We are pleased to announce that the 2022 Summer School will take place in Strasbourg. It is organised by BETA (University of Strasbourg, CNRS, University of Lorraine) and PHARE (University of Paris 1 - Panthéon-Sorbonne), with the support of the University of Strasbourg, the University of Paris 1, the European Society for the History of Economic Thought (ESHET), the Association Charles Gide pour l’Etude de la Pensée Economique and the Associazione italiana per la storia dell’economia politica (STOREP). The Summer School is open to PhD students and young scholars (PhD degree obtained after January 2020) in History of Economic Thought, Economic Philosophy or Economic History. Approximately 25 proposals will be selected for presentation, in face-to-face. Previous Summer Schools have taken place in Paris (2021), Porto (2019), Thessaly (2018) and Como (2017). The full list of past Summer Schools is available on the ESHET website.

Topic of invited lectures: “Inequality and social justice in economics and beyond”

The topic is in line with those of previous Summer Schools. The aim is to bridge the history of economic analysis with more contemporary theoretical reflections, with a particular emphasis on interdisciplinarity in economics. The two (strongly correlated) issues of social justice and inequality are a major preoccupation in the humanities. Social justice is commonly described as the set of norms that define the distribution of resources among the members of a group, and is often referred to as distributive justice. However, the outcome of such a distribution depends on the notion of social justice we retain, which determines the distribution in itself, but also on what resources the society aims to allocate among its members (equalisandum). These two factors ultimately determine the inequalities which are observed in a society. Yet why is it so difficult to describe what equality is, and to fully subscribe to it? Tocqueville denounces the “ardent, insatiable, eternal, invincible” passion that democratic peoples have for equality, a passion that can ultimately make them prefer equality over liberty. Identifying a phenomenon of “liberticidal equality”, Tocqueville underlines the difficulty of setting up a just society. In short, one of the main questions in social justice (if not the main) is how to reconcile equality and freedom. As Rawls formulates it in Political Liberalism (1993), “How is it possible for there to exist over time a just and stable society of free and equal citizens, who remain profoundly divided by reasonable religious, philosophical, and moral doctrines?” Besides, isn’t the old socialist question about the unequal ownership of the means of production still relevant in our now democratic societies? These are some of the central questions that our modern societies are trying to answer. The aim of this Summer School is to provide young researchers with a theoretical background that could help them think about these issues and appreciate the multiple challenges of economic policy they raise. The topic of social justice is to be studied through different perspectives, historical, normative, and positive. An interdisciplinary perspective will also be considered (philosophy, law, and sociology).

IMPORTANT REMARK. Lectures given by senior scholars will deal with issues related to social justice, but there is no specific topic for the participants of the Summer School. PhD students and young scholars are welcome to send proposals on any topic in the History of Economic Thought, Economic Philosophy or Economic History.

Structure of the Program

• Lectures given by senior scholars on topics related to the topic of the Summer School.
• Young scholars’ presentations to the members of the scientific committee and invited speakers, thus covering a broad area of expertise. Each presentation will be discussed by another young scholar, followed by a discussion with the audience.
• A personal and privileged one-hour discussion by each participant of the Summer School with a senior scholar on her/his paper, apart from her/his own presentation. These tutorials aim at helping PhD students to prepare their papers for dissemination and publication.

Applications

Contributions will be selected from extended abstracts in English of 500 to 1000 words, or full-paper proposals of up to 7500 words. Abstracts (or full papers), a CV, and a letter of recommendation from a supervisor, are to be sent to Herrade Igersheim at igersheim@unistra.fr 

Important dates

EXTENDED Abstract submission deadline: 30th of June, 2022
Notification of acceptance: 12th of July, 2022
Full paper submission deadline: 19th of August, 2022 

Venue and accommodation

The Summer School pays for hotel accommodation (four nights, check-in on the 29th of August, checkout on the 2nd of September), daily breakfast and lunch, as well as coffee breaks, social events, and the gala dinner on the 1st of September. Participants are however expected to make their own travel arrangements and pay for their travel costs. There is no registration fee.

Sessions will take place at the Pôle Européen de Gestion et d’Economie (PEGE), 61 avenue de la Forêt Noire, 67000 Strasbourg. Students will be allocated individual rooms in the Centre Culturel St Thomas (2 rue de la Carpe Haute, about 20 minutes walk from the PEGE). 

Local Organising Committee

• Rodolphe Dos Santos Ferreira (BETA, Université de Strasbourg)
• Ragip Ege (BETA, Université de Strasbourg)
• Philippe Gillig (BETA, Université de Strasbourg)
• Virginie Gouverneur (BETA, Université de Haute-Alsace)
• Rémy Guichardaz (BETA, Université de Strasbourg)
• Herrade Igersheim (BETA, Université de Strasbourg)
• Eva Jacob (BETA, Université de Strasbourg)
• Ivan Mitrouchev (BETA, Université de Strasbourg)
• Sylvie Rivot (BETA, Université de Haute-Alsace)
• Nathalie Sigot (PHARE, Université Paris 1)

Scientific Committee

• Çinla Akdere (Assistant Professor, Middle East Technical University, Turkey)
• Richard Arena (Professor, Université de Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, France)
• José Luís Cardoso (Professor, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal)
• Harald Hagemann (Professor, Universität Hohenheim, Germany)
• Herrade Igersheim (CNRS Research Professor, Université de Strasbourg, France)
• André Lapidus (Professor, Université Paris 1, France)
• Jean-Sébastien Lenfant (Professor, Université Paris 1, France)
• Jean-Pierre Potier (Professor, Université Lumière Lyon 2, France)
• Annalisa Rosselli (Professor, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Italy)
• Alfonso Sanchez Hormigo (Professor, Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain)
• Nathalie Sigot (Professor, Université Paris 1, France)
• Michel Zouboulakis (Professor, University of Thessaly, Greece)

More information on the page of the 24th summer school in Strasbourg.