Labnet: CFP: Session "Why is economic history not an evolutionary science?", WEHC, Utrecht, 3-7/8

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[Cross-posted, with thanks, from EH-Net. AB]

From: Werner Scheltjens <Werner.Scheltjens at ens-lsh.fr> 

Call for papers
XVth World Economic History Congress, Utrecht, Netherlands, 3-7 August 2009
Session "Why is economic history not an evolutionary science?"

Description and aim of the session:
Economic history is dominated by two opposite approaches that can be roughly defined as either quantitative or qualitative. Each of these approaches receives criticism from the other side. Not seldom, the analytical results of either of these approaches differ fundamentally, which is a clear sign of the insufficient explanatory power of both quantitative and qualitative research techniques.

Economists have long been aware of this discrepancy between positivist, neoclassical and subjectivist, institutional research. An analytical solution that recently started to gain ground is the evolutionary approach. In their theoretical discourse, evolutionary economists have been able to prove that an evolutionary analytical framework of economics can overcome the limitations of both quantitative and qualitative approaches.

We are convinced that this is a highly promising event for the development of economic history as a scientific discipline. The question remains, however, how evolutionary theory can be turned into sound historical research practice. Therefore we would like to bring together evolutionary theorists and economic historians to discuss how evolutionary economics can become the basis of an evolutionary economic history.

We propose to build this session around four elements of focus:
(1) Theory: evolutionary concepts and their position in historical research practice,
(2) Sources and research goals: which sources (archival and other) can be used in evolutionary economic history? How can they be used? Why should they be used?
(3) Method: Evolutionary economic theory and its use in historical practice?
(4) Results: presentation of the results of economic historical research carried out in an evolutionary manner.

Organizers:
Werner Scheltjens, LARHRA, ENS-LSH, Universit? de Lyon Prof. Dr. Kurt Dopfer, University of St. Gallen

Application:
The session will contain 6 to 8 papers. A number of papers are reserved for those who reacted to the original session proposal.

This call aims at recruiting 3 to 5 more papers. Applicants are requested to provide a short resume and a list of publications as well as an abstract of one-two pages.

The submission deadline is February 28, 2009. Acceptance decisions will be communicated before March 15, 2009.

We encourage graduate students to apply.

Deadline for submission of the complete paper: May 31, 2009.

The congress organization has a grants programme for students from developing countries presenting a paper at the congress; the deadline for applications is February 1, 2009: http://www.wehc2009.org/grants.asp 

For more information on the World Economic History Congress, see:
http://www.wehc2009.org/default.asp 

--
Werner Scheltjens
Laboratoire de Recherche Historique Rhone-Alpes Lettres et Sciences Humaines École Normale Supérieure de Lyon 15, Parvis Descartes
69007 Lyon
France
t: +33 4 37 37 65 70
e: Werner.Scheltjens at ens-lsh.fr