At the blog of Joseph Gray, an aspiring young economist.
My first thought is Fischer Black. You absolutely must read Perry Mehrling’s biography of him. If nothing else, you get a sense of what the 1970s felt like, both in the culture at large and in the economics profession.
More at the link. You might also check out the questions that he asked other economists, and their answers.
Very interesting. Fischer Black’s work does deserve a lot more prominence. And it is very interesting to see how the finance world seems to honor him more than the economics world. You have to love the finance world and the notion of “financial engineers.” Glad to see Buchanan get some props.
Perhaps related, I wonder how much we can learn from the great Chinese economists. Reformers like Li Yining, Wu Jinglian , Xu Muqiao and Mao Yushi have gotten plaudits from Cato but at least in the USA don’t seem to have really entered the realm of “economist with whom one ought to be familiar.” Not even sure if there works are widely available in English. And on the conservative side, it would be very interesting to read a thorough analysis of works by proponents of the current model of Chinese socialism, for example someone like Hu Angang. One wonders why there seems to be a lack of intellectual engagement in this sphere.