----------------- HES POSTING ----------------- A professor from another discipline has the following questions. I will point the inquirer to the list discussion for answers to the questions. 1. When did economists start talking about "industries" in the modern idiom? My read on US history at least is that even through turn of the early 20th century, industries were still "personified" in people like Carnegie, etc. When do standard econ views emerge (e.g., cross-elasticities and other abstract formulations). Is this Marshall or as late as Stigler/Hicks? 2. Do you know a source that tracks the history of economics with specific focus on the rise of industrial org economics and the templates of how economists think about an industry and how this idea spread? 3. I have looked at Blaug, etc. and standard histories of economic ideas. I am really looking for someone who has done historical sociology of economics in nitty-gritty -- when and why do we start to worry about industry "boundaries" or actually markets and to come up with conceptual strategies to delineate these? The context for this: To present a fully sociological/institutional account of industry, it seems that "industries" are usefully treated as historically-specific assemblies, provided boundaries largely by the actions of modern states and economists via issues like anti-trust and market definition in the U.S. I know less about competition policy and how lawyers or economists are involved in this in European context. But this is a pretty modern activity, I am seeking economist thinking that treated "industry" as alternative to current wisdom. ------------ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ------------ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]