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NINTH ANNUAL EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON THE HISTORY OF ECONOMICS (ECHE 2004) 
University of Reims Champagne Ardenne 
25-27 March 2004 
 
CALL FOR PAPERS 
 
THE POLITICAL ELEMENT IN ECONOMIC INQUIRY 
 
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? 
 
Proposals should contain roughly 1000 words and indicate the originality of 
the paper and how it contributes to the theme of the conference. Proposals 
from doctoral students are welcome. The deadline for the submission of 
paper proposals is September 30, 2003. Proposals will be evaluated by 
mid-October 2003, and completed papers  
will be due in early March 2004. 
 
 
The organizing committee consists of:  
Alain Marciano (University of Reims Champagne Ardenne)  
José Luís Cardoso (Technical University of Lisbon) 
Philippe Fontaine (Ecole normale supérieure de Cachan) 
Albert Jolink (Erasmus University Rotterdam) 
Robert Leonard (University of Quebec at Montreal) 
 
All proposals and requests for information should be sent to: 
 
Alain Marciano 
University of Reims Champagne Ardenne 
Faculty of Sciences Economiques et de Gestion 
57b, rue Pierre Taittinger 
F-51096 Reims Cedex FRANCE 
 
 
Tel. : (+) 00 33 (0)3 26 91 38 01 
Fax : (+) 00 33 (0)3 26 91 38 69 
E-mail : [log in to unmask] 
 
 
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