Traditions in thought: The case of Scottish political economy

Citation

Dow A, Dow S, Hutton A & Keaney M (1998) Traditions in thought: The case of Scottish political economy. New Political Economy, 3 (1), pp. 45-58. https://doi.org/10.1080/13563469808406332

Abstract
A number of commentators have recently identified a 'uniquely Scottish mode of thought in economics', or a particular 'Scottish political economy tradition'. In this paper the concept of tradition, defined as those features common to practitioners over a relatively long period, is investigated in relation to 'school', 'paradigm' and 'research programme'. An application of the concept to the Scottish Enlightenment period suggests that its use is in line with the philosophical approach of Adam Smith, and shows that the concept allows account to be taken of external institutional/historical influences in interpreting the history of economics.

Journal
New Political Economy: Volume 3, Issue 1

People

Professor Sheila Dow

Emeritus Professor, Economics