France after 1789: Essay on Elster's France before 1789

Antoine Parent

Journal of Economic Literature, 2024, vol. 62, issue 3, 1230-55

Abstract: In this essay on Elster's book (2020), I expose my concerns about the ability of behavioral tools to correctly address the transition phase between the absolutist regime and the democratic institutions inherited from the French Revolution. Rehabilitating the forgotten analyses of contemporary political philosophers Quinet, de Sade, and Leroux, I defend the view that a correct understanding of the French Revolution's essence lies in its political philosophical dimension, not in the supposed psychological traits of its actors. I suggest a renewed way to apprehend and model revolutions, combining three levels of analysis: political philosophy, macroeconomic dynamics, and complexity economics.

JEL-codes: D72 D74 N13 N43 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1257/jel.20221651

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