ECB2GED7.5 ECTSQ4EnglishBachelor
Contemporary Economics in Historical Perspective
FaculteitFaculty of Law, Economics and Governance
NiveauBachelor
Studiejaar2026-2027
Beschrijving
Course goals
Learning objectives- Students gain an understanding of fundamental questions concerning the development of economics in relation to other (social) sciences;
- Students gain understanding of the development of theories and methods in economics;
- Students are able to situate economics as a discipline in social and historical context;
- Students are able to write reports on texts;
- Students are able to present arguments in class.
Content
Major-related elective, required elective. Cannot be combined with History of Economics Thought and Policy (LUISS).
Over the past centuries economics has changed from a largely verbal discipline that studied human agency in commercial settings to a mathematical discipline that has come to incorporate more instruments from the scientific toolbox (such as statistics and laboratory practices). Indeed, some contemporary practitioners identify economics with a tool-based discipline that can design market systems in a manner similar to how engineers construct technical systems. In so doing they discarded the rich intellectual genealogy that still underlies many of the concepts and theories used by economists.
The purpose of this course is to retrace this past and to see how modern economics emerged to its present form. To do this, we will assess the development of economic ideas, theories, and methods in their appropriate historical context. The course will emphasise the incisive change of the economic discipline from the interwar to the post-war period. The primary aim of the course is to enable students to historically assess the merits and limitations of contemporary economics in addressing major economic and social questions.
We will read primary texts that will sketch the development of economics from a science of political economy to a tool-based discipline.
Over the past centuries economics has changed from a largely verbal discipline that studied human agency in commercial settings to a mathematical discipline that has come to incorporate more instruments from the scientific toolbox (such as statistics and laboratory practices). Indeed, some contemporary practitioners identify economics with a tool-based discipline that can design market systems in a manner similar to how engineers construct technical systems. In so doing they discarded the rich intellectual genealogy that still underlies many of the concepts and theories used by economists.
The purpose of this course is to retrace this past and to see how modern economics emerged to its present form. To do this, we will assess the development of economic ideas, theories, and methods in their appropriate historical context. The course will emphasise the incisive change of the economic discipline from the interwar to the post-war period. The primary aim of the course is to enable students to historically assess the merits and limitations of contemporary economics in addressing major economic and social questions.
We will read primary texts that will sketch the development of economics from a science of political economy to a tool-based discipline.
Academic skills
This course focuses on the following academic skills:
- Analytical skills
- Being able to evaluate evidence in text and presentations for more complex problems.
- Social responsibility
- Being able to reflect critically on the position and ethics of economic theory, institutions and behaviour.
The real world perspective is incorporated by showing how developments in economics are often caused by developments in the real economy.
Effort requirements
Attendance of at least 80% of the tutorials.
Handing in of weekly assignments.
In case online access is required for this course and you are not in the position to buy the access code, you are advised to contact the course coordinator for an alternative solution. Please note that access codes are not re-usable meaning that codes from second hand books do not work, as well as access codes from books with a different ISBN. Separate or spare codes are usually not available.
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