IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/liu/liucej/v22y2025i2p177-190.html

Rethinking comparative economics

Author

Listed:
  • Giovanni B. Ramello

Abstract

This paper reflects on the evolution and current role of what we define as comparative economics, using the experience of the European Journal of Comparative Economics as a vantage point for observing broader disciplinary changes. Originally centered on the comparison between capitalism and socialism, comparative economics has progressively shifted toward the analysis of institutional diversity, methodological pluralism, and systemic uncertainty. Following the collapse of socialism and the subsequent dominance of market-oriented paradigms, comparative analysis was often reduced to the study of transition and convergence. Recent global developments, however, have challenged this perspective, revealing persistent heterogeneity, instability, and non-linear trajectories across economic systems. The paper argues that comparative economics is today more relevant than ever, not as a field defined by specific objects of comparison, but as a methodological approach aimed at interpreting institutional complexity and contextual variation. The analysis underscores the limits of purely classificatory or efficiency-based comparisons and highlights the need for an institution-sensitive, interpretive comparative methodology to understand contemporary economic phenomena.

Suggested Citation

  • Giovanni B. Ramello, 2025. "Rethinking comparative economics," European Journal of Comparative Economics, Cattaneo University (LIUC), vol. 22(2), pages 177-190, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:liu:liucej:v:22:y:2025:i:2:p:177-190
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ejce.liuc.it/articles/ejce039.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Djankov, Simeon & Melcarne, Alessandro & Ramello, Giovanni B. & Spruk, Rok, 2025. "Timely justice as a determinant of economic growth," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 238(C).
    2. Ángel Martín-Román & Alfonso Moral & Virginia Rosales, 2025. "Judges and court productivity: evidence from Spanish labour courts," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 249-283, October.
    3. Scott Auriat, 2025. "Collapse and convergence: the economic impact of EU membership and institutional improvements in post-Soviet countries," European Journal of Comparative Economics, Cattaneo University (LIUC), vol. 22(1), pages 3-43, June.
    4. Adam Bonica & Nolan McCarty & Keith T. Poole & Howard Rosenthal, 2013. "Why Hasn't Democracy Slowed Rising Inequality?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 27(3), pages 103-124, Summer.
    5. Giovanni B. Ramello, 2016. "The past, present and future of comparative law and economics," Chapters, in: Theodore Eisenberg & Giovanni B. Ramello (ed.), Comparative Law and Economics, chapter 1, pages 3-22, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nitsova, Silviya, 2025. "Oligarchic Networks of Influence and Legislatures in Developing Democracies: Evidence from Ukraine," OSF Preprints k27ez_v1, Center for Open Science.
    2. Styhre, Alexander & Bergström, Ola, 2019. "The benefit of market-based governance devices: Reflections on the issue of growing economic inequality as a corporate concern," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 413-420.
    3. Støstad, Morten Nyborg & Cowell, Frank, 2024. "Inequality as an externality: Consequences for tax design," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    4. Peter H. Lindert, 2017. "The Rise and Future of Progressive Redistribution," Commitment to Equity (CEQ) Working Paper Series 73, Tulane University, Department of Economics.
    5. Andreas T. Schmidt & Daan Juijn, 2024. "Economic inequality and the long-term future," Politics, Philosophy & Economics, , vol. 23(1), pages 67-99, February.
    6. Loek Groot & Daan Linde, 2016. "Income inequality, redistribution and the position of the decisive voter," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 14(3), pages 269-287, September.
    7. Konstantinos Matakos & Dimitrios Xefteris, 2017. "Divide and rule: redistribution in a model with differentiated candidates," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 63(4), pages 867-902, April.
    8. Mau, Vladimir & Ulyukaev, Alexey, 2015. "Global crisis and challenges for Russian economic development," Russian Journal of Economics, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 4-29.
    9. Philip Arestis & Ana Rosa Gonzalez-Martinez, 2016. "Income Inequality: Implications and Relevant Economic Policies," Panoeconomicus, Savez ekonomista Vojvodine, Novi Sad, Serbia, vol. 63(1), pages 1-24, March.
    10. Robert Mickey, 2022. "Challenges to Subnational Democracy in the United States, Past and Present," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 699(1), pages 118-129, January.
    11. repec:fsu:wpaper:wp2013_12_01 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Robert Grafstein, 2018. "The problem of polarization," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 176(1), pages 315-340, July.
    13. Tessa Conroy & Steven Deller & Philip Watson, 2021. "Regional income inequality: a link to women-owned businesses," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(1), pages 189-207, January.
    14. Ignazio Drudi & Giorgio Tassinari & Fabrizio Alboni, 2017. "Changes in wealth distribution in Italy (2002-2012) and who gained from the Great Recession," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 70(281), pages 129-153.
    15. Miguel Á. Malo, 2025. "Law and economics, and the labour market: a comprehensive research agenda," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 209-226, October.
    16. Mario Chacon & Jeffrey Jensen, 2018. "De Facto Power, Democracy, and Taxation: Evidence from Military Occupation during Reconstruction," Working Papers 20180016, New York University Abu Dhabi, Department of Social Science, revised Jan 2018.
    17. Dmitry Ryvkin & Anastasia Semykina, 2017. "An experimental study of democracy breakdown, income and inequality," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 20(2), pages 420-447, June.
    18. Jia Wang & Stephen E. Ellis & Cynthia Rogers, 2018. "Income Inequality and Economic Development Incentives in US States: Robin Hood in Reverse?," The Review of Regional Studies, Southern Regional Science Association, vol. 48(1), pages 93-117, Spring.
    19. Eoin F. McGuirk & Nathaniel Hilger & Nicholas Miller, 2023. "No Kin in the Game: Moral Hazard and War in the US Congress," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 131(9), pages 2370-2401.
    20. Razvan Vlaicu, 2018. "Inequality, participation, and polarization," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 50(4), pages 597-624, April.
    21. Ole-Andreas Elvik Naess, 2025. "Polarization and cultural divergence," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 37(3), pages 209-231, July.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • P00 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - General - - - General
    • P48 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Legal Institutions; Property Rights; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Regional Studies
    • K41 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Litigation Process

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:liu:liucej:v:22:y:2025:i:2:p:177-190. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Laura Ballestra (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/liuccit.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.