Lament for Economics, or How Barbara Wootton Gave It All Away and Became a Sociologist

When economic theory meets policy: Barbara Wootton and the creation of the British welfare state

“…Unfortunately, Lament also represented the end of Wootton's interest in formally exploring economics as a tool to improve society (Dimand and Hardeen 2003;Jacobs 2007), potentially stimulated by her disappointment of how economics was being shaped by her peers at the time (see also King 2004). For instance, a seminal discussion led by Harrod's (1938) on the "Scope and Method of Economics" enthusiastically stresses some of the new theories and methods in economics, including promising advances in data availability and statistical analysis, while dismissing some of the criticisms addressed to discipline at that time, including Wootton's Lament, which for him represented an "unappetising programme for the future development of economics" (384).…”

“…Like Beveridge, considered by many an empiricist (Dimand 1999) who was concerned about concrete issues (Wootton 1955), Wootton also treated pure economic theorising with suspicion and emphasised the need for macroeconomic policy to be supplemented with empirical studies and administrative controls (Harris 1997;Beveridge 1943b). Wootton often complained that economics was of no use for being unintelligible to all, except a small minority of specialists that ignore reality and often serves as apologists for capitalism (King 2004).…”