Lawrence R. Klein and the making of large-scale macro-econometric modeling, 1938-1955

Lawrence R. Klein was the father of macro-econometric modeling, the scientific practice that dominated macroeconomics throughout the second half of the twentieth century. Therefore, understanding how Klein developed his identity as a macro-econometrician and how he conceived and forged macro-econome...

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Autores:
Pinzón-Fuchs, Erich
Tipo de recurso:
Work document
Fecha de publicación:
2018
Institución:
Universidad de los Andes
Repositorio:
Séneca: repositorio Uniandes
Idioma:
eng
OAI Identifier:
oai:repositorio.uniandes.edu.co:1992/7871
Acceso en línea:
http://hdl.handle.net/1992/7871
Palabra clave:
Lawrence R. Klein
History of macro-econometric modeling
History of macroeconomics
History of econometrics
Cowles commission
Klein, Lawrence Robert - 1920-2013 - Crítica e interpretación
Cowles Commission Research Staff Members and Guests - Historia
Economistas estadounidenses
Modelos econométricos - Historia
Macroeconomía - Historia
Econometría - Historia
B22, B23, B31, B41
Rights
openAccess
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Description
Summary:Lawrence R. Klein was the father of macro-econometric modeling, the scientific practice that dominated macroeconomics throughout the second half of the twentieth century. Therefore, understanding how Klein developed his identity as a macro-econometrician and how he conceived and forged macro-econometric modeling at the same time, is essential to draw a clear picture of the origins and subsequent development of this scientific practice in the United States. To this aim, I focus on Klein's early trajectory as a student of economics and as an economist (from 1938- 1955), and I particularly examine the extent to which the people and institutions Klein encountered helped him shape his professional identity. Klein's experience at places like Berkeley, MIT, Cowles, and the University of Michigan, as well as his early acquaintance with people such as Griffith Evans, Paul Samuelson, and Trygve Haavelmo were decisive in the formation of his idea on how econometrics, expert knowledge, mathematical rigor, and a specific institutional configuration should enter macro-econometric modeling. Although Klein's identity defined some of the most important characteristics of this practice, by the end of the 1950s, macro-econometric modeling became a scientific practice independent of Klein's enthusiasm and with a "life of its own", ready to be further developed and adapted to specific contexts by the community of macroeconomists.