Published by Ceteris Never Paribus
History of Economic Thought, History of Economics, History of Economic Ideas, Philosophy of Economics, Political Economy, Economics
Listen on Apple Podcasts1 hr 9 min
Host: François Allisson Guests: Maria Bach (University of Lausanne) and Scott Scheall (Universit of Austin) In this special crossover episode between Ceteris Never Paribus and Smith and Marx Walk into a Bar: A History of Economics Podcast , François Allisson welcomes Maria Bach and Scott Scheall for a conversation on their two podcasts, which they started back in 2017. Many thanks to François Allisson for hosting the collaborative episode and for bringing together audiences from both podcasts. We hope listeners of both podcasts will enjoy the conversation!
30 min
Guest: David Engerman ( Yale University ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( University of Lausanne ) In this episode features David Engerman, Leitner International Interdisciplinary Professor of History at Yale University, and a leading scholar of twentieth-century international and global history. His work has reshaped how we understand the intellectual and political history of development, spanning topics from Cold War expertise and Soviet-American exchanges to the global history of aid and economic thought. David Engerman is the author of several influential books, including Modernization from the Other Shore and The Price of Aid: The Economic Cold War in India , and his research has consistently explored how ideas about development, inequality, and global power have moved across borders and institutions. In this episode, we’ll be discussing his latest book, Apostles of Development: Six Economists and the World They Made .
46 min
Guests: Fredrik Albritton Jonsson ( University of Chicago ) and Carl Wennerlind ( Barnard College ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( University of Lausanne ) In this episode, Maria Bach talks to authors of the book Scarcity: A History from the Origins of Capitalism to the Climate Crisis , Fredrik Albritton Jonsson and Carl Wennerlind. In their book they trace how today’s dominant view—endless desires demanding endless growth—emerged only over centuries of debate and ideological struggle. A French translation (cover featured above to the right) will come out in March 2026 .
41 min
Guest: Saarang Narayan (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali) Host and Producer: Maria Bach (University of Lausanne) A political poster issued by the Bharatiya Janta Party in recent years, promoting the Swadeshist message as part of their “Ghar Ghar Swadeshi” (Swadeshi in Every Household) campaign. A list of key terms with short explanations discussed in the episode Swadeshi is a Hindi/Hindustani word that literally means ‘of one’s own country’ (swa=one’s own/self; desh=country). The slogan gained popularity in the early twentieth century, especially in the popular movement against the partition of Bengal in 1905, and went on to inspire the founding of domestic institutions and the production and consumption of goods as modes of anti-colonial politics. Although it remained part of the discourse around developmentalism and economic planning in the mid-twentieth century, it regained popularity in the context of the public debates about globalisation and neoliberalism in the 1980s and 1990s. While it is comparable to slogans like ‘Buy British’ or ‘Buy American’, there is a characteristic ethical and socio-cultural dimension that separates Swadeshist principles from simple autarky or protectionism. This ethical and socio-cultural dimension concerns the definition of the Swadeshist ‘self’ along religious and cultural lines, often limiting it to Hinduism. Hindu Nationalism is a broad term used here to encapsulate those visions of nationalism in India that define the Indian identity and history through the lens of Hinduism. This is to say that Hindu Nationalists often link the modern nation-state to a primordial Hindu past, where the religious and cultural practices of the supposed ancient Hindu peoples defined their identities. While India’s contemporary Hindu far-right has spearheaded this form of nationalism, there have been other actors who subscribe to such a vision of the Indian nation. What makes the Hindu far-right different from other such actors is the former’s palingenetic, Islamophobic, and xenophobic interpretations of Hindu Nationalism. The Hindu far-right describes its mode of Hindu Nationalism as ‘ Hindutva ’ or Hindu-ness, as outlined in the works of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National Volunteers’ Union) was founded in 1925. It is the apex body of