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Inland empire: economics imperialism as an imperative of Chicago neoliberalism

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  • Edward Nik-Khah
  • Robert Van Horn

Abstract

Recent work such as Steven Levitt's Freakonomics has prompted economic methodologists to reevaluate the state of relations between economics and its neighboring disciplines. Although this emerging literature on ‘economics imperialism’ has its merits, the positions advanced within it have been remarkably divergent: some have argued that economics imperialism is a fiction; others that it is a fact attributable to the triumph of neoclassical economics; and yet others that the era of economics imperialism is over. We believe the confusion results in part from a lack of historical understanding about the nature and aims of economics imperialists. We seek to improve historical understanding by focusing on the activities of a cadre of economists at the epicenter of economics imperialism, the University of Chicago. These activities -- led, in the first instance, by Aaron Director and, in the second, by George Stigler -- stemmed from the effort to forge a new liberalism or a ‘neoliberalism.’ We then consider Steven Levitt's Freakonomics in light of the insights gained from our historical study. Our analysis leads us to question each of the three positions on economics imperialism held by economic methodologists.

Suggested Citation

  • Edward Nik-Khah & Robert Van Horn, 2012. "Inland empire: economics imperialism as an imperative of Chicago neoliberalism," Journal of Economic Methodology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 259-282, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:jecmet:v:19:y:2012:i:3:p:259-282
    DOI: 10.1080/1350178X.2012.714147
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    Cited by:

    1. Franck Bailly, 2022. "When mainstream economics does human resource management: a critique of personnel economics’ prescriptive ambition," Post-Print hal-03711945, HAL.
    2. Marion Fourcade & Etienne Ollion & Yann Algan, 2015. "La superioridad de los economistas," Revista de Economía Institucional, Universidad Externado de Colombia - Facultad de Economía, vol. 17(33), pages 13-43, July-Dece.
    3. Frank Bailly, 2022. "When mainstream economics does human resource management: a critique of personnel economics' prescriptive ambition," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 75(301), pages 103-117.
    4. Cléo Chassonnery-Zaïgouche, 2015. "Crossing Boundaries, Displacing Previous Knowledge and Claiming Superiority: Is the Economics of Discrimination a Conquest of Economics Imperialism?," STOREPapers 5_2015, Associazione Italiana per la Storia dell'Economia Politica - StorEP.

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