This is the second volume in a series of edited pieces (co-)authored by myself. This and the first volume, with the next to be on economic history, are concerned with economics imperialism, the trajectory of the colonisation of other disciplines and subject matter by mainstream economics far beyond its traditional boundaries from the 1950s onwards and, currently, gathering ever greater momentum. The motivation for these volumes, and the others to follow – on development, mainstream economics, heterodox economics, Marxist political economy, neoliberalism, South Africa, and policy, each of which touches upon economics imperialism to a greater or lesser extent without its being the main business – is covered in the Preface to the first volume and will not be reproduced here. Suffice it to say that the exercise of revisiting my published work, and placing it in the context not only of scholarship but also more general engagements, has been extremely rewarding for me personally and, hopefully, will prove so for the reader, especially if interested in both the contemporary scene and its history, not least as a means by which to engage critically with what has been, is, and will be.
Significantly, for this volume at least, my endeavours were a cause of surprise and disappointment. Whilst I amply confirmed the forward march of economics imperialism was still proceeding apace, its doing so had not been increasingly acknowledged by each of its proponents and its critics. My warnings from twenty-five years ago seemed to have gone unheeded. As a heterodox critic of mainstream economics, that I had not turned around the juggernaut of economics imperialism even with decades of effort did not surprise me. After all, I had suffered a similar experience with social capital (Fine 2001, 2010 and, most recently, 2023). But, whilst social capital has continued to expand in scale and scope, it is done so openly by those that use it, with a continuing guerrilla movement of opposition which can, on occasion, be acknowledged to suit by “social capitalists”. As far as economics imperialism is concerned, by comparison it would be is as if globalisation, neoliberalism, and even the environment and climate change had disappeared from the scholarly lexicon. Much of this volume is devoted to explaining how it is that economics imperialism has got away with it, without being explicitly called to account, despite my efforts to bring it under critical scrutiny.
One part of the previous preface, I am pleased and obliged to reproduce. For, last, and by no means least, I cannot begin to thank enough those who have supported me throughout my career, particularly co-authors and collaborators but ranging beyond this to family and friends. Appreciation must also go to David Fasenfest and Brill for making the venture possible, and for encouraging and supporting its coming to fruition.