In the paper I offer some vignettes on my relationship, both professional and personal, with Mark Blaug, and by way of example reflect on his impact on the history of economics.

This paper deals with the analytical weakness of a number of papers which are published in the journals of history of economic thought. The aim is to highlight the need to combine the historical sensibility with both the logical consistency and the formal rigour of the analysis.

There is a persistent aversion towards methodological discourse by most mainstream economists. Frank Hahn (1992) exemplified this attitude and provoked a number of reactions concerning the role and the reasons for methodological aversion. After offering a categorization of the main explanations...

This note discusses some ideas in regards to the character, method, and identity of historians of economic thought. They may be considered “generalist” economists, who hold knowledge of general theories. This knowledge allows them to establish links between different fields of specialization...

The article discusses the contribution by Aldo Montesano in this number, with a special focus on the definitions of economics and of political economy. In trying to answer if economics is a moral discipline and if it is a science, the article highlights that different schools of economists have...

As Ronald Coase points out, there are two kinds of conceptions of economics: first, the conception that emphasizes the study of specific kinds of human activities; and, second, the conception that makes economics the study of a specific approach to all human choices. The paper first shortly...

In 1964, Buchanan wrote an article in which he criticized the definition of economics given by Robbins in his Essay on the Nature and Significance of Economic Science. This article is remarkable because it represents Buchanan's attempts to redefine economics, that is, not only to propose his own...

Residential mortgage products (also known as home loans) pricing has been long understood to be something of a ‘dark art’, requiring judgment and experience, rather than being an exact science. In the last decade, a lot has changed in this field and more and more lenders, primarily the...