the Hindu far-right with the goal of (re-)establishing India as a Hindu Nation. The RSS was founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar as a para-militaristic body of Hindu men to arm Hindu society against its cultural enemies. The second supreme-leader of the RSS, Madhavrao Sadashiv Golwalkar, identified these enemies in order of the threat that they posed to Hindus as follows: Muslims, Christians, and Communists. The RSS primarily functions through local chapters ( shakhas or branches) and is comprised of volunteers ( swayamsevaks ) and led by preachers ( pracharaks ). Although Swadeshist ideas were primarily popularised by political actors who were summarily opposed to the politics of the RSS, the RSS adopted Swadeshi in the 1950s, and it has remained at the core of its economic thought ever since. Throughout its century-long existence, the RSS has faced three major bans and, despite its majoritarian, fascistic goals, has adapted strategies of dynamism and flexibility in its tactics, ideas, and political language to meet these challenges. The first two decades of independent India were the lowest point in the RSS’s public and political presence, and it gained increasing popularity and political ground in the mainstream from the mid-1970s onwards. Part of its strategy of expansion has been the creation of smaller affiliate organisations, geared towards specialised tasks. This conglomerate of far-right organisations headed by the RSS has come to be known as the Sangh Parivar (Family). The current ruling party in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the electoral wing of the RSS, and many of its members (including Prime Minister Narendra Modi) started out as swayamsevaks in the RSS before joining the BJP.
1 hr 11 min
Guest: Peter Boettke ( George Mason University ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( Centre Walras-Pareto, University of Lausanne ) Based on almost 2 years of interviews with current and former PhD students, supervisors along with lots and lots of conversations on supervision, I offer you a series of episodes on supervision. In the first episode, I explore a series of critical “don’ts” that both PhD students and their supervisors should be aware of to ensure a healthier, more productive PhD journey. In the following episode, I will be offering up lots of solutions or rather the dos of supervision. Then there will be an episode on all the cases where it’s not clear what the best solution is, or the solution is rather different depending on context: I am calling them the in-betweens. In this fourth episode I will be talking to a sort of PhD coach, who has lots of experience with supervising and thinking about supervision. A final short episode will offer us a list of 10 key things that supervisors and PhD students need – the 10 commandments of supervision, if you will.
10 min
Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( Centre Walras-Pareto, University of Lausanne ) Based on almost 2 years of interviews with current and former PhD students, supervisors along with lots and lots of conversations on supervision, I offer you a series of episodes on supervision. In the first episode, I explore a series of critical “don’ts” that both PhD students and their supervisors should be aware of to ensure a healthier, more productive PhD journey. In the following episode, I offer up lots of solutions or rather the dos of supervision. Then there will be an episode on all the cases where it’s not clear what the best solution is, or the solution is rather different depending on context: I am calling them the in-betweens. In a fourth episode I will be talking to a sort of PhD coach, who has lots of experience with supervising and thinking about supervision. In this final short episode I offer a list of 10 key things that supervisors and PhD students need – the 10 commandments of supervision, if you will. The 10 Commandments of Supervision Use a reference manager Organise notes on reference Establish a healthy work schedule Meet regularly and take meeting notes Set deadlines Listen to each other Ask lots of questions Support and empathy PhD students should present and learn to communicate early on Build a community The voice at the end is Pedro G. Duarte ( Insper ), featured in several of the other parts of the series. Featured music (apart from the usual intro and outro music): Education – upbeat positive (short ver.), Awakening (loop ver.3) and Dreamy Day (loop ver.2) by AudioCoffee: https://freesound.org/s/712212/ License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 To check out Mamma Mu, the children’s books I mention at the end, go here .
