This edited volume offers a rich mosaic of historical case studies alongside philosophical discussion on the topic of scientific progress. It may not, of course, be entirely clear initially how such a text will be of use to historians of economic thought. But I think it could offer a toolbox of resources that promises different ways of framing how we examine and narrate the history of economic thought. And I hope it will give historians and philosophers of science the opportunity to interface more closely with one another.
Readers of this journal will, of course, want to flip immediately to chapter 12, “Progress in Economics,” by Marcel Boumans and Catherine Herfeld. This short chapter packs a huge punch, bringing together some history of econometric modeling with contemporary philosophy of science. Taking as a historical case study the development of business cycle models running from Tinbergen to Frisch, the authors note...
