The 20th century: Marshallian controversies and Walrasian normalization
The 20th century: Marshallian controversies and Walrasian normalization
(Methodos XVII)
We will consider here the relationships between Mill and Cournot, on the one hand, and Marshall and Walras, on the other hand. Marshall, especially with his textbook, appears clearly in the legacy of Mill, doing another great synthesis and focusing on markets and firms. His synthesis appears to be more of a sort of normalization than the implementation of a new research agenda, even if he declared some pious votes about economics as being influenced by biology. He appears, nonetheless, has much more ambiguous if we compare him to Walras’ clear-cut brand of marginalism.
Much has been written about Marshall and we will not repeat it here, especially when he focused on biology as the Mecca for economics (Hodgson 1993). What must be stressed is his sympathy with the young German historical school and his interest in the historical specificity problem (Hodgson 2001). Walras is usually presented as a follower of Cournot, or at least much influenced by him. It is true for the Cournot of the study of markets but not for the probability theory and the inspiration from biological principles that characterized his later investigations.
OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Marc Jacquinet (12 décembre 2019). The 20th century: Marshallian controversies and Walrasian normalization. Critique du management. Consulté le 20 mars 2025 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/ne27