The Historicity of Economics

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-X

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Heino Heinrich Nau

   Pages 1-22

3. The German Historical School of Economics: What It Was Not, and What It Was

   • Heath Pearson, Knut Borchardt, Karl Häuser

   Pages 23-55

4. Grand Historical Narrative or Intellectual Strategy: The Institutional Establishment of the Historical School of Political Economy in the 19th Century

   • David Lindenfeld, Erik Grimmer-Solem, Heath Pearson

   Pages 56-91

5. Institutional Economics and the Problem of Historical Specificity

   • Geoffrey M. Hodgson, Helge Peukert, Ulrich Witt

   Pages 92-138

6. Economics as Ethical Economy and Cultural Economics in the Historical School

   • Peter Koslowski, Matthias Lutz-Bachmann

   Pages 139-175

7. What Can New Economic Sociology Learn from the Historical School, especially Max Weber?

   • Richard Swedberg, Philippe Steiner, Erich Weede

   Pages 176-206

8. The Role of Culture in Economic Theorizing and Empirical Economic Research

   • Rainer Klump, Vitantonio Gioia

   Pages 207-236

9. Back Matter

   Pages 237-247

   PDF

In this volume, continuities and discontinuities between Historical School of Economics and Old Institutional Economics are examined with regard to common research objectives and methods. Similarly, those between these two economic movements and New Institutional Economics as well as new economic sociology are discussed. The following questions functioned as a guideline for the contributing economists, sociologists, historians, and philosophers: Can we meaningfully speak of the Historical School of Economics (HSE) as an economic research program? What are the commonalities between the HSE and American old economic institutionalism? Does the HSE represent a part of the "lost anteroom" of New Institutional Economics and new economic sociology? How and why should the HSE matter to how we do economic and social theory today?

• German Historical School
• Historical Economics
• Historicity of economic knowledge
• Historische Schule
• Max Weber
• cultural economics
• economics
• economy
• institutional economics
• institutions
• new institutional economics
• political economy
• sociology
• strategy
• Ökonomie

From the reviews:

"It is an attempt to penetrate the concepts of classical economic positions and their origins, as well as – starting from the historical specificity – developing suggestions for a renovation of economic methodology in historical terms. Furthermore, the method of disputation of the collected volume follows a scholastic manner … . This quaestio disputata, the exchange of views, is what makes this volume particularly interesting." (Nils Goldschmidt, Jahrbucher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik, Vol. 224 (4), 2004)

"At the heart of the book is … German Historical School of Economics (GHSE) whose epistemology is discussed along with its role in contemporary economic debate. … the book highlights the fact that during the last fifty years the economic debate has freed the GHSE from the view that considered it a conscious support for a conservative, authoritarian state … . This is an interesting and stimulating book." (Frank C. Dwight, The Journal of European Economic History, Vol. 31 (2), 2002)

• SFB „Wissenskultur und gesellschaftlicher Wandel“, J. W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

  Heino Heinrich Nau

• Seminar für Volkswirtschaftslehre FB 02: Wirtschaftswissenschaften Fach 62, J. W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

  Bertram Schefold

Policies and ethics