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From economic history to the economics of history? (On the book by A. S. Skorobogatov “Society as a contract between the strong and the weak: Essays on the economics of history”)
https://doi.org/10.32609/0042-8736-2019-9-135-146
Abstract
Reflections on the new book, which focuses on the “economics of history”, give a glimpse on the complex relationships between historians exploring development of economic life and economists seeking to apply methods of economic analysis to rethink historical knowledge. The reviewed book by A. Skorobogatov is an apt example of the difficulties faced by an academic economist who has decided to contribute to the analysis of the history of social development. On the one hand, this book is innovative, being the first example in Russia of a systemic neoinstitutional approach to history. On the other hand, Skorobogatov offers a few controversial speculations, which will be ambiguously perceived by many readers (especially historians). The review concludes that the book lays the appropriate creative groundwork to continue developing the new (for Russia) direction of economic history research.
Keywords
economic history,
economics of history,
new economic history,
economic imperialism,
neoinstitutionalism,
contract theory
JEL: E02; N00; N01
About the Author
Yury V. Latov
Management Academy of the Ministry of the Interior of Russia
Russian Federation
Moscow
Russian Federation
Moscow
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Review
For citations:
Latov Yu.V. From economic history to the economics of history? (On the book by A. S. Skorobogatov “Society as a contract between the strong and the weak: Essays on the economics of history”). Voprosy Ekonomiki. 2019;(9):135-146. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.32609/0042-8736-2019-9-135-146
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