Just another niche in the wall? How specialization is changing the face of mainstream economics

Multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity, and the sciences

Mario Cedrini and Magda Fontana

Cambridge Journal of Economics, 2018, vol. 42, issue 2, 427-451

Abstract: There is considerable discussion on so-called ‘mainstream pluralism’, that is, on the co-presence of a variety of research programmes in today’s mainstream economics that: 1. significantly deviate from the neoclassical core; 2. are pursued by different, often separate communities of researchers; and 3. have their origins outside economics. The literature tends to regard mainstream pluralism as a transitory state towards a new, post-neoclassical, mainstream. This paper advances a new interpretation: it suggests that the changing and fragmented state of mainstream economics is likely to persist over time under the impact of specialization (as a self-reinforcing mechanism) and the creation of new specialties and approaches, also through collaboration with researchers from other disciplines.

Keywords: Mainstream pluralism; Mainstream economics; Specialization; Burden of knowledge; Economics in relation to other disciplines (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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