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Abstract

This paper argues that Robbins’ famous definition of economics was of “economic science” which he saw as only a narrow branch of the field of economics. Moreover, it was descriptive, not prescriptive, and was simply a statement that that was what economists were then doing in the science of economics. His prescriptive message was that policy belonged in the “political economy” branch of economics, and that the science of economics should avoid value judgments, but that political economy should include value judgments. That prescriptive message has been lost.

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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by Cambridge University Press in its journal Journal of the History of Economic Thought.

Volume (Year): 31 (2009)
Issue (Month): 04 (December)
Pages: 437-448

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Handle: RePEc:cup:jhisec:v:31:y:2009:i:04:p:437-448_99

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References

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1. David Colander, 2005. "What Economists Teach and What Economists Do," Journal of Economic Education, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 36(3), pages 249-260, July.
2. Sen, Amartya Kumar, 1970. "The Impossibility of a Paretian Liberal," Scholarly Articles 3612779, Harvard University Department of Economics.
3. Sen, Amartya, 1970. "The Impossibility of a Paretian Liberal," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 78(1), pages 152-57, Jan.-Feb..
4. David Colander, 2005. "What Economists Teach and What Economists Do," Journal of Economic Education, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 36(3), pages 249-260, July.
5. David Colander, 2003. "The Aging of an Economist," Middlebury College Working Paper Series 0304, Middlebury College, Department of Economics.
   
   • Colander, David, 2003. "The Aging of an Economist," Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Cambridge University Press, vol. 25(02), pages 157-176, June.
   • Colander, David & Klamer, Arjo, 1987. "The Making of an Economist," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 1(2), pages 95-111, Fall.
6. Robbins, Lionel [Lord], 1981. "Economics and Political Economy," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(2), pages 1-10, May.
7. Keynes, John Neville, 1890. "The Scope and Method of Political Economy," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, edition 4, number keynes1890.
8. Colander, David, 1993. "The Lost Art of Economics: Response," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 7(3), pages 213-15, Summer.
9. Daniel T. Slesnick, 1998. "Empirical Approaches to the Measurement of Welfare," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 36(4), pages 2108-2165, December.

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Blog mentions

As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:

1. Robbins, economic science and political economy
   by Nicholas Gruen in Club Troppo on 2009-10-25 00:21:15

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Cited by:

1. Pinto, Hugo, 2009. "A Economia em Ebulição: Integrando o Plural e a Moral numa Ciência Económica Satisfatória
   [Economics in Turmoil: Integrating Moral and Plural in a Satisfactory Economic Science]," MPRA Paper 18718, University Library of Munich, Germany.
2. David Colander, 2009. "“What is so Austrian about Austrian Economics?”," Middlebury College Working Paper Series 0910, Middlebury College, Department of Economics.
3. Colander, David C., 2009. "Economists, incentives, judgment, and the European CVAR approach to macroeconometrics," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal, Kiel Institute for the World Economy, vol. 3(9), pages 1-21.
   
   • David Colander, 2009. "Economists, Incentives, Judgment, and the European CVAR Approach to Macroeconometrics," Middlebury College Working Paper Series 0912, Middlebury College, Department of Economics.
4. David Colander, 2009. "How Did Macro Theory Get So Far off Track, and what Can Heterodox Macroeconomists Do to Get it Back On Track?," Middlebury College Working Paper Series 0911, Middlebury College, Department of Economics.
5. Dave Colander, 2008. "The Making of a Global European Economist," Middlebury College Working Paper Series 0809, Middlebury College, Department of Economics.
   
   • David Colander, 2008. "The Making of a Global European Economist," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(2), pages 215-236, 05.
6. David Colander & Hugo Nopo Key Words: Latin American economics, global economics, political economy, graduate training, Latin America, applied economics, 2007. "The Making of a Latin American Global Economist," Middlebury College Working Paper Series 0705, Middlebury College, Department of Economics.
7. David Colander & Hugo Ñopo, 2011. "Educating Latin American economists," International Review of Economic Education, Economics Network, University of Bristol, vol. 10(1), pages 54-69.

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