Tiziano Raffaelli (Pisa 1950) was a widely esteemed scholar in the field
of the history and methodology of economics, who died suddenly in
January 2016 while still in the midst of working and of developing
projects for new lines of research. He was a philosopher of science by
formation and a historian of economic ideas by professional choice, with
interests covering a vast area, ranging from the 18th to the 20th
century and from Europe to the US. Where he left an indelible mark,
however, was in his interpretation of Alfred Marshall's economic theory
and its reverberations through Keynes on the one hand, and the Cambridge
school of industrial economics on the other. Raffaelli's research in
this field offered a completely new view of the core and meaning of
Marshall's work and of its relevance for 21st century social scientists.
In the process, it stimulated a new and fruitful research program in
Marshallian economics.
This volume consists of two parts. The first is devoted to illustrating
the above-mentioned changes in the understanding of Marshallian
economics and Raffaelli's role in bringing them about. The second part
offers a collection of essays documenting some more recent developments
in fields related to Marshall and his influence, including welfare
economics and industrial organization, Marshall's legacy in Cambridge
economics, the Chicago school, and beyond. The contributors to this
volume range from leading senior scholars in the field to exceptional
young scholars, and their contributions illustrates a myriad of ways in
which the "new view" of Marshall inspired by Raffaelli's work influences
our understanding of the history of economics from the late 19th century
onward. This book will be of international interest to scholars working
in the history of economic thought, and will also appeal to philosophers
of science, methodologists, intellectual historians, and those who
specialize in industrial organisation.
