Economists and Societies: Discipline and Profession in the United States, Britain, and France, 1890s to 1990s Paperback - 2010

"Economists and Societies is an eye-opener for economists. A study of the sociological reasons why economists do what they do, it shows that economics in the United States, Britain, and France has very different orientations. Fourcade demonstrates irrefutably that economists are as much influenced by where they are located as by their supposed adherence to 'scientific method.' This is a revolutionary book."--George A. Akerlof, Nobel Prize-winning economist

"A masterpiece. Fourcade shows a deep understanding of the institutional differences between Britain, France, and the United States, and demonstrates how they have produced differences in the forms that professional economics has taken. She explores uncharted territory and sketches a novel theory of how economics took such different courses in these three countries. This is a remarkable, stunning book."--Frank Dobbin, Harvard University

"This book is a remarkable study of how, in an age when economics has become an international discipline, cultural differences between three societies have influenced the way the discipline has developed. It would be hard to read this wide-ranging book and not learn much about how economics developed in the twentieth century."--Roger E. Backhouse, author of The Ordinary Business of Life

"A wide-ranging historical survey of the origins, institutionalization, and transformation of the discipline and profession of economics. Fourcade poses the very important question as to why we do not have a single 'market' for economic ideas in the world. Few books succeed so well at showing the great number of historical and institutional contingencies that shape the production and consumption of scientific knowledge."--Mauro F. Guilln, coauthor of Building a Global Bank

"Why does modern economics look the way it does? An economist would say it was a reflection of the generic economy. Fourcade instead asserts that it has everything to do with the institutional structures of its national incubators. Her indispensable book elevates the story of economics to a new level of sophistication."--Philip Mirowski, author of Machine Dreams

"Many economists and other scholars still believe economics to be homogenous, and Fourcade dispels this wrong belief. Economists and Societies contributes to the literature on professions and scientific knowledge by demonstrating the importance of various structural and institutional arrangements in determining the nature of scientific knowledge."--Yuval Yonay, University of Haifa