Journal of the History of Economic Thought
Volume 6, Issue 3, Sep 1999
Pages 333-364
- DOI: 10.1080/10427719900000071
- Print ISSN: 0967-2567
- Online ISSN: 1469-5936
In search of full empirical reality: historical political economy, 1870–1900
The notion of a ‘Historical School’ is burdened with numerous vague associations and overlapping uses leaving it wanting as a useful rubric of more specific research. To overcome this state of affairs, the article seeks to define and characterize the specific attributes of a historical political economy which arose in Europe between roughly 1870 and 1900. Authors from four countries are considered: Germany, Britain, France and Italy. We focus specifically on the relaionship and tension between empirical history and economic theory, thereby illustrating the resulting approach to policy. We contend that our characterization provides a useful illustration of the achievements and shortcomings of historical empiricism, inductivism, and pragmatism in economics.
Related Searches
Keywords
Subjects
Periods
- 1801-1870. Classical Political Economy and its Critics
- 1871-1914. Development of Major Contemporary Currents of Thought: Marginalism, Institutionalism, Historicism and Socialism