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A Cliometric Counterfactual: What if There Had Been Neither Fogel nor North?

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  • Claude Diebolt
  • Michael Haupert

Abstract

1993 Nobel laureates Robert Fogel and Douglass North were pioneers in the “new” economic history, or cliometrics. Their impact on the economic history discipline is great, though not without its critics. In this essay, we use both the “old” narrative form of economic history, and the “new” cliometric form, to analyze the impact each had on the evolution of economic history.

Suggested Citation

  • Claude Diebolt & Michael Haupert, 2017. "A Cliometric Counterfactual: What if There Had Been Neither Fogel nor North?," Working Papers of BETA 2017-04, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    • Handle: RePEc:ulp:sbbeta:2017-04
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nerlove, Marc, 1966. "Railroads and American Economic Growth," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 26(1), pages 107-115, March.
    2. Claude Diebolt & Catherine Kyrtsou, 2005. "New Trends in Macroeconomics," Post-Print hal-00279607, HAL.
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    10. Ann M. Carlos, 2010. "Reflection on reflections: review essay on reflections on the cliometric revolution: conversations with economic historians," Cliometrica, Journal of Historical Economics and Econometric History, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), vol. 4(1), pages 97-111, January.
    11. Claudia Goldin, 1995. "Cliometrics and the Nobel," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 9(2), pages 191-208, Spring.
    12. Claude Ménard & Mary M. Shirley, 2010. "The Contribution of Douglass North to New Institutional Economics," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-00654327, HAL.
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    14. Claude Diebolt, 2016. "Cliometrica after 10 years: definition and principles of cliometric research," Cliometrica, Journal of Historical Economics and Econometric History, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), vol. 10(1), pages 1-4, january.
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    23. Cochran, Thomas C., 1959. "Recent Contributions to Economic History: The United States, The Twentieth Century," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(1), pages 64-75, March.
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    26. Claudia Goldin & Hugh Rockoff, 1992. "Introduction to "Strategic Factors in Nineteenth Century American Economic History: A Volume to Honor Robert W. Fogel"," NBER Chapters, in: Strategic Factors in Nineteenth Century American Economic History: A Volume to Honor Robert W. Fogel, pages 1-8, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    28. Whaples, Robert, 1995. "Where Is There Consensus Among American Economic Historians? The Results of a Survey on Forty Propositions," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 55(1), pages 139-154, March.
    29. Douglass C. North, 1968. "Sources of Productivity Change in Ocean Shipping, 1600-1850," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 76, pages 953-953.
    30. Claude Diebolt & Michael Haupert, 2015. "Clio’s Contributions to Economics and History," Working Papers of BETA 2015-21, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    31. Redlich, Fritz, 1965. "“New†and Traditional Approaches to Economic History and Their Interdependence," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 25(4), pages 480-495, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. {Economics ∪ History} ∩ {North ∪ Fogel}
      by Thales ZP in NEP-HIS blog on 2017-06-20 09:00:55

    Citations

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    Cited by:

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    2. Martina Cioni & Govanni Federico & Michelangelo Vasta, 2018. "Ninety years of publications in Economic History: evidence from the top five field journals (1927-2017)," Department of Economics University of Siena 791, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    3. Claude Diebolt & Michael Haupert, 2021. "The Role of Cliometrics in History and Economics," Working Papers of BETA 2021-26, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    4. Janusz Myszczyszyn & Bartosz Mickiewicz, 2020. "Analysis of the Interdependence between the Economic Growth and the Development of the Railway Sector," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(1), pages 491-506.
    5. Claude Diebolt & Michael Haupert, 2018. "Cliometrics," Working Papers of BETA 2018-01, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    6. Gregori Galofré-Vilà, 2019. "The Past’s Long Shadow. A Systematic Review and Network Analysis of Cliometrics or the New Economic History," Working Papers 0154, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
    7. Lino Wehrheim, 2017. "Economic History Goes Digital: Topic Modeling the Journal of Economic History," Working Papers 177, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE).
    8. Lino Wehrheim, 2019. "Economic history goes digital: topic modeling the Journal of Economic History," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 13(1), pages 83-125, January.
    9. Deirdre Nansen McCloskey, 2018. "Getting over naïve scientism c. 1950: what Fogel and North got wrong," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 12(3), pages 435-449, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cliometrics; Economic History; Methodology; Economics; History.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A12 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines
    • B41 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - Economic Methodology
    • C18 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Methodolical Issues: General
    • C80 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - General
    • N01 - Economic History - - General - - - Development of the Discipline: Historiographical; Sources and Methods

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    This item is featured on the following reading lists, Wikipedia, or ReplicationWiki pages:
    1. Cliometria in Wikipedia Portuguese
    2. Cliometrics in Wikipedia English

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