Smith and Marx Walk into a Bar: A History of Economics Podcast

Jennifer, Çinla, and François are joined by Professor Maxime Desmarais-Tremblay from the University of Lorraine to discuss his work on the intersection of economic methodology and the history of economic thought. Topics include the genealogy of homo economicus, John Rawls's engagement with economic theory, and Richard Musgrave's work on the U.S. tax burden.

We would love to hear your feedback on this episode and other topics. Send us a message: [email protected].

In this first-ever crossover episode with our friends at Ceteris Never Paribus: The History of Economic Thought Podcast, François interviews our producer and former co-host Scott Scheall and CNP host and producer Maria Bach. The discussion offers a behind-the-scenes look at the origins, inspirations, and histories of both shows. The creators discuss their contrasting formats, the academic value of podcasting, and the stories behind the birth of both programs.

Çinla and Jennifer interview Aida Ramos, Professor of Economics at the University of Dallas, about her work on Jonathan Swift's economic thought, Sir James Steuart, Adam Smith, as well as Oikonomos, her new undergraduate journal in the history of economic thought.

To celebrate our 100th episode, Jennifer, Çınla, and François welcome back former co-hosts Scott Scheall, Gerardo Serra, and Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak to discuss the past, present, and future of Smith and Marx Walk into a Bar: A History of Economics Podcast.

In this episode, François, Jennifer, and Çınla speak with Benoît Walraevens, Lecturer in Economics at the University of Caen Normandy, about his work on Adam Smith, John Rawls, and Thomas Piketty.

Çınla, François, and Jennifer interview Paul Dudenhefer, Managing Editor of both Politics & Society, a quarterly journal published by Sage, and History of Political Economy, the leading journal in the history of economic thought. Paul has spent much of his career in or around Duke University's Center for the History of Political Economy, and has been a much-loved member of the history of economics community for over twenty years. Topics include Paul's work as a writer and editor, his experiences in and perspective on the field of history of economics, and especially the academic-writing workshops that he's taught for several years on behalf of the Journal of the History of Economic Thought.

Jennifer and François Allisson chat with Verena Halsmayer, University Assistant in the Department of History at the University of Vienna. The conversation focuses on Dr. Halsmayer's award-winning book, Managing Growth in Miniature: Solow's Model as an Artifact (Cambridge University Press, 2024), which explores the historical and technical development of Robert Solow's famous economic growth model. Other topics include Halsmayer's work on "Interventionist Social Knowledge" and "alternative economic planning."

Jennifer and François are joined by our first return guest, Catherine Herfeld, Professor of Philosophy and History of Economics at the Institute of Philosophy at Leibniz University Hannover, Germany. Catherine first appeared on the show in Episode 29 in February 2020. Topics discussed in this more recent episode include Catherine's work on the history and philosophy of rational choice theory, her forthcoming book Conversations on Rational Choice, and some of her latest work on the topic of model transfer.

François, Jennifer, and Çınla discuss a few recent additions to the literature.

If you are interested in reading the papers discussed in this episode, here they are (unfortunately, some may be behind paywalls):

Freedom, State, and Market: The Real Worlds of Economic Planning

Angus Hebenton and Martin O'Neill

To Change or Not to Change. The Evolution of Forecasting Models at the Bank of England

Aurélien Goutsmedt, Francesco Sergi, Béatrice Cherrier, Juan Acosta, Clément Fontan, and François Claveau

Piero Sraffa and Counterfactuals: A View from Sraffa's Unpublished Papers in the Late 1920s

Heinz D. Kurz, Neri Salvadori, and Rodolfo Signorino

The co-hosts are joined by three Junior Fellows at Duke University's Center for the History of Political Economy, Benjamin Brisson, Eva Jacob, and Raphaël Orange-Leroy, to discuss their interests in the history of economic thought, their experiences in graduate school, and their research projects.