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Steven G. Medema

George Family Research Professor
Economics
Box 90097, Durham, NC 27708
07D Social Sciences Bldg., Box 90097, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Steven Medema’s research focuses on the history of modern economics, though his writings range over subjects as diverse as the Ancient Greeks, Adam Smith, and British philosopher Henry Sidgwick. The thread that unites much of his research is the analysis of the interplay between markets and government in the history of economic ideas. His current project, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute for New Economic Thinking, examines the history of the Coase theorem and its influence in economics, law, and beyond. Professor Medema serves as an associate editor or editorial board member of several history of economics journals and was editor of the Journal of the History of Economic Thought from 1999 – 2008. He also serves as the Associate Director of the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


George Family Research Professor · 2022 - Present Economics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Research Professor of Economics · 2019 - Present Economics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

Recent Publications


I GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS ... : AN EDITOR'S RETROSPECTIVE

Journal Article Journal of the History of Economic Thought · December 1, 2024 Full text Cite

IDENTIFYING A CHICAGO SCHOOL of ECONOMICS: On the ORIGINS, DIFFUSION, and EVOLVING MEANINGS of A FAMOUS NAME BRAND

Journal Article Journal of the History of Economic Thought · June 16, 2024 Though the Chicago school has been the subject of no small amount of research over the past several decades, that scholarship has focused largely on persons, ideas, and influence - in short, on the school itself. No attention has been paid to the origins o ... Full text Cite

FOUNDATIONS OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY: THE AMERICAN COLONIES FROM INCEPTION TO INDEPENDENCE: VOLUME II

Book · January 1, 2024 This collection brings together a comprehensive selection of documents from the history of US and Canadian economic thought from the seventeenth century through to 1900. ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Challenging Law's Foundations: The Coase Theorem Controversy in Legal Analysis

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Institute for Humane Studies · 2020 - 2021

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Education, Training & Certifications


Michigan State University · 1989 Ph.D.
Calvin College · 1985 A.B.

External Links


Personal Website