The project of the new edition of The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics is an effort to build an economics "without gaps," challenging the historical tendency of the profession to neglect certain topics, perspectives, and geographies. In my talk, I note that the original 1894 edition and 1987 revival, while monumental achievements, inevitably reflected their respective historical moments, the consolidation of the Neoclassical school, the rise of free-market ideas, and an inherent Eurocentric view of the profession.
This historical narrowing, where the breadth of perspectives often diminished over time, resulted in "blank spaces," particularly concerning the Global South, non-traditional lines of inquiry, and scholars outside of the established European and North American academic centers. The modern project seeks to address these omissions, ensuring the Dictionary remains a pillar of the field while reflecting a more complete record of economic thought.
The term decolonizing the Dictionary translates into several concrete actions that embody a pluralism with purpose. This includes commissioning entries on the Global South and by scholars based there (like Krishna Bharadwaj and Víctor Urquidi), recovering neglected histories of thought (such as the School of Salamanca and figures like Ibn Khaldun), and introducing newly salient topics like "neoliberalism" or ones about which there is renewed interest like "imperialism."
The goal is not to replace the profession's core but to broaden and re-balance the map, maintaining analytical rigor while highlighting lines of inquiry that standard narratives often overlook. This re-balancing is deemed necessary after 2008-9 global financial crises exposed the profession’s analytical blind spots, ensuring that future economists, regardless of their background or focus, find their work and history represented.
