Where Would Adam Smith Publish Today? The Near Absence of Math-free Research in Top Journals

Daniel Sutter and Rex Pjesky

Econ Journal Watch, 2007, vol. 4, issue 2, 230-240

Abstract: Using papers published in 2003 and 2004, we measure the extent of math-free research in top economics journals. Of more than 1200 papers published in ten top journals, six percent met a weak criterion of math-free, three percent an intermediate criterion, and only 1.5 percent a strong criterion. General interest journals published more math-free papers than field journals. If Adam Smith were alive today, to survive he would in all likelihood need to learn math. His extensive mastery of literature, history, ethics, and rhetoric would ill-serve his career.

Keywords: Economic methodology; technical research; model building; regression analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B41 C0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
https://econjwatch.org/File+download/155/2007-05-s ... ice.pdf?mimetype=pdf (application/pdf)
https://econjwatch.org/242 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ejw:journl:v:4:y:2007:i:2:p:230-240

Access Statistics for this article

Econ Journal Watch is currently edited by Daniel Klein

More articles in Econ Journal Watch from Econ Journal Watch Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jason Briggeman ().