Description
Book SynopsisCompares the profession of economics in the United States, Britain, and France, and explains why economics, far from being a uniform science, differs in important ways among these three countries.
Trade ReviewWinner of the 2011 Ludwik Fleck Prize, Society for the Social Studies of Science Winner of the 2011 Distinguished Scholarly Publication Award, American Sociological Association Winner of the 2010 Mary Douglas Prize for Best Book, Sociology of Culture Section of the American Sociological Association Honorable Mention for the 2010 Robert K. Merton Book Award for Best Book in the Science, Knowledge and Technology (SKAT) section category by the American Sociological Association One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2009 Honorable Mention for the 2010 Barrington Moore Award for Best Book in the Comparative and Historical Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association [O]ne of my favorite history of economic thought books, period. It skips textual exegesis and looks at what the economics profession actually did... Definitely recommended."--Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution "Fourcade has produced a remarkable book... Her 52-page bibliography should be evidence enough of the remarkable effort that went into this book."--M. Perelman, Choice "In-depth and well-informed comparative analyses of cross-country differences in the practice and conceptualization of economics are few in number; hence, Fourcade's book is a welcome and valuable addition to the literature. Certainly it is an impressive product for a young scholar."--Bruce E. Kaufman, Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal "[T]his excellent book is a major contribution to the literatures on the professions, sociology of knowledge, economic and political sociology, and comparative political economy insofar as it offers a penetrating look into the relationship between ideas and institutions."--Andrew Roberts, American Journal of Sociology "Fourcade's detailed argumentation, and her use of a clear and direct language far removed from what economists like to trivialize as 'sociologisms,' makes this work an important one for both economists and historians of economics. Historians of the social sciences, and of science more generally, will find this work to be invaluable in their own attempts to contextualize post-World War II scientific practice. I note, finally, the excellent typography and production values exhibited in this work. Princeton University Press has done very well by both the author and the reader."--E. Roy Weintraub, Business History Review "This book looks like a creative synthesis of much of the best sociology currently available in the States... It is also an invitation to fellow sociologists to further this line of inquiry looking once again at their discipline and profession with the same scholarship, empirical evidence, and intellectual sophistication."--Marco Santoro, Sociologica "[A] splendid volume which breaks new ground methodologically and is a major contribution to the history and sociology of western economics."--Roger Middleton, Economic History Review "One cannot but be impressed with the richness of the material it covers and the deep immersion of the author in the secondary literature... Her case for the significance of national cultures in economics is more than a valuable complement to the Americanization narrative; it invites us to look closer at the historical conditions that made possible the process that this narrative is supposed to describe."--Philippe Fontaine, Constitutional Political Economy "[T]his is a masterful book. Fourcade exhibits an extraordinary understanding of the relevant material--it is an extraordinary achievement. Personally, I would say that Fourcade exhibits a much better understanding of the technical aspects of modern economic theory than most of the sociology-based research on the economics profession... She also writes with a simple clarity that will allow the book to be appreciated by a wide range of readers."--D. Wade Hands, Journal of Economic Methodology
Table of ContentsList of Figures vii List of Tables ix Preface xi List of Abbreviations xix Introduction: Economics and Society 1 Three Trajectories 7 Critical Organized Comparisons 12 National Constellations 15 The Dialectical Relationship between Culture and Economics 28 Chapter One: Institutional Logics in Comparative Perspective 31 Federal Constitutionalism in America 32 The Rise and Fall of British Elitism 40 The Transformations of French Statism 50 Institutional Complementarities and the Coherence of Social Life 59 Chapter Two: The United States: Merchant Professionals 61 Forms of Academic Entrenchment 63 The Meaning of Science in American Economics 77 The Academic Roots of Public Expertise 96 The Economics Industry 114 American Economists, from Professional Scientism to Scientific Professionalism 125 Chapter Three: Britain: Public-Minded Elites 129 A Late but Extensive Institutionalization 131 The Scientific and Moral Transformation of British Economics 148 Administrators and Specialists 163 Economic Persuasion 175 The Waning High Culture of British Economics 183 Chapter Four: France: Statist Divisions 185 A Fragmented Academicization 187 The Nationalization of Economic Expertise 203 The "Administrative Economists" 215 The Missing Private Jurisdiction 225 Economists as Intellectuals, Intellectuals as Economists 230 The Segmented Worlds of French Economics 234 Conclusion: Economists and Societies 237 The Social Structures of Economics in Comparative Perspective 241 Contribution of a Sociology of Economic Knowledge to Economic Sociology 261 Appendix 263 Notes 269 References 315 Index 369
