Smith and Marx Walk into a Bar: A History of Economics Podcast
Published by Smith and Marx Walk into a Bar
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Smith and Marx Walk into a Bar is hosted by historians of economic thought Jennifer Jhun, François Allisson, and Çınla Akdere. Each month, the hosts discuss themes related to economics, its history and methodology, and its relevance to contemporary affairs.
In this first-ever crossover episode with our friends at Ceteris Never Paribus: The History of Economic Thought Podcast , François interviews our producer and former co-host Scott Scheall and CNP host and producer Maria Bach. The discussion offers a behind-the-scenes look at the origins, inspirations, and histories of both shows. The creators discuss their contrasting formats, the academic value of podcasting, and the stories behind the birth of both programs.
Çinla and Jennifer interview Aida Ramos, Professor of Economics at the University of Dallas, about her work on Jonathan Swift's economic thought, Sir James Steuart, Adam Smith, as well as Oikonomos, her new undergraduate journal in the history of economic thought.
To celebrate our 100th episode, Jennifer, Çınla, and François welcome back former co-hosts Scott Scheall, Gerardo Serra, and Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak to discuss the past, present, and future of Smith and Marx Walk into a Bar: A History of Economics Podcast .
In this episode, François, Jennifer, and Çınla speak with Benoît Walraevens, Lecturer in Economics at the University of Caen Normandy, about his work on Adam Smith, John Rawls, and Thomas Piketty.
Çınla, François, and Jennifer interview Paul Dudenhefer, Managing Editor of both Politics & Society , a quarterly journal published by Sage, and History of Political Economy , the leading journal in the history of economic thought. Paul has spent much of his career in or around Duke University's Center for the History of Political Economy, and has been a much-loved member of the history of economics community for over twenty years. Topics include Paul's work as a writer and editor, his experiences in and perspective on the field of history of economics, and especially the academic-writing workshops that he's taught for several years on behalf of the Journal of the History of Economic Thought.
Jennifer and François Allisson chat with Verena Halsmayer, University Assistant in the Department of History at the University of Vienna. The conversation focuses on Dr. Halsmayer's award-winning book, Managing Growth in Miniature: Solow's Model as an Artifact (Cambridge University Press, 2024), which explores the historical and technical development of Robert Solow's famous economic growth model. Other topics include Halsmayer's work on "Interventionist Social Knowledge" and "alternative economic planning."
Jennifer and François are joined by our first return guest, Catherine Herfeld, Professor of Philosophy and History of Economics at the Institute of Philosophy at Leibniz University Hannover, Germany. Catherine first appeared on the show in Episode 29 in February 2020. Topics discussed in this more recent episode include Catherine's work on the history and philosophy of rational choice theory, her forthcoming book Conversations on Rational Choice , and some of her latest work on the topic of model transfer.
François, Jennifer, and Çınla discuss a few recent additions to the literature. If you are interested in reading the papers discussed in this episode, here they are (unfortunately, some may be behind paywalls): Freedom, State, and Market: The Real Worlds of Economic Planning Angus Hebenton and Martin O'Neill To Change or Not to Change. The Evolution of Forecasting Models at the Bank of England Aurélien Goutsmedt, Francesco Sergi, Béatrice Cherrier, Juan Acosta, Clément Fontan, and François Claveau Piero Sraffa and Counterfactuals: A View from Sraffa's Unpublished Papers in the Late 1920s Heinz D. Kurz, Neri Salvadori, and Rodolfo Signorino
The co-hosts are joined by three Junior Fellows at Duke University's Center for the History of Political Economy, Benjamin Brisson, Eva Jacob, and Raphaël Orange-Leroy, to discuss their interests in the history of economic thought, their experiences in graduate school, and their research projects.
François and Jennifer are joined by Peter Boettke, Distinguished University Professor of Economics and Philosophy at George Mason University (among other titles), to discuss his unique and influential teacher, Kenneth Boulding, the history of the Socialist Calculation Debate, and the possible significance of artificial intelligence for the future of political economy.
The hosts meet with Harro Maas, Professor in the Walras-Pareto Centre for the History of Economic and Political Thought at the University of Lausanne, to discuss several of his contributions to the literature.
In this month's episode, Jennifer, Çınla, and François interview Giandomenica Becchio, Professor in the Department of Economics, Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Statistics at the University of Torino, about her 2024 book Political Economy and Economics: Gender Equality and Classical Liberalism (Palgrave).
François, Jenn, and Çınla speak with Jennifer Burns, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Admissions in the History Department at Stanford University, about her book Milton Friedman: The Last Conservative (2023).
Çınla, François, and Jennifer are joined by Alexander Linsbichler, Senior Postdoc with the Institute of Philosophy and Scientific Method at Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria, and Lecturer of Philosophy and Economics at the University of Vienna, to discuss his work on rational reconstruction as a philosophical method, Austrian Economics, and the Vienna Circle of Logical Positivism.
Jennifer, Çınla, and François talk with André Lapidus, Professor Emeritus of the History of Economic Thought in the Laboratoire PHARE at University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, regarding his work on David Hume, the history of ideas about usury, and economic historiography.
The co-hosts are joined by Professor Sandra Peart to discuss her many and varied contributions to the history of economic thought. Professor Peart is Dean and E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor in Leadership Studies and President of the Jepson Scholars Foundation at the University of Richmond. She is also the most recently named Distinguished Fellow of the History of Economics Society, which the Society confers on those who have contributed a lifetime of study to the history of economics. Topics include Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, James Buchanan, and, of course, her esteemed co-author, David Levy.
Jennifer, François, and Çınla talk with Professor Kayoko Misaki, Professor of Economics at Shiga University in Hikone, Japan, about her recent book, Léon Walras's Economic Thought: The General Equilibrium Theory in Historical Perspective .
Çınla, François, and Jennifer discuss a number of recent additions to the literature. If you are interested in reading the papers discussed in this episode, here they are (unfortunately, some may be behind paywalls): Today's economics: one, no one and one hundred thousand Angela Ambrosino, Mario Cedrini & John B. Davis Neither Populist nor Neoclassical: The Classical Roots of the Competition Principle in American Antitrust Law Nicola Giocoli Before NBER: Warren Nutter's Soviet Research at the CIA Daniel Kuehn
In another of our occasional early-career scholars episodes, Çınla, Jennifer, and François speak with Hannah Glasson and Dominic Walker, both currently fellows at Duke University's Center for the History of Political Economy, about their interests in the history of economic thought, experiences in graduate school, the academic job market, and their various research projects.
In this month's episode of Smith and Marx Walk into a Bar , François, Çınla, and Jennifer sit down with Marcel Boumans, Past President of the History of Economics Society, and Professor of History of Economics and Head of Section of Applied Economics at Utrecht University School of Economics. Topics include Professor Boumans' work on the historiography of mathematical economics and the meaning of art for the history of economics.
