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The History of Recent Macroeconomics Through the Lens of the Marshall-Walras Divide

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  • Michel de Vroey

    (UNIVERSITE CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES))

Abstract

According to Leijonhufvud, the development of economic theory can be compared to a decision tree, the branches of which originate in choices made about basic methodological nodes. My paper is an attempt at putting this insight into practice by reconstructing the recent history of macroeconomics on its basis. To this end, I examine whether the decision-tree framework can explain three crucial turns in the history of the field: (a) the transition from Keynesian to new classical macroeconomics triggered by Lucas; (b) the transition from the Lucas model to Kydland and Prescott’s ‘real business cycle’ modeling strategy; and (c) the transition from RBC modeling to DSGE modeling.

Suggested Citation

  • Michel de Vroey, 2018. "The History of Recent Macroeconomics Through the Lens of the Marshall-Walras Divide," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2018018, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    • Handle: RePEc:ctl:louvir:2018018
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    File URL: https://sites.uclouvain.be/econ/DP/IRES/2018018.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Plosser, Charles I, 1989. "Understanding Real Business Cycles," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 3(3), pages 51-77, Summer.
    2. Mark Gertler & Jordi Gali & Richard Clarida, 1999. "The Science of Monetary Policy: A New Keynesian Perspective," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 37(4), pages 1661-1707, December.
    3. Lucas, Robert E, Jr, 1980. "Methods and Problems in Business Cycle Theory," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 12(4), pages 696-715, November.
    4. Michel De Vroey, 2012. "Marshall and Walras: Incompatible bedfellows?," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(5), pages 765-783, October.
    5. Lawrence J. Christiano & Martin Eichenbaum & Charles L. Evans, 2005. "Nominal Rigidities and the Dynamic Effects of a Shock to Monetary Policy," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 113(1), pages 1-45, February.
    6. De Vroey,Michel, 2016. "A History of Macroeconomics from Keynes to Lucas and Beyond," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107584945, January.
    7. Manuelli, Rodolfo & Sargent, Thomas J., 1988. "Models of business cycles : A review essay," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 523-542.
    8. Weintraub, E Roy, 1983. "On the Existence of a Competitive Equilibrium: 1930-1954," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 21(1), pages 1-39, March.
    9. Michel De Vroey, 2009. "A Marshall-Walras Divide? A Critical Review of the Prevailing Viewpoints," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 41(4), pages 709-736, Winter.
    10. Pascal Bridel, 1997. "Money and General Equilibrium Theory," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 1303.
    11. Vasilev, Aleksandar & Maksumov, Rashid, 2010. "Critical analysis of Chapter 23 of Keynes’s Notes on Mercantilism in The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money (1936)," EconStor Research Reports 155318, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    12. Frank Smets & Raf Wouters, 2003. "An Estimated Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Model of the Euro Area," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 1(5), pages 1123-1175, September.
    13. Franco Donzelli, 2005. "Equilibrium and Tâtonnement in Walras' Eléments," UNIMI - Research Papers in Economics, Business, and Statistics unimi-1010, Universitá degli Studi di Milano.
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    Cited by:

    1. François Courtoy & Michel de Vroey & Riccardo Turati, 2021. "What do we teach in Macroeconomics? Evidence of a theoretical divide," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2021023, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    2. Michel De Vroey & Luca Pensieroso, 2021. "Grounded in Methodology, Certified by Journals: The Rise and Evolution of a Mainstream in Economics," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2021015, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Marshall; Walras; Keynes; Lucas; RBC model; New Keynesian model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B22 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Macroeconomics
    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics
    • E30 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)

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