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The Political Power of Economic Ideas: Keynesianism Across Nations.
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1990
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EconomicsPublic PolicyEconomic InstitutionsEconomic LiberalizationPolitical EconomyBusinessPhilosophy Of EconomicsComparative PoliticsWorld War IiHeterodox EconomicsJohn Maynard KeynesPolitical PowerComparative EconomicsEconomic HistoryPolitical ScienceSocial SciencesPolitical Philosophers
Keynes argued that economists and political philosophers wield more influence than commonly thought, a premise the volume’s contributors take seriously while exploring how ideas shape policy amid rising interest in comparative public policy. The study investigates how and why Keynesian ideas gain influence over policy and politics. The authors conduct a comparative historical analysis of Keynesian doctrine reception from the 1930s to post‑World War II across multiple countries, using recent evidence to explain differing policy adoption. The volume features contributions from scholars including Allen, de Cecco, Gourevitch, Hadley, Hall, Hirschman, James, Lee, Pekkarinen, Rosanvallon, Salant, Weir, and Winch.
John Maynard Keynes once observed that the of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. The contributors to this volume take that assertion seriously. In a full-scale study of the impact of Keynesian doctrines across nations, their essays trace the reception accorded Keynesian ideas, initially during the 1930s and then in the years after World War II, in a wide range of nations, including Britain, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Scandinavia. The contributors review the latest historical evidence to explain why some nations embraced Keynesian policies while others did not. At a time of growing interest in comparative public policy-making, they examine the central issue of how and why particular ideas acquire influence over policy and politics.Based on three years of collaborative research for the Social Science Research Council, the volume takes up central themes in contemporary economics, political science, and history. The contributors are Christopher S. Allen, Marcello de Cecco, Peter Alexis Gourevitch, Eleanor M. Hadley, Peter A. Hall, Albert O. Hirschman, Harold James, Bradford A. Lee, Jukka Pekkarinen, Pierre Rosanvallon, Walter S. Salant, Margaret Weir, and Donald Winch.