History of economic thought
Petr Wawosz
Some useful information about
subject
What is the subject about
• The subject is about history of economic
thought, how economic thinking developed
during time, from the beginning of the human
existence to the present time.
• The subject gives list of economic theories,
schools (people who have similar opinion),
famous economist.
Abbreviation
• ETH = Economic Theories Development
• HET = History of Economic Thought
• Both titles mean the same subject! The term
„HET“ is used more often (in English).
Why to study the subject that
concerns history?
• If we do not understand the past times we are
not able to understand the present times.
• It is not necessary to discover something what
had already discovered.
• It is not necessary to develop theories and
opinions that had already developed.
• Past theories give us inspiration for future
research. Our ideas (thinking) are very often
influenced by previous ones.
• It can be funny fascinating and adventurous.
Why to study the subject that
concerns history?
• A man who does not know what has been
thought by those who have gone before him is
sure to set an undue value upon his own
ideas.
• A study of the history of opinion is a necessary
preliminary to the emancipation of the mind.
Lectures
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Every Monday, 15.45-17.15, E227
First lecture: 4st February 2013
Last lecture: 22nd April 2013
Participation on the lectures is voluntary,
there is no obligation to attend lectures, no
presence list.
• I would like to discuss during lectures, show
some movies, videos, analyzes articles ….
Literature
• Sandmo, Agnar 2011. Economics Evolving: a
History of Economic Thought. Princeton
University Press.
• Taylor, Overton H. 2011. A History Of
Economic Thought . Literary Licensing.
• These books can be borrowed from library.
Literature on the IS (in study materials)
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Backhaus, Jürgen Georg (editor) 2005. Handbook of the History of Economic Thought. Heidelberg: Springer. ISBN 978-1-4419-8335-0.
Medema, Steven G.; Samuels, Warren J. (edited) 1998. Lionel Robbins: A History of Economic Thought: The LSE Lectures. Princeton: Princeton
University Press. ISBN 0-691-07014-8.
Milonakis, Dimitris; Fine, Ben 2009. From Political Economy to Economics: Method, the social and the historical in the evolution of economic theory.
London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-42322-9.
Rothbard Murray, N. 1995. Economic Thought Before Adam Smith (An Austrian Perspective of the History of Economic Thought, Volume I).
Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN: 0-945466-48-X.
Rothbard Murray, N. 1995. Classical Economics (An Austrian Perspective on the
History of Economic Thought Volume II). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN: 0-945466-48-X.
Samuels, Warren J.; Biddle, Jeff E.; Davis, John B. (edited) 2003. A Companion to
the History of Economic Thought. Malden: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-631-22573-0.
Samuels, Warren J. (edited) 2007. Documents from the History of Economic Thought. Amsterdam: Elsevier. ISBN: 978-0-7623-1423-2.
Scerpanti, Ernesto; Zamagni, Stefano 2005. An Outline of the History of Economic Thought. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0–19–927913–6.
Mark Skousen (edited) 1992. Dissent on Keynes: A Critical Appraisal of Keynesian Economics. New York: Praeger Publisher. ISBN: 0-275-93778-X
Mark Skousen 2001. The Making of Modern Economics. The Lives and Ideas of the Great Thinkers. London: M.R.Sharpe. ISBN 0-7656-0479-5.
Web sites
• http://socserv2.socsci.mcmaster.ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/ (for
finding the site: „Archive for the History of Economic
Thought“)
• http://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/teaching/Online%20
Text%20and%20Notes/History%20of%20Economic%20Tho
ught (for finding the site: „Online Text and Notes in History
of Economic Thought“)
• http://web1.boisestate.edu/econ/lreynol/web/Het.htm (for
finding the site: „History of Economic Thought by by R.
Larry Reynolds“ or „online economics textbooks“)
• http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3045000336.html
(for finding the site: „International Encyclopedia of the
Social Sciences“ and „economic thought“).
Other sources
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www.econlib.org
http://eh.net
http://www.economicthought.net
www.mises.org
http://economistsview.typepad.com/economi
cs493/
• http://frank.mtsu.edu/~eaeff/566/hoth.htm
Finishing of the course:
• The course is finished by exam.
• The condition of passing exam is to write
essay about some economist or economic
school. (5-7 pages, word, times roman 12,
row: „simple“ = 1).
• Exam consists only from essay. No oral exam!
How to submit essay
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http://is.vsfs.cz, you have to log in.
Student
Study materials (term „summer 2013“)
Homework vaults you can access.
Box_Petr_Wawrosz.
Save your essay to the Box. Use icon for the saving.
• Do not send me essay to my e-mail I will delete it!!!
Details to the essay
• You write me the topic of the essay I approve
it.
• You submit the essay. I read it (and my be
return for rewriting). When I will be satisfied
we :
- either meet and we will discuss the topic.
- or I directly approve the essay and give you
mark!
Details to the essay
• Some possible topics:
- to analyze ideas of some economist or economic
school
- to analyze some economic topic (issue,
problem) and how the topic was solved during
history
• Do not concern on the biography of economists!
Concern on their ideas (thinking, theories)! Try to
expalin why they are important, why they are
right or wrong!
Detail to the essay
• To analyze =
- describe main ideas (tenets, principles)
- explain why the topic is important, what the
topic is about, what the topic is connected
with, factors influenced ideas
- what do you agree and disagree, what are
the advantages and disadvantages of the
approaches
Detail to the essay
• Essay is not review! Do not only copy form
Wikipedia (or another web page)! You should
work with more sources, you have to cite
them and mention the source in the
literature!
• The essay should have a structure:
- introduction
- main part
- conclusion
Contact:
• E-mail: petr.wawosz@centrum.cz
• Office hours (February till end of April):
Monday: 17.15-18.00, Prague, Estonska, E324
Tuesday: 14.00-14.45, Most, M09
Wednesday: 12.15-12.45, Prague, Vltavska,
S15.