In recent years, the HES-sponsored sessions at the ASSAs have been terrific, and this year was no exception. I missed the first because of some other obligations, but I heard good things about it: "Mathematics, Economietrics and the History of Contemporary Economics", with papers by Judy Klein, Mary Morgan, Philippe Le Gall and Marcel Boumans. The second, which I did attend, was on "Keynes' General Theory After Seventy Years", with papers by Robert Mundell, Bradley Bateman, Robert Dimand and Randall Wray. Two sessions touched on Hayek: "The Postwar Origins of the Chicago School (60 years on)", featured papers by Philip Mirowsk and Rob Van Horn, Dan Hammond, Rob Van Horn and Bruce Caldwell; and the last (organized by me!), on "Buchanan and Hayel on the Constitutional Order", with papers by Pete Boettke and Clark Durant and by Peart and David Levy. For each of the sessions I attended, the discussion was lively and the rooms were full, with some 35 participants in the smaller rooms and close to 80 in the larger (this, according to my rough counting). I also noticed that, for my session at least, the crowd seemed younger than usual for a History of Economics session. That's a good sign!
For my session, I think the thing I came away with -- aside from "I need to do a great deal more work"! -- is that we (Levy and Peart) need to think more about what it means to talk about natural and artificial selection, and how and when discussion alters evolutionary processes.
If you are interested in organizing a session for next year's ASSA, think coherence and accessibility/interest (to the broad community of economists). And think early. The deadline comes soon! Proposals should be sent to the VP of the HES, Jerry Evensky, at jevensky@syr.edu. The CFP has just been sent to the HES list.
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