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A Note from Our Economics Editor
2018 marks an exciting year in economic history circles and for Palgrave Macmillan, as we will have the chance to exhibit and meet leading thinkers at both the annual Economic History Society Conference and the triennial World Economic History Congress. Perhaps as a humanities graduate, I particularly see why economics needs history and the history of thought to help us understand context, human behaviour, economic cycles over time (among other things) and effectively communicate this with those working in the other social sciences and humanities.
These are just some of the reasons I take great pleasure in commissioning in economic history. In the past 12 months our series Palgrave Studies in Economic History has demonstrated the continuing relevance of history in understanding our current societal challenges, with timely titles such as Gabriel Tortella’s Catalonia in Spain and Jianyong Yue’s China’s Rise in the Age of Globalisation, both of which explore complex regional histories and their impact on the global economy today. The series also published its first Open Access title, Spanish Economic Growth, 1850–2015, which uses interpolation to splice available national accounts and link these to historical GDP estimates.
We’ve also announced a new series Palgrave Studies in Ancient Economies, which promotes the incorporation of the ancient world into studies of economic history more broadly, ending the tradition of viewing antiquity as something separate or ‘other’. I’m excited to see how this series develops and helps progress the discipline.
Great economic theories are not only interesting to study in their historical context but remain relevant in today’s political climate. I was delighted to publish David Reisman’s volume on James Edward Meade in our Great Thinkers in Economics series, 40 years after he won the Nobel Prize in Economics. The book reviews his prolific contribution to Economics and its lasting impact. Meade was active in politics, most prominently in the debates in the 1960s about the European Economic Community, arguing ‘The UK could and should join the EEC if it has real promise of becoming a liberal, outward-looking institution. But she should not join if it is designated as a tight-parochial European bloc.’ (Meade, 1988). It is interesting to revisit his work in the aftermath of the Eurozone crisis and Brexit decision. Our two other series in this area, Palgrave Studies in the History of Economic Thought and Archival Insights into the Evolution of Economics, also continue to publish titles that examine the legacy of individuals from Friedrich August von Hayek to Luigi L. Pasinetti.
Do you have an idea to add to this developing portfolio? We accept both quantitative and qualitative works and I am always interested in discussing new proposal ideas. Get in touch with me at laura.pacey@palgrave.com.
Have a proposal in History of Economic Thought? Contact Publisher Rachel Sangster at rachel.sangster@palgrave.com.
Have a proposal in History of Finance? Contact Senior Commissioning Editor Tula Weis at tula.weis@palgrave-usa.com.
The Collected Papers of James Meade, Vol III, London: Unwin Hyman, 1988.