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No More Than Exchanging Tools: Jacob Marschak and Cross-Disciplinary Interactions Between Economics and the Behavioral Sciences Movement, 1950–1956

Catherine Herfeld & Edoardo Peruzzi

History of Political Economy2025https://doi.org/10.1215/00182702-11857082article
AJG 2ABDC A
Weight
0.37

Abstract

This article explores steps toward cross-disciplinary interactions between economics and the behavioral sciences in the second half of the twentieth century. It focuses on Jacob Marschak's professional biography to illuminate how these interactions shaped the relationship particularly between mathematical economists and the behavioral sciences during the early years of the Cold War in the United States. The article examines the conditions under which Marschak was willing to engage with the behavioral sciences movement, the tentative beginnings of collaboration with other behavioral sciences, and its eventual realization. It is argued that the process was marked by ongoing tensions, as mathematical economists struggled to reconcile cross-disciplinary cooperation with their goal of securing the scientific status of economics. While mathematical economists did not outright reject interaction with the behavioral sciences, active cooperation fully materialized only in an exchange of tools and shared methodological commitments.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1215/00182702-11857082

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@article{catherine2025,
  title        = {{No More Than Exchanging Tools: Jacob Marschak and Cross-Disciplinary Interactions Between Economics and the Behavioral Sciences Movement, 1950–1956}},
  author       = {Catherine Herfeld & Edoardo Peruzzi},
  journal      = {History of Political Economy},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1215/00182702-11857082},
}

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No More Than Exchanging Tools: Jacob Marschak and Cross-Disciplinary Interactions Between Economics and the Behavioral Sciences Movement, 1950–1956

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Evidence weight

0.37

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.16 × 0.4 = 0.06
M · momentum0.53 × 0.15 = 0.08
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.