Duration
30h Th, 15h Pr
Number of credits
| Master in economics : general (120 ECTS) | 4 crédits | |||
| Master in economics : general (60 ECTS) | 5 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course studies the evolution of economic thought - its ideas, its concepts, its theories, its debates - across the last three centuries, and focuses on three objectives :
- to introduce students to the major currents in economic thought from the 17th century to the present day;
- to develop students' ability to analyze, compare, and criticize economic theories built upon a variety of foundations;
- to give students the opportunity to reflect, in the light of great works of economics, upon the status of the discipline of economics, its specificity, and its development over time.
Course outline
First part
· Mercantilism: Colbert, Mun ;
· Pre-classical Political Economy: Cantillon, Quesnay, Turgot and the Physiocrats;
· The Classical Revolution: Smith, Malthus and Ricardo ;
· The Utilitarian Revolution: Bentham and Mill ;
· The socialist critique of Political Economy: Marx ;
· The Neoclassical Revolution: Cournot, Jevons, Walras and Pareto ;
· The second generation of the English Neoclassical School and its developments: Marshall, Pigou, and Keynes.
Second part
· Personal reading of a key text of economic thought by each student.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
- Develop a solid knowledge of the history of economic theories. - Learn how to analyze, compare and criticize economic theories with various foundations. - Learn how to think about the status of the economic knowledge, about its properties and its specificities.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
None.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
Face-to-face delivery (for part 1) Work at home (for part 2)
Recommended or required readings
General bibliography (reading is not compulsory):
* Henri Denis (1966): Histoire de la Pensée Economique, Presses Universitaires de France, Paris.
* Charles Gide et Charles Rist (1944): Histoire des Doctrines Economiques,
Dalloz, Paris.
* Lionel Robbins (1998 [1980-81]): A History of Economic Thought: the LSE
Lectures, Princeton University Press.
* Joseph Schumpeter (1954): A History of Economic Analysis, 3 vol., traduction
française, Gallimard, Paris.
* Ernesto Screpanti et Stefano Zamagni (2004): Outline of a History of Economic
Thought, Oxford University Press.
Assessment methods and criteria
Written examination: - part 1: questions on the course (80 % of the marks) - part 2: questions on the individual reading of a book to be chosen in a pre-established list (20 % of the marks)
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
Contacts
Gregory PONTHIERE
Ecole Normale Supérieure - Ulm
Contact: gregory.ponthiere@ens.fr
Office B, Building B
Boulevard Jourdan, 48,
75014 Paris, France.