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What Do We Know about Ourselves? on the Economics of Economics

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  • Tom Coupé

Abstract

Since quite some time, economists have been aware of the fact that also the behavior of economists generates questions that need to be answered. Why, for example, do economists use an alphabetic ordering of names when they co‐author an article? And what determines the success of an academic economist? Or, how does studying economics affect behavior? At the same time, economists have also noticed that the economics profession generates data that can be used to test theoretical ideas proposed by economists. In this paper, the author gives an overview of such research that takes economists and their behavior as a subject of study. He will focus on three topics: the education of economists, the publication habits of economists and the labor market of economists. Seit einiger Zeit sind Wirtschaftswissenschaftler sich bewusst, dass auch ihr Verhalten Fragen hervorruft, die geklärt werden müssen. Warum pflegen Wirtschaftwissenschaftler beispielsweise ihre Namen bei gemeinsam verfassten Artikeln alphabetisch zu ordnen? Und was bestimmt den Erfolg eines akademischen Wirtschaftswissenschaftlers? Oder wie beeinflusst das Studium der Volkswirtschaftslehre das Verhalten? Gleichzeitig haben Wirtschaftswissenschaftler festgestellt, dass der volkswirtschaftliche Beruf Daten liefert, die zur Kontrolle theoretischer Ideen von Wirtschaftswissenschaftlern dienen können. In dieser Arbeit werden die Untersuchungen betrachtet, in denen Wirtschaftswissenschaftler das Forschungsobjekt sind. Der Autor konzentriert sich auf die Ausbildung der Wirtschaftswissenschaftler, ihre Veröffentlichungen und ihren Arbeitsmarkt. Depuis un certain temps, les économistes ont pris conscience du fait que leur propre comportement générait des questions appelant une réponse. Pourquoi, par exemple, les économistes utilisent‐ils l'ordre alphabétique des noms lorsqu'ils écrivent un article en collaboration? Par ailleurs, qu'est‐ce qui détermine le succès d'un économiste du secteur académique? Ou bien, en quoi étudier l'économie affecte‐t‐il le comportement? En même temps, les économistes ont également remarqué que la profession générait des données susceptibles d'être utilisées en vue de tester des idées théoriques proposées par les économistes. Dans cet article, l'auteur analyse les travaux de recherche dont l'objet d'étude n'est autre que les économistes. Il s'intéresse en particulier à la formation des économistes, à leurs habitudes en matière de publication ainsi qu'à leur marché du travail.

Suggested Citation

  • Tom Coupé, 2004. "What Do We Know about Ourselves? on the Economics of Economics," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(2), pages 197-215, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:kyklos:v:57:y:2004:i:2:p:197-215
    DOI: 10.1111/j.0023-5962.2004.00250.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ofer H. Azar, 2007. "The Slowdown In First‐Response Times Of Economics Journals: Can It Be Beneficial?," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 45(1), pages 179-187, January.
    2. Haucap, Justus & Just, Tobias, 2003. "Not Guilty? Another Look at the Nature and Nurture of Economics Students," Working Paper 8/2003, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg.
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