Date:          Thu, 11 Jul 1996 21:23:30 -0500 (EST) 
From:          Economics of Science Conference <[log in to unmask]> To:            Undisclosed.recipients:; 
Subject:       CFP: Conference on the Need for a New Economics of Science 
 
 
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        Conference on the Need for a New Economics of Science 
             Conference Announcement and Call for Papers 
                   University of Notre Dame 
                      March 13-16, 1997 
 
                Final deadline: September 30, 1996 
 
Sponsored by: National Science Foundation, John J. Reilly Center for 
Science, Technology, and Values, and Office of Graduate Research 
 
        Many recent works in science studies have adopted economic or 
quasi-economic metaphors for understanding science. Inspired by trends 
toward the actual practice and culture of science, many sociologists of 
scientific knowledge have come up with stories about interests, action, 
and exchange that look like the product of economic analysis. However, 
these metaphors are generally not fully elaborated. Motivated by movements 
toward economic perspectives on traditionally non-economic issues, many 
economists have started applying the tools of economic analysis to the 
behavior of scientists. However, these studies are largely silent about 
the influence of these analyses on the content of science. In response to 
tendencies toward anti-foundationalism and naturalism, many philosophers 
of science have argued that scientific knowledge is constructed out of an 
economic process. However, these explanations typically sidestep problems 
associated with welfare economics and the assumption of instrumental 
rationality in economics. Concomitantly, historians have noted a recent 
shift in social support for scientific research and science policy experts 
have analyzed issues such as the recent changes in financial support of 
science. 
        The different perspectives on (quasi-)economics of science and/or 
scientific knowledge can be organized in terms of old and new economics of 
science. Old economics of science consists of an institutional approach to 
science, an argument that science is a market, a unity-of science 
approach, and a clear definition of the organizational framework of 
scientific research. New economics of science consists of a contextual 
approach to science, an argument that science cannot be commodified, a 
disunity-of science approach, and a questioning of the units of 
organization in science. The purpose of this conference is to bring 
together science studies scholars, economists, philosophers of science, 
historians, science policy experts, and scientists in order to evaluate 
and clarify the increasing gulf between old and new economics of science, 
economics of science and economics of scientific knowledge, and 
quasi-economic metaphors and economic metaphors of science. 
        The conference will start a constructive dialogue about the 
promises and problems of alternative economic theories of the behavior of 
scientists and comparisons of science to a market. Particular topics that 
will be covered are: the intellectual history of theories of an economics 
of science, evolving formats of university/government and 
university/industry relations, labor economics perspectives on scientific 
careers, feminist economics views on science, the economics of the 
dissemination and validation of findings, the conception that science is a 
public good, the economics of fraud in science, the causes and 
consequences of the division of labor in science, and the economics of 
intellectual property rights. 
 
Proposals for papers, accompanied by an abstract of roughly 500 words, or 
requests for further information, should be directed to either Philip 
Mirowski or Esther-Mirjam Sent, Department of Economics, University of 
Notre Dame, IN 46556, U.S.A. The final deadline for proposals is September 
30, 1996. The conference has an e-mail address ([log in to unmask]) and a 
Web-site (http://www.nd.edu:80/~econsci). 
  
_____________________________________________________ 
 
Conference on the Need for a New Economics of Science 
 
Philip E. Mirowski and Esther-Mirjam Sent 
Department of Economics 
University of Notre Dame 
Notre Dame, IN 46556 
U.S.A. 
 
phone:  (219)631-7580/6979 
fax:    (219)631-8809 
 
e-mail: [log in to unmask] 
Web-site: http://www.nd.edu:80/~econsci