In reaction to Deirdre McCloskey's email the following:
It's just Harro, in our country we jump to first names very quickly.
Apart from the question whether native competence is an argument or not,
we have a flourishing history and methodology chair in Amsterdam. In
Rotterdam, there is an equally flourishing institute for the philosophy
of economics at Erasmus University, EIPE, (which you know well enough),
and Nijmegen (to the East of the Country) at Radbout University, history
and methodology are growing as well, thanks to Esther-Mirjam Sent and
her colleagues. Not to mention the other faculties in my country where
history and/or methodology are taught. I don't say things are perfect
here, far from so, but my impression is this is quite an exceptional
record and it does not fit the image that history and/or methodology are
just considered a "waste of time". So, no it is not a rhetorical truth
that ranking systems just help to raise those academics who "most
energetically follow American 'standards'", at least not for the
Netherlands. Quite to the contrary, despite all that can be said against
them, they can well serve as a lever to protect us from thoughtless
acceptance of such standards.
To bring this discussion back to David Teira's initial list of journals:
to me it is a nuisance to find that a Dutch history of science journal
as Gewina, whatever its merits, is listed as a C journal on a history of
science list, and that journals like EJHET, JHET, HOPE, JEM etc. are not
even on. I do think it is important to think about whom we talk to and
whom we write for, and I would like to see the history of science
community as part of my audience. I think it is a problem if that
community does not quite see the history of economics as part of their
discipline.
Vriendelijke groeten (kind regards), harro
Harro Maas
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