JEL code B
History of thought and methodology
How did economists come to think what they think?
Emerged 1837
Adolphe Blanqui published what is often called the first textbook on the history of economic thought, tracing political economy in Europe from the ancients to his own day.
An example
This atlas is mostly a B-code project. Methodology also asks whether unrealistic assumptions matter: Friedman (1953) said a model should be judged by its predictions, not its realism.
Big questions it works on
- i · Choice: How do people and firms make choices?
- ii · Markets: How do markets coordinate millions of choices, and when do they fail?
- iii · Growth: Why do some economies grow rich while others stay poor?
- iv · Cycles: Why do economies boom and bust, and can policy smooth the ride?
- v · Who gets what: Who gets what, and is it fair?
- vi · Rules: What rules and limits shape the economy?