Reims 2004
The political element in economic inquiry

25-27 March, 2004, University of Reims Champagne Ardenne



Announcement

Throughout the history of the field, the distance separating economic inquiry and politics, broadly defined, has never been very great. Whether one considers the birth of the discipline as political economy, the political critiques of mainstream economic theory as a form of "apologetics", or the use of the "objective" tools of neoclassical economics to explain public choice and political processes, to mention but a few areas, questions of politics, value judgment and ideology have always permeated the discipline.

The purpose of this conference will be to examine anew the connections between economics and politics, at a time when the issue has arguably ceased to be an issue of intellectual debate. The scope of the conference will be broad and all proposals treating the topic will be considered. Potential areas that might be examined include, but are by no means limited to, the following:

- How have political committments shaped the theoretical work of individual thinkers? And what can be said about influence in the opposite direction?
- How have various movements or schools of thought reconciled their political engagements and the pursuit of "dispassionate" scientific inquiry?
- What role has economic theory played in shaping public political debates?
- What political committments, if any, are implied by different understandings of the economic agent, or different conceptions of economic rationality?
- How have changes such as the computer's "domination" of economics, or the rise of experimental economics, affected the political dimension of the discipline?
- What has been the role of economic lobbies and corporate interests in the definition of public policies?
- How has the distinction between economics as "science" and as "art" affected the politicization or de-politicization of the field?



Programme

THURSDAY, March 25th

8:00 pm
Pre-conference dinner (Restaurant Le Boulingrin)


FRIDAY, March 26th

9:00 am
Welcome and registration

10:00 am
Invited lecture

Kenneth Hoover (Western Washington University, U.S.A.), Economics as Ideology: Keynes, Laski, Hayek and the Oppositional Bind

11:00 am
Coffee break

12:00 am
Sophie Jallais, Pierre-Charles Pradier and Francisco Vergara (University of Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne, France), John Neville Keynes and the neutrality of economic science.
Discussant: Robert Nadeau (University of Quebec at Montreal, Canada)


1:15 pm
Lunch

2:30 pm
Stephen Meardon (Bowdoin College, U.S.A.), Postbellum Protection and Commissioner Wells's Conversion to Free Trade.
Discussant: Alain Marciano (University of Reims Champagne Ardenne).


3:30 pm
Gilles Dostaler, (University of Quebec at Montreal, Canada), Keynes's politics: vision and action.
Discussant: Dorothée Rivaud-Danset (University of Reims Champagne Ardenne).


4:30 pm
Coffee break

5:00 pm
Arianne Dupont (University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, France), Frischian Econometrics: how to intertwine heuristic and political ambitions.
Discussant: Stephen Meardon (Bowdoin College).


8:00 pm
Conference Dinner (Restaurant Le Continental)


SATURDAY, March 27th

9:30 am
Anna-Maria Bianchi, (Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil), Albert Hirschman in Latin America.
Discussant: José Luis Cardoso (Technical University of Lisbon)

10:00 am
Coffee break

10:30 am
Guido Erreygers (University of Antwerp, Belgium) and Giovanni Di Bartolomeo (University of Rome, La Sapienza, Italy), Eugenio Rignano's Inheritance Tax Proposal.
Discussant: Ana Maria Bianchi (Universidade de São Paulo).


12:00 am
Fabienne Peter (Universty of Basel, Switzerland), Aggregative Democracy and the Concept of Legitimacy: The Challenge from Deliberative Democracy.
Discussant: Maurice Lagueux (University of Montreal, Canada).


1:00 pm
Lunch

2:00 pm
Ozgur Gun and Martino Nieddu (University of Reims, France) The political reasons for the introduction of altruism hypothesis in contemporary economic theory.
Discussant: Isabelle This (University of Paris 1).


3:00 pm
Philip Mirowski and S.-K. Lee (University of Notre-Dame, U.S.A.), Political dimensions of Vernon Smith's experimental economics.
Discussant: Albert Jolink (Erasmus University of Rotterdam)


4:00 pm
Conference close



List of participants

Alain Marciano (University of Reims, Champagne Ardenne)
Albert Jolink (Erasmus University, Rotterdam)
Ana Maria Bianchi (University of São Paulo, Brazil)
Arianne Dupont (University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, France)
Dorothée Rivaud-Danset (University of Reims Champagne Ardenne, France)
Fabienne Peter (University of Basel, Switzerland)
Francisco Vergara (University of Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne, France)
Gilles Dostaler (University of Quebec, Montréal, Canada)
Giovanni Di Bartolomeo (University of Rome, La Sapienza, Italy)

Guido Erreygers (University of Antwerp, Belgium)

Isabelle This (University of Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne, France)
José Luis Cardoso (Technical University, Lisbon)
Kenneth Hoover (Western Washington University, USA)
Martino Nieddu (University of Reims Champagne Ardenne, France)
Maurice Lagueux (University of Montreal, Canada)
Ozgur Gun (University of Reims Champagne Ardenne, France)
Philippe Fontaine (Université des Antilles, Guyane)
Pierr-Charles Pradier (University of Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne, France)
Robert Leonard (University of Quebec, Montréal)
Robert Nadeau (University of Quebec, Montréal, Canada)
S.-K. Lee (University of Notre-Dame, U.S.A.)
Sophie Jallais (University of Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne) France)
Stephen Meardon (Bowdoin College, USA)



Organising Committee

Alain Marciano (University of Reims, Champagne Ardenne)
José Luis Cardoso (Technical University, Lisbon)
Philippe Fontaine (Université des Antilles, Guyane)
Albert Jolink (Erasmus University, Rotterdam)
Robert Leonard (University of Quebec, Montréal)