A modern Scandinavian “Saga about political economy”: “Against the Stream. Critical Essays on Economics” by Gunnar Myrdal

Abstract

Introduction. It is proposed to pose the question of the original understanding of fundamental economic science as a political economy, presented by Gunnar Myrdal in the book “Against the Stream. Critical Essays on Economics”, which can be regarded from a certain point of view as a modern Scandinavian «Saga about political economy». Hermeneutic analysis. G. Myrdal’s paradigm concept, based on the concept of “establishment economics” was more meaningful than the modern use of the term “mainstream” to characterize the dominant flow of economic thought. The theoretical and methodological substantiation of the scientific hypothesis about the periodic emergence of crises and the formation of the economic science evolution cycles made it possible to explain the chronology of the Keynesian paradigm ascent and decline cycle by changes in economy and society. The arguments in favor of the institutional approach prompted a fundamental conclusion about the advisability of returning economic science to the original name of political economy and restoring its spiritual, moral, value dimension. G. Myrdal questioned and refuted the traditional abstract assumption about the conflict between economic growth and egalitarian reforms, for which one must pay a high price such as the national economy productivity decline, proposed the concept of “created harmony” to characterize the modern welfare state. Conclusion. The interpretation of the scientific monograph “Against the Stream. Critical Essays on Economics” in the style of Scandinavian “Saga about political economy” added a lot of very interesting details, judgments, explanations that substantively complemented the theoretical and methodological approach, showed the opportunity to study, research and present the history of economic thought in an attractive literary style without sacrificing depth and completeness of acquired knowledge.