Suchergebnisse

This article provides a case study of the development of observational methodology and techniques in a non-Western country. It does so by first considering various institutions of observation that existed in Russia across the nineteenth century, such as government statistical departments, the Imperial Free Economic Society, and the zemstvo. This is then followed by an analysis of debates that occurred over observational methodology between various Russian economists such as A. I. Chuprov, A. A. Chuprov, D. I. Mendeleev, and A. V. Chayanov, and a consideration of the use such observations were put to by others such as S. N. Prokopovich. The political ramifications of different observational practices are outlined, for example, by Marxists such as V. I. Lenin and M. I. Tugan-Baranovsky, and the link considered to exist by some economists between social and natural scientific techniques of observation is scrutinized.

E. E. Slutsky's enduring but enigmatic fame as an economist far outweighs the limited understanding of most interested scholars as to his very productive life and unusually wide range of research interests. To begin to compensate for this deficit a previousJHETarticle entitled "E.E. Slutsky: Mathematical Statistician, Economist, and Political Economist?" provided some biographical information on Slutsky's life, together with an account of a few of his little-known contributions to political economy (see Barnett, 2004b). In this current article the inception and immediate influence of Slutsky's two most famous papers in economics written in 1915 and 1927 are considered directly, in addition to further discussion of relevant aspects of Slutsky's life and times. The full significance of the content of the two groundbreaking papers will not be discussed in detail, as this has been adequately covered elsewhere (see for example Barnett 2006, Weber 1999, and Klein 1999). Rather, an attempt will be made to provide a historical and intellectual context for Slutsky's two most important contributions in economics, given that the circumstances surrounding their composition are not sufficiently well known among economists in the West.

Barnett, Vincent: Understanding Stalinism : the "Orwellian discrepancy" and the "rational choice dictator". - In: Europe-Asia-Studies (Abingdon). - 58 (May 2006) 3. - S. 457-466 + Wheatcroft, Stephen G. ; Harrison, Mark ; Davies, R. W.: Understanding Stalinism: a reply. - In: Europe-Asia Studies (Abingdon). - 58 (November 2006) 7. - S. 1141-1156