Peter Dorman — How Is Economics Different?

I’ve just read, with morbid fascination, “The Superiority of Economics” by Marion Fourcade, Etienne Ollion, and Yann Algan, which will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Economic Perspectives. No surprise that it is such a fine bit of work: I was very impressed by Fourcade’s Economists and Societies: Discipline and Profession in the United States, Britain, and France, 1890s to 1990s, which came out a few years ago. 

My reactions might be interesting because, while my training is in economics, I never managed to get into the profession and have not taught in an economics department in any capacity in over 20 years. This has its pluses and minuses. I think I was better placed to write my economics textbooks as someone who could refer to economists in the third person (good for critical thinking), while I realize that, being completely out of the loop, I’m susceptible to serious gaps in understanding and errors in interpretation. But there’s no perfect vantage point, right? 

Anyway, here are some thoughts about “Superiority”. You should read the original article first to see what I’m reacting to.

Econospeak
How Is Economics Different?Peter Dorman, Professor of Political Economy, The Evergreen State College