Schliesser, Eric (2011) Four Species of Reflexivity and History of Economics in Economic Policy Science. [Preprint]

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Abstract

This paper argues that history of economics has a fruitful, underappreciated role to play in the development of economics, especially when understood as a policy science. This goes against the grain of the last half century during which economics, which has undergone a formal revolution, has distanced itself from its ‘literary’ past and practices precisely with the aim to be a more successful policy science.

The paper will motivate the thesis by identifying and distinguishing four kinds of reflexivity in economics. The main thesis of this paper is that because these forms of reflexivity are not eliminable, the history of economics must play a constitutive role in economics (and graduate education within economics). An assumption that I clarify in this paper is that the history of economics ought to be part of the subject matter studied by economics when they are interested in policy science. Even if one does not accept the conclusion, the fourfold classification of reflexivity might hold independent interest.

The paper is divided in two parts. First, I offer a stylized historical introduction to and conceptualization of the themes of this paper. In particular, I identify various historically influential arguments and strategies that reduced the role of history of economics within the economics discipline. I will focus on arguments by Paul Samuelson, George Stigler, and Milton Friedman. I also canvass six arguments that try to capture the cost to economics (understood as a science) for sidelining the history of economics from within the discipline. A sub-text of the introduction is that for contingent reasons, post World War II economics evolved into a policy science. Second, I distinguish between four species of reflexivity. These are used to then strengthen the argument for the constitutive role of the history of economics within the economics profession.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Schliesser, Eric nescio2@yahoo.com
Keywords:	Reflexivity, Philosophy and History of Economics, Economics Methodology, Public Policy
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Economics General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science General Issues > Science and Society General Issues > Values In Science
Depositing User:	Eric Schliesser
Date Deposited:	03 Jul 2011 04:58
Last Modified:	03 Jul 2011 04:58
Item ID:	8693
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Economics General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science General Issues > Science and Society General Issues > Values In Science
Date:	May 2011
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/8693

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