Les angles morts de The Poverty of Clio

Abstract

While they acknowledge that cliometrics is not without scientific flaws, the authors argue that Francesco Boldizzoni’s argument in The Poverty of Clio too often takes in consideration extreme and unrepresentative cases. They suggest that economic history can make good use of some specific economic theories, such as the theory of incentives or the theory of relative prices. A middle way between the kind of economic history that Boldizzoni wants to bury (cliometrics) and the one he wants to resurrect (that of the Annales) is possible.

Keywords

• economic history
• cliometrics
• serial history
• economic theory
• relative prices