24 min
Guests: Erwin Dekker ( George Mason University ), Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak ( The American University of Paris ), Pedro G. Duarte ( Insper ), Steven Medema ( Duke University ), Marianne Johnson ( University of Wisconsin Oshkosh ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( Centre Walras-Pareto, University of Lausanne ) Based on almost 2 years of interviews with current and former PhD students, supervisors along with lots and lots of conversations on supervision, I offer you a series of episodes on supervision. In the first episode, I explore a series of critical “don’ts” that both PhD students and their supervisors should be aware of to ensure a healthier, more productive PhD journey. In the following episode, I offer lots of solutions or rather the dos of supervision. This episode covers all the cases where it’s not clear what the best solution is, or the solution is rather different depending on context: I am calling them the in-betweens. In a fourth episode I will be talking to a sort of PhD coach, who has lots of experience with supervising and thinking about supervision. A final short episode will offer us a list of 10 key things that supervisors and PhD students need – the 10 commandments of supervision, if you will. The Inbetween Cases of Supervision: Providing Space and Freedom Personalising Supervision and Adapting to Each Student Handling Breakdowns in the Supervisor-Student Relationship Managing Uncertainty and Redirection in Research Supporting Students Through Confusion and Uncertainty Broader Perspectives for Academia Featured music (apart from the usual intro and outro music): Evolution by AudioCoffee — https://freesound.org/s/704874/ — License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0
1 hr 30 min
Guests: Erwin Dekker ( George Mason University ), Charles Rose ( PhD from King’s College London ), Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak ( The American University of Paris ), Pedro G. Duarte ( Insper ), Ariane Dupont Kieffer ( Université Paris 1 ), Luca Timponelli ( Centre Walras Pareto, Unil ), María Gutiérrez Ruan ( Centre Walras Pareto, Unil ), Elizaveta Burina ( Université Paris 1 ), Léa Lakjaa ( Université de Reims ), Adèle Gaillard, ( PHARE, Université Panthéon Sorbonne ), Steven Medema ( Duke University ), Marianne Johnson ( University of Wisconsin Oshkosh ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( Centre Walras-Pareto, University of Lausanne ) Based on almost 2 years of interviews with current and former PhD students, supervisors along with lots and lots of conversations on supervision, I offer you a series of episodes on supervision. In the first episode, I explore a series of critical “don’ts” that both PhD students and their supervisors should be aware of to ensure a healthier, more productive PhD journey. In this second episode, I offer up lots of solutions or rather the dos of supervision. Then there will be an episode on all the cases where it’s not clear what the best solution is, or the solution is rather different depending on context: I am calling them the in-betweens. In a fourth episode I will be talking to a sort of PhD coach, who has lots of experience with supervising and thinking about supervision. A final short episode will offer us a list of 10 key things that supervisors and PhD students need – the 10 commandments of supervision, if you will. The Dos of Supervision Establishing Basic Foundations of Support Building Trust and Structure Supporting Intellectual Growth and Independence Tools and Organization for Success Advanced Guidance on Research and Focus Dealing with Challenges and Growth in the Process Ongoing Support Building a Sense of Belonging and Integration Dealing with Tough Situations and Navigating Change Featured music (apart from the usual intro and outro music): Awakening (loop ver.3) by AudioCoffee — https://freesound.org/s/762743/ — License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0
59 min
Guests: Erwin Dekker ( George Mason University ), Charles Rose ( PhD from King’s College London ), Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak ( The American University of Paris ), Pedro G. Duarte ( Insper ), Ariane Dupont Kieffer ( Université Paris 1 ), Luca Timponelli ( Centre Walras Pareto, Unil ), Justine Loulergue (PhD from Centre Walras Pareto, Unil ), Elizaveta Burina ( Université Paris 1 ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( Centre Walras-Pareto, University of Lausanne ) Based on almost 2 years of interviews with current and former PhD students and supervisors along with lots and lots of conversations on supervision, I offer you a series of episodes on supervision. In this first episode, I explore a series of critical “don’ts” that both PhD students and their supervisors should be aware of to ensure a healthier, more productive PhD journey. In the following episode, I will be offering up lots of solutions or rather the dos of supervision. Then there will be an episode on all the cases where it’s