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Beyond orthodoxy in economic history: Has Boldizzoni resurrected synthetic-structural history?

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  • Christopher Lloyd

    (Business School, University of New England, Armidale, Australia
    Finnish Centre of Excellence on Historical Research, Tampere and Jyväskylä Universities, Finland
    Nordwel Centre, Helsinki University, Finland)

Abstract

Boldizzoni's attempted resurrection of a realist, non-abstract, historical approach to economic history is learned, rhetorically rich, and largely persuasive but lacks some crucial dimensions. The continuing dominance of orthodoxy in ‘official’ economic history after the institutionalist turn (despite a context of methodological and socio-political pluralism among the wide range of practitioners under various labels) lies in its continued abstraction and reductive econometrics. But ad hoc adjustments while maintaining rational choice, methodological individualism, and an uncritical ideological defence of free markets, do not address the basic, underlying weaknesses that Boldizzoni correctly identifies. In proposing his manifesto for revival of the synthetic-structural tradition, however, he should have paid more attention to recent arguments in defence of new philosophical and theoretical foundations for social science history.. KEY Classification-JEL: B29, B40

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher Lloyd, 2013. "Beyond orthodoxy in economic history: Has Boldizzoni resurrected synthetic-structural history?," Investigaciones de Historia Económica - Economic History Research (IHE-EHR), Journal of the Spanish Economic History Association, Asociación Española de Historia Económica, vol. 9(02), pages 66-70.
    • Handle: RePEc:ahe:invest:v:09:y:2013:i:02:p:66-70
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. repec:ucp:bkecon:9789052601984 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Dimitris Milonakis & Ben Fine, 2007. "Douglass North’s Remaking of Economic History: A Critical Appraisal," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 39(1), pages 27-57, March.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economic History; History; Economics; Methodology; Historicism; Critical realism; Estructucturalism; Social Science History;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B29 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Other
    • B40 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - General

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