Lectures are Monday 10-12
(all weeks) in Goth Aud.1 and Friday 10-12 (odd-numbered weeks) in 1-1-18. A plan for
the
teaching and an overview of the topics covered is given below. First lecture is
Monday, September 4th
The course covers the main evolution of economic theory over the last three centuries. We are interested in the ideas put forward and the way in which some of them have developed into what we know today as economic theory. But looking at the history of economic theory, both the problems considered and the way in which they were elaborated, we obtain a new perspective on the contemporary state of economic theory.
Our curriculum textbooks are:
Vaggi, G. and P.Groenewegen (VG): A Concise History of Economic Thought, Palgrave Macmillan London, 2003,As
the texts are easily accessible, there is little need for explanations
in the lectures, and consequently we shall use more time on
perspectivizing and commenting on other contributions.
There
are may other texts which could have been used, and from time to
another we shall borrow some material from other texts or journal
articles. Additional
reading will improve understanding of the matter, and other literature
will be indicated as we proceed.
A very useful collection of articles (which I shall use from time to another in the lectures) is:
Samuels,W.J., J.E.Biddle and J.B.Davis (SBD): A
Companion to the History of Economic Thought, Blackwell Publishing,
2003.
An alternative approach to our topics is presented in
Hunt, E.K. and M.Lautzenheiser (HL): History
of Economic Thought: A Critical Perspective, Sharpe, Armont New York,
2011.
For
each week there will be a handout which describes what
happens in this week, together with some additional material in the form of lecture notes.
Plan of lectures
|
Lecture (week) number |
Topics treated | We read: | Supple- mentary reading |
Handouts and additional material |
|
1 (36) |
Introduction: An overview Early contributions |
VG Ch.1-2 | HL Ch.1 SBD Ch.2-3 |
Handout 1 Lecture note 1 |
| 2 (37) |
British and French mercantilists |
VG Ch.3-6 | HL Ch.2 SBD Ch.4 | Handout 2 Lecture note 2 |
|
3 (37) |
Preclassical economists |
VG Ch.7-10 |
HL Ch.2 | Handout 3 Lecture note 3 |
|
4 (38) |
Adam Smith | VG Ch.11 | HL Ch.3 | Handout 4 Lecture Note 4 |
|
5 (39) |
Malthus Ricardo |
VG Ch.13-14 | HL Ch.4-5 | Handout 5 Lecture Note 5 |
|
6 (39) |
Other contemporary economists |
VG Ch.15 |
HL Ch.6 |
Handout 6 Lecture Note 6 |
| 7 (40) |
Mill |
VG Ch.18 |
HL Ch.7 | Handout 7 Lecture Note 7 |
| 1st voluntary assignment |
||||
|
8 (41) |
Marx |
VG Ch.16 |
HL Ch.9 | Handout 8 Lecture Note 8 |
|
9 (41) |
Precursors of marginalism | VG Ch.17 |
HL Ch.8 | Handout 9 Lecture Note 9 |
| 10 (43) |
Jevons and followers Marshall and neoclassicals |
VG Ch.19,22, 23 |
HL Ch.10 |
Handout 10 Lecture Note 10 |
| 11 (44) |
Walras and followers |
VG Ch.21,30 |
Handout 11 Lecture Note 11 |
|
|
12 (45) |
Austrians |
VG Ch.20,24,25 |
|
Handout 12 Lecture Note 12 |
| 13 (45) |
Macroeconomics arising Welfare economics |
VG Ch.26,27,28 |
HL Ch.11 |
Handout 13 Lecture Note 13 |
| 2nd voluntary assignment |
||||
|
14 (46) |
Imperfect competition The systems debate Econometrics, |
VG Ch.29 | HL Ch.12-13 |
Handout 14 Lecture Note 14 |
| 15 (47) |
Keynes, Kalecki
|
VG Ch.31-32 BD Ch.1-2 |
HL Ch.15 |
Handout 15
Lecture Note 15 |
| 16 (47) |
The Cambridge controversy, Interventionalism, National Accounts |
BD Ch.3-5 |
HL Ch.15 | Handout 16 Lecture Note 16 |
| 17 |
Sraffa, Game Theory, Social choice |
Handout 17 Lecture Note 17 |
||
| 18 |
Heterodoxies, monetarism, New Keynesian economics |
BD Ch.6-8
|
HL Ch.17-18 | Handout 18 Lecture Note 18 |
| 19 |
Conclusion and Outlook |
Handout 19 |
||
| 20 |
Questions |
|
||
|
Ordinary exam: 21.12.2023
Outline of
solution |
||||
| Re-exam: 16.2.2024
Outline of solution |
||||
Latest update 23.3.2024