Economic history or history of economics? A review essay on Sylvia Nasar's Grand Pursuit: The story of economic genius

Arbeitspapier

In this essay I review Sylvia Nasar's long awaited new history of economics, Grand Pursuit. I describe how the book is an economic history of the period from 1850-1950, with distinguished economists' stories inserted in appropriate places. Nasar's goal is to show how economists work, but also to show that they are people too - with more than enough warts and foibles to show they are human! I contrast the general view of the role of economics in Grand Pursuit with Robert Heilbroner's remarkably different conception in The Worldly Philosophers. I also discuss more generally the question of why economists might be interested in their history at all.

Angaben zum Objekt

• Sprache: Englisch

Verweise und Beziehungen

• Erschienen in: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 6213

Klassifikation und Themen

• Klassifikation: Wirtschaft ; History of Economic Thought through 1925: General ; History of Economic Thought: Individuals: General
• Thema: economic history ; economic growth ; economic policy ; Wirtschaftswissenschaft ; Ökonomen ; Persönlichkeitspsychologie ; Wirtschaftsforschung ; Wirtschaftsphilosophie ; Wirtschaftsgeschichte

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Geistige Schöpfung
• (wer): Ashenfelter, Orley
• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wer): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (wo): Bonn
• (wann): 2011

Weitere Informationen

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/58797
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-201201113734
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 10.03.2025, 11:42 MEZ