not clear what the best solution is, or the solution is rather different depending on context: I am calling them the in-betweens. In a fourth episode I will be talking to a sort of PhD coach, who has lots of experience with supervising and thinking about supervision. A final short episode will offer us a list of 10 key things that supervisors and PhD students need – the 10 commandments of supervision, if you will. The Don’ts of Supervision Failing to Recognise Personal Struggles Poor Communication & Lack of Support Exposing PhD students to Toxic or Overbearing Environments Unrealistic Expectations & Rigid Mindsets Supervising Too Many PhD Students Lack of Flexibility in Supervision Lack of Time Management and Structure Featured music (apart from the usual intro and outro music): Education upbeat positive (short ver.), Awakening (loop ver.3) and Dreamy Day (loop ver.2) by AudioCoffee: https://freesound.org/s/712212/ License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 Low Filtered Arp – MSfxP9 – 187_4 – (Synth Loop BPM 100) by Erokia: https://freesound.org/s/543742/ License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0
2 min
Check out this trailer for a miniseries on supervision coming very soon! The voices featured in the trailer are Charles Rose, Pedro Garcia Duarte and Bianca Maria Fontana. Stay tuned for more thoughts, discussions and insightful voices! Featured music (apart from the usual intro and outro music): Bright Morning Energy by LolaMoore License: Attribution 4.0
1 hr 0 min
Guest: Timothée Parrique (University of Lund) Host and Producer: Maria Bach (University of Lausanne) In this episode, Maria Bach interviews Timothée Parrique about his PhD thesis and book on the Political Economy of Degrowth . They also discuss the importance of writing skills, and breaking academic rules and disciplinary boundaries. Here are Parrique’s favourite books on writing: In episode 40 , Raphaël Fèvre also discusses the importance of learning how to write. If you’re interested in economics and planetary boundaries, you should check out episode 26 when we interviewed Herman Daly.
53 min
Guests: Rahul A. Sirohi ( Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati ) and Sonya Surabhi Gupta ( Jamia Milia Islamia ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( Walras Pareto Centre, University of Lausanne ) In this episode, I talk to professors Sirohi’s and Gupta’s book on development discourses from India and Latin America . As mentioned in the episode, here is the poem translated at the beginning of the last chapter: Problems of Underdevelopment Monsieur Dupont calls you uncultured because you cannot tell who was Victor’s Hugo’s favourite grandson. Herr Müller has started to scream because you do not know (exactly) the day that Bismarck died. Your friend Mr. Smith an Englishman or Yankee, I cannot tell, becomes incensed when you write Shell. (It seems you leave out an “l” and, what’s more, you pronounce it chel. ) Okay, and what of it? When it’s your turn, make them say cacarajícara and ask them where is the Aconcagua and who was Sucré and just where on this planet did Martí die. And please: tell them to always speak to you in Spanish. Nicolás Guillén Trans. by Rahul Sirohi and Sonya Surabhi Gupta
47 min
Guest: Raphaël Fèvre ( Université de Côte d’Azur ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( Walras Pareto Centre, University of Lausanne ) In this episode, Maria talks to Raphaël Fèvre who published a book with Oxford University Press, pictured above, based on his PhD research. For advice on writing a book, see the following books: From Dissertation to Book Revise: The Scholar-Writer’s Essential Guide to Tweaking, Editing, and Perfecting Your Manuscript
56 min
Guest: Eric Helleiner ( University of Waterloo ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( University of Lausanne ) In this episode, Maria interviews Eric Helleiner to discuss his current research on writing a deeper global history of the field of International Political Economy. We mainly discuss his latest two books pictured above, The Contested World Economy and The Neomercantilists .
39 min
Guest: Srishti Yadav ( Azim Premji University, Bengaluru ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( Walras Pareto Centre, University of Lausanne ) In this episode Maria talks to Srishti about her heterodox economics studies, her work on Paradigms in Economics and her book project on the agrarian question in India. Check out the following links to Srishti’s research: Yadav, S. (2022) ‘ Caste, diversification, and the contemporary agrarian question in India: A field perspective ’, Journal of Agrarian Change , 22(4), pp. 651–672. A video presentation of the above article for the Foundation of Agrarian Studies seminar series. Yadav, S. (2022) ‘ Reviewing Petty Commodity Production: Toward a Unified Marxist Conception ’, Review of Radical Political Economics , 54(4), pp. 411–419. To check out the Indian Society of History of Economic Thought established in 2023, click here .
