Better Off? Adam Smith on Progress and Happiness, American Political Science Review

Dennis Rasmussen on David Hume and Adam Smith, Episode 18

Guest: Ola InnsetHosted and produced by Erwin Dekker and Reinhard Schumacher In this episode we interview the historian Ola Innset about his award-winning dissertation Reinventing liberalism : Early neoliberalism in context, 1920-1947. He has used the methodology of micro-history to study the first meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society in 1947, including 'juicy' details. We discuss Ola's thesis of the double movement: neoliberalism as response to both planning and the old ideal of laissez-faire. But the conversation turns much broader about the international character of neoliberalism, the uses and abuses of the term, as well as its contemporary relevance. And we discuss other recent literature on neoliberalism including that of Quinn Slobodian and Peter Boettke. In a piece for the Baffler Ola has described his own visit to the Mont Pelerin Hotel where the conference took place.In a spin-off article has has explored the relations between Friedrich Hayek and Karl (!) Polanyi, which contains a continuation of the discussion about economic calculation in the podcast.

The Mont Pelerin Society and the Origins of Neoliberalism with Ola Innset, Episode 17

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere Source: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/poverty/ In this episode, Maria Bach explores how poverty has been defined and measured over time inspired by her work with Mary Morgan recently published in the History of Political Economy Journal (https://read.dukeupress.edu/hope/issue/50/S1) The episode features notably Amartya Sen, Frances Stewart, Stephen Marglin and Mary Morgan. Here is a list of the books, websites and articles mentioned in the episode:1. GSDRC's definition of poverty2. UNESCO's definition of poverty3. The Economist's article on defining poverty4. Poverty and Social Exclusion Project based in the UK5. Jean Dreze and Amartya Sen's An Uncertain Glory, 20136. Howard Glennerster, John Hills, David Pichaud and Jo Webb's One Hundred Years of Poverty and Policy, 20047. Seebohm Rowntree's Poverty: A Study of Town Life, 19088. The New York Times article on How to define poverty? by Louis Uchitelle, 20019. The UN Intellectual History Project10. The IMF and World Bank's Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs)11. Frances Stewart and Michael Wang's working paper on Do PRSPs empower poor countries and disempower the World Bank, or is it the other way round?

Defining and Measuring Poverty, Episode 16

Presenters: Christina Laskaridis of SOAS University and Tiago Mata of UCLProduced and edited by Maria Bach, Assistant Professor at the American University of Paris In this episode, Christina and Tiago discuss Eric Roll’s book on the History of Economic Thought. A popular history that circulates in many editions and languages, Christina and Tiago explore the book's making and the reasons for its success. The episode focuses on biographical aspects of Eric Roll, on the book's critical reception and evolving structure. Tiago Mata is a Lecturer in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at University College London. Tiago has dedicated himself to the study of “Economics in the Public Sphere”, leading a team of scholars in researching the communication of economic knowledge since 1945. He has worked on political movements in economics, in particular the resurgence of the Left in 1960s and 1970s North America and how it enacted new ways to think the economy, expertise and social justice. He has also worked on the communication of economic knowledge and statistics and the development of business magazines and how they straddle the worlds of print and management, accommodating transformations in American corporate capitalism. Besides these topics, he also works on social science methodology and the funding regimes of the social sciences. Christina Laskaridis co-hosts the Ceteris Never Paribus podcast, is a PhD candidate at the School of Oriental and African Studies and a former research fellow at the Center for the History of Political Economy. We would like to thank to Laura Comicini for the clip in Italian, Roger Backhouse and Keith Tribe for sharing his interview with Eric Roll with us. This episode makes use of the British Library’s Sounds Collection, and the Oral History recording with Eric Roll.

The book that never gets old, Episode 15 with Tiago Mata

Guest: Maria Bach, The American University of ParisHosted and produced by Reinhard Schumacher In this episode, Reinhard talks with Maria Bach about her PhD thesis Redefining universal development from and at the margins: Indian Economics’ contribution to development discourse, 1870-1905. We discuss her interest in Indian economic thought, her methodological approach of Positive Discourse Analysis, the development of the Indian economy and of Indian economics in the second half of the 19th century. Maria describes how Indian Economics was influenced by the Indian economic experience and the policy they recommended for Indian development. A focus in the discussion is on the distinct concept of development, which Indian economists developed. In Maria's thesis, she focuses on three Indian economists: Dadabhai Naoroji, Mahadev Govind Ranade, and Romesh Chunder Dutt. They are also the main protagonists in our discussion. Maria Bach is an Assistant Professor in the Economics Department at the American University of Paris. She has recently finished her PhD at King’s College London in International Political Economy. In her thesis, she analyses how Indian Political Economists constructed an idea of development at the turn of the 19th century. Before starting her PhD, Maria was a consultant at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris working on a project entitled New Approaches to Economic Challenges. Maria completed her MSc in Development Economics in 2012 at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and her BA in International Economics and Applied Mathematics at the American University of Paris in 2011. And Maria is a co-host of Ceteris Never Paribus: The History of Economic Thought Podcast. An article based on some of her Phd research has been published in the European Journal of the History of Economic Thought (EJHET): What laws determine progress? An Indian contribution to the idea of progress based on Mahadev Govind Ranade's works, 1870–1901

Maria Bach on Indian Economics in the late 19th century, Episode 14

Guest: Peter BoettkeHosted and produced by Erwin Dekker and Reinhard Schumacher In this episode Erwin and Reinhard talk with Peter Boettke about his new book on Hayek, F.A. Hayek: Economics, Political Economy and Social Philosophy, published with Palgrave Macmillan. We discuss the various stages in Hayek’s work, Hayek’s relation to neoliberalism, Pete’s contra-Whig methodology for the history of economics (with a hat tip to Kenneth Boulding), Hayek’s relation to the Scottish Enlightenment, what it means to be an epistemic institutionalist, and the extent to which there was continuity between the early neoclassicals and the Austrian School. As well as many other subjects related to Hayek, and what a Hayekian research program looks like. Peter Boettke is Director of the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, as well as the BB&T Professor for the Study of Capitalism at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, and a University Professor of Economics and Philosophy at George Mason University. He blogs at coordinationproblem.org.

Peter Boettke on F. A. Hayek, Episode 13

History of Economic Thought, History of Economics, History of Economic Ideas, Philosophy of Economics, Political Economy, Economics

Ceteris Never Paribus: The History of Economic Thought Podca...