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Mccarthyism And The Mathematization Of Economics

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  • Weintraub, E. Roy

Abstract

Historians of the social sciences and historians of economics have come to agree that, in the United States, the 1940s transformation of economics from political economy to economic science was associated with economists’ engagements with other disciplines—e.g., mathematics, statistics, operations research, physics, engineering, cybernetics—during and immediately after World War II. More controversially, some historians have also argued that the transformation was accelerated by economists’ desires to be safe, to seek the protective coloration of mathematics and statistics, during the McCarthy period. This paper argues that that particular claim 1) is generally accepted, but 2) is unsupported by good evidence, and 3) what evidence there is suggests that the claim is false.

Suggested Citation

  • Weintraub, E. Roy, 2017. "Mccarthyism And The Mathematization Of Economics," Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Cambridge University Press, vol. 39(4), pages 571-597, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jhisec:v:39:y:2017:i:04:p:571-597_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Faria, João Ricardo & Goel, Rajeev K. & Manage, Neela D., 2023. "The path of economics research production: Insights into the seesaw between theory and empirics," Kiel Working Papers 2238, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    2. Subhendu Bhattacharyya, 2021. "A small step towards unification of economics and physics," Mind & Society: Cognitive Studies in Economics and Social Sciences, Springer;Fondazione Rosselli, vol. 20(1), pages 69-84, June.
    3. Rafael Galvão de Almeida, 2019. "How economics became an interventionist science (and how it ceased to be)," Textos para Discussão Cedeplar-UFMG 612, Cedeplar, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.

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