38 min
Guest: Cecilia Lanata-Briones ( Warwick University ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( Walras Pareto Centre, University of Lausanne ) Bunge, A. E. (1918): «Costo de la vida en la Argentina, de 1910 a 1917». Revista de Economía Argentina 1 (1), pp. 39-63 In this episode, Maria talks to her co-author and team member of a new project on the history of national accounting in what we call the Global South today. Cecilia talks about her thesis on the history of the cost-of-living index in Argentina, a recent co-edited book and our new project. To check out some of Cecilia’s work, see two of her articles linked below: Lanata-Briones, C.T. (2021 ) ‘Constructing Cost of Living Indexes Ideas and Individuals, Argentina, 1918–35 ’, History of Political Economy , 53(1), pp. 57–87. Lanata-Briones CT. (2023) ‘ RECONSTRUCTING OFFICIAL STATISTICS: A NEW ESTIMATE OF THE ARGENTINE COST OF LIVING INDEX ‘, 1912-1943. Revista de Historia Económica / Journal of Iberian and Latin American Economic History . 41(1):39-82.
43 min
Guest: Nestor Lovera ( Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( Centre Walras-Pareto, University of Lausanne ) In this episode, Maria interviews Nestor Lovera from the Université of Reims Champagne-Ardenne about his thesis and latest projects. For a summary of Nestor’s thesis, click here . Check out Nestor’s new podcast (in French) on the history of economic thought: https://l-heure-d-unepauseconomique.fr/
1 hr 0 min
Guests: Cléo Chassonnery-Zaïgouche ( Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Bologna ), Justine Loulergue (PhD Student, Centre d’Économie de la Sorbonne , Paris 1 & Centre Walras Pareto, Unil ), María Gutiérrez Ruan (PhD Student, Centre Walras Pareto, Unil ), Tatiana Fauconnet (PhD Student, Centre Walras Pareto, Unil ) and Biancamaria Fontana (Emeritus Professor, Centre Walras Pareto, Unil ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( Centre Walras-Pareto, University of Lausanne ) We’re back with a second episode with existing and former members of the Walras Pareto Centre. If you didn’t listen to part I, I recommend listening to part I first. This time we will hear about what they like and dislike about their work. And about any regrets they may have about their choices or trajectories. If you want to join an online writing group on Thursdays at 10.15-12.15 CEST, contact Maria Bach via Twitter or email. Featured music (apart from the usual intro and outro music): Loop of Life – V01 by RAME ( RAMEofficial.com ) via FreeSound ( freesound.org/people/RokZRooM ) under Creative Commons’ BY-NC-ND license.
1 hr 6 min
Guests: Maxine Berg (Professor, Warwick University ) and Pat Hudson (Professor, Cardiff University ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( Centre Walras-Pareto, University of Lausanne ) In this episode, I interview Maxine Berg and Pat Hudson about their recent book on the role of slavery in capitalist development and the British industrial revolution. To check out Eric Williams book on slavery and capitalism, click here .
42 min
Guests: Cléo Chassonnery-Zaïgouche ( Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Bologna ), Justine Loulergue (PhD Student, Centre d’Économie de la Sorbonne, Paris 1 & Centre Walras Pareto, Unil ), María Gutiérrez Ruan (PhD Student, Centre Walras Pareto, Unil ), Tatiana Fauconnet (PhD Student, Centre Walras Pareto, Unil ) and Biancamaria Fontana (Emeritus Professor, Centre Walras Pareto, Unil ) Host and Producer: Maria Bach ( Centre Walras-Pareto, University of Lausanne ) In this episode, I share some conversations I had with some existing and old members of the Walras Pareto Centre (CWP) in Lausanne. These are raw conversations from researchers in the history of economics and political science that may help you feel less alone and might just help you figure some things out. Who knows? Featured music (apart from the usual intro and outro music): Loop of Life – V01 by RAME ( RAMEofficial.com ) via FreeSound ( freesound.org/people/RokZRooM ) under Creative Commons’ BY-NC-ND license.