The value of heterodox economics

by on June 3, 2007 at 6:55 am in Uncategorized | Permalink

Might I blog this topic all week?

The very existence of heterodox economics brings benefits.  A personal anecdote will suffice.  My first two publications were both in heterodox journals: the Journal of Post Keynesian Economics and the (institutionalist) Review of Social Economy.  These articles lifted me into a top graduate school and financial aid (can you imagine how confused the admissions committees were to see a GMU undergrad with an apparently leftie publication record?).  I would not have had comparable success at Econometrica.

This tale relates to the value of diversity more generally.  We will miss much of the value of diversity by simply listing a bunch of diverse elements and evaluating them one-by-one.  Diversity brings broader benefits by allowing people to use niches as ladders to further steps, frequently into the mainstream, or in my case into another niche.  Diversity is also a form of insurance, and of course it doesn’t always pay off.  Finally many excellent mainstream or sometimes even right-wing economists started with an intense interest in social justice, often gleaned from heterodox writings.  Vernon Smith was once a socialist, and George Stigler was early on a trust-basher.

Yes the profession is getting better but we also are losing too much diversity in terms of schools of thought.  The diminution of the Austrian School, as an organized and intellectually alive phenomenon seems to me a shame, even though I don’t believe in a unique Austrian method.  Heterodoxies encourage the mainstream to be more philosophical and more self-reflective.

Sometimes intellectual inefficiency is efficient, and my remarks about heterodox economics should be taken in this light.

kvrettos June 3, 2007 at 10:59 am

This leads us again to the distinction between orthodox and heterodox economics. Even though I agree by and large with your opinion, I strongly disagree with this theoretical separation. Heterodoxy leads inevitably to Orthodoxy, and “orthodox” in greek is the “right belief”. If mainstream economics represent right thinking, then heterodox economics represent wrong thinking. As one clearly sees this can lead us nowhere.

May I say that there is only Economics, which essentially has many sides?

TGGP June 3, 2007 at 11:50 am

Marc, you need to show an increase or steady state for Austrians in order to show it has not declined.

Tim Lundeen June 3, 2007 at 12:03 pm

Good post, and I agree with the value of allowing/encouraging people to explore different areas. Part of the evolutionary process for ideas and for personal development.

Econ_HH June 3, 2007 at 2:39 pm

Thank you for taking up this smart argument. This argument reminds me of Bruno Frey’s paper “Publishing as Prostitution”. Briefly, the way the orthodoxy organizes the recruitment of its own class — by publishing in highly esteemed A+ journals (there is a new branch in economics called “rankology”) hinders creativity according to Frey. The only way to get a paper published is by using an existing paper, adding a little something and taking into account possible referee reactions… Frey proposes to change the system of refereeing. However, there is surely a value in scientific pluralism itself.

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