IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ceh/journl/y2017v2p9-34.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Of the Essence and Meaning of Economic History

Author

Listed:
  • Pencho Penchev

    (University of National and World Economy - Sofia, Bulgaria)

Abstract

The paper discusses the main characteristic features of economic history. The author makes an attempt to highlight the meaning and social importance of research in this field. These problems are placed in the light of the achievements and shortcomings of the economic history in Bulgaria. The author argues that the cliometric studies of economic history, valuable as they are, are not sufficient to reveal the main trends in world economic development. In terms of meaning, economic history research only makes sense if it brings some benefit to society.

Suggested Citation

  • Pencho Penchev, 2017. "Of the Essence and Meaning of Economic History," Proceedings of the Centre for Economic History Research, Centre for Economic History Research, vol. 2, pages 9-34, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:ceh:journl:y:2017:v:2:p:9-34
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://csii.bg/series/2017-2/pdf/01-PenchoPenchev.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: http://csii.bg/series/2017-2/html/01-PenchoPenchev.html
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Neal, Larry, 2000. "A Shocking View of Economic History," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 60(2), pages 317-334, June.
    2. Hilt, Eric, 2017. "Economic History, Historical Analysis, and the “New History of Capitalism”," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 77(2), pages 511-536, June.
    3. Robert A. Margo, 2018. "The integration of economic history into economics," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 12(3), pages 377-406, September.
    4. Greif,Avner, 2006. "Institutions and the Path to the Modern Economy," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521480444, January.
    5. Kwangsu Kim, 2009. "Adam Smith's theory of economic history and economic development," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(1), pages 41-64.
    6. David S. Landes, 1994. "What room for accident in history?: explaining big changes by small events," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 47(4), pages 637-656, November.
    7. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/382e4c7la19qb8m0mtvar753ei is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Temin, Peter, 1997. "Is it Kosher to Talk about Culture?," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 57(2), pages 267-287, June.
    9. Gerschenkron, Alexander, 1967. "The Discipline and I," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(4), pages 443-459, December.
    10. Francesco Boldizzoni, 2011. "The Poverty of Clio: Resurrecting Economic History," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 9476.
    11. McCloskey, Deirdre Nansen, 2006. "The Bourgeois Virtues," University of Chicago Press Economics Books, University of Chicago Press, number 9780226556635, December.
    12. Rodrik, Dani, 2017. "Economics Rules: Why Economics Works, When It Fails, and How To Tell The Difference," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198736905.
    13. North, Douglass C, 1976. "The Place of Economic History in the Discipline of Economics," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 14(4), pages 461-465, December.
    14. Solow, Robert M, 1985. "Economic History and Economics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(2), pages 328-331, May.
    15. Claudia Goldin, 1995. "Cliometrics and the Nobel," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 9(2), pages 191-208, Spring.
    16. McCloskey, Donald N., 1978. "The Achievements of the Cliometric School," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 38(1), pages 13-28, March.
    17. Mathy, Gabriel & Ziebarth, Nicolas L., 2017. "How Much Does Political Uncertainty Matter? The Case of Louisiana under Huey Long," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 77(1), pages 90-126, March.
    18. Zeev, Nadav Ben & Mokyr, Joel & van der Beek, Karine, 2017. "Flexible Supply of Apprenticeship in the British Industrial Revolution," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 77(1), pages 208-250, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Claude Diebolt & Michael Haupert, 2021. "The Role of Cliometrics in History and Economics," Working Papers of BETA 2021-26, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    2. Claude Diebolt & Michael Haupert, 2018. "A cliometric counterfactual: what if there had been neither Fogel nor North?," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 12(3), pages 407-434, September.
    3. Andrew Seltzer & Martin Shanahan & Claire Wright, 2022. "The Rise and Fall and Rise (?) of Economic History in Australia," CEH Discussion Papers 05, Centre for Economic History, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.
    4. Lehmann-Waffenschmidt, Marco, 2001. "Kontingenz und Kausalität bei evolutorischen Prozessen," Dresden Discussion Paper Series in Economics 12/01, Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Business and Economics, Department of Economics.
    5. Nadia Fernández-de-Pinedo & Alvaro La Parra-Perez & Félix-Fernando Muñoz, 2023. "Recent trends in publications of economic historians in Europe and North America (1980–2019): an empirical analysis," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 17(1), pages 1-22, January.
    6. Martina Cioni & Giovanni Federico & Michelangelo Vasta, 2021. "Spreading Clio: a quantitative analysis of the first 25 years of the European Review of Economic History [Plague in seventeenth-century Europe and the decline of Italy: an epidemiological hypothesi," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 25(4), pages 618-644.
    7. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/5l6uh8ogmqildh09h4dq3et4o is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Gordon Redding & Michael Witt, 2009. "China’s business system and its future trajectory," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 381-399, September.
    9. Desierto, Desiree & Koyama, Mark, 2024. "The Political Economy of Status Competition: Sumptuary Laws in Preindustrial Europe," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 84(2), pages 479-516, June.
    10. David Mitch, 2010. "Chicago and Economic History," Chapters, in: Ross B. Emmett (ed.), The Elgar Companion to the Chicago School of Economics, chapter 8, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    11. Enrico Spolaore, 2020. "Commanding Nature by Obeying Her: A Review Essay on Joel Mokyr's A Culture of Growth," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 58(3), pages 777-792, September.
    12. Martina Cioni & Giovanni Federico & Michelangelo Vasta, 2020. "The long-term evolution of economic history: evidence from the top five field journals (1927–2017)," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 14(1), pages 1-39, January.
    13. Matthew Jaremski, 2020. "Today’s economic history and tomorrow’s scholars," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 14(1), pages 169-180, January.
    14. Martina Cioni & Giovanni Federico & Michelangelo Vasta, 2022. "Persistence studies: a new kind of economic history?," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 42(3), pages 227-248, December.
    15. Touré, Nouhoum, 2021. "Culture, institutions and the industrialization process," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 481-503.
    16. Lino Wehrheim, 2019. "Economic history goes digital: topic modeling the Journal of Economic History," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 13(1), pages 83-125, January.
    17. Langlois, Richard N., 2013. "Business groups and the natural state," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 14-26.
    18. Martina Cioni & Giovanni Federico & Michelangelo Vasta, 2021. "The State of the Art of Economic History: The Uneasy Relation with Economics," Working Papers 20210067, New York University Abu Dhabi, Department of Social Science, revised Jun 2021.
    19. Claude Diebolt, 2015. "Comment appréhender les temporalités de l’histoire économique ? Plaidoyer pour une cliométrie des événements rares," Working Papers of BETA 2015-12, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    20. Javier Mejía, 2015. "The Evolution of Economic History since 1950: From Cliometrics to Cliodynamics (La evolución de la historia económica desde 1950: de cliometría hasta cliodinámica)," Tiempo y Economía, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, vol. 2(2), pages 79, December.
    21. Sahle, Esther, 2014. "Quakers, coercion and pre-modern growth: why friends’ formal institutions for contract enforcement did not matter for early Atlantic trade expansion," Economic History Working Papers 60452, London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Economic History.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economic history; theory; history;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N01 - Economic History - - General - - - Development of the Discipline: Historiographical; Sources and Methods
    • B13 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Neoclassical through 1925 (Austrian, Marshallian, Walrasian, Wicksellian)
    • B23 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Econometrics; Quantitative and Mathematical Studies

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ceh:journl:y:2017:v:2:p:9-34. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Ivan Roussev (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/csiisbg.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.