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Hayek-Myrdal Interactions in the Early 1930s: New Facts Change an Old Story

Jonung, Lars LU and Laidler, David (2025) In History of Political Economy
Abstract
It is widely believed that Friedrich Hayek's first encounter with Gunnar Myrdal involved the latter's last-minute contribution, as a replacement for Erik Lindahl, to a Sammelband edited by the former in 1933, and that Hayek was lukewarm toward Myrdal and his ideas from the very beginning. Correspondence between the two shows that, in fact, their interaction about this contribution began two years earlier and that their relationship was cooperative and cordial prior to its publication. We suggest that it was the content, and in particular the tone, of Myrdal's 1933 paper, originally intended for the Journal of Political Economy, that alienated Hayek, who nevertheless treated Myrdal's work with academic propriety thereafter. In the course of... (More)
It is widely believed that Friedrich Hayek's first encounter with Gunnar Myrdal involved the latter's last-minute contribution, as a replacement for Erik Lindahl, to a Sammelband edited by the former in 1933, and that Hayek was lukewarm toward Myrdal and his ideas from the very beginning. Correspondence between the two shows that, in fact, their interaction about this contribution began two years earlier and that their relationship was cooperative and cordial prior to its publication. We suggest that it was the content, and in particular the tone, of Myrdal's 1933 paper, originally intended for the Journal of Political Economy, that alienated Hayek, who nevertheless treated Myrdal's work with academic propriety thereafter. In the course of our discussion, new light is also thrown on the origins of Myrdal's famous ex post–ex ante terminology. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
in
History of Political Economy
publisher
Duke University Press
ISSN
1527-1919
DOI
10.1215/00182702-12213457
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a4616c0b-b083-4b35-b26a-98ec85c67444
date added to LUP
2025-10-01 08:46:10
date last changed
2025-10-01 08:46:10
@article{a4616c0b-b083-4b35-b26a-98ec85c67444,
  abstract     = {{It is widely believed that Friedrich Hayek's first encounter with Gunnar Myrdal involved the latter's last-minute contribution, as a replacement for Erik Lindahl, to a Sammelband edited by the former in 1933, and that Hayek was lukewarm toward Myrdal and his ideas from the very beginning. Correspondence between the two shows that, in fact, their interaction about this contribution began two years earlier and that their relationship was cooperative and cordial prior to its publication. We suggest that it was the content, and in particular the tone, of Myrdal's 1933 paper, originally intended for the Journal of Political Economy, that alienated Hayek, who nevertheless treated Myrdal's work with academic propriety thereafter. In the course of our discussion, new light is also thrown on the origins of Myrdal's famous ex post–ex ante terminology.}},
  author       = {{Jonung, Lars and Laidler, David}},
  issn         = {{1527-1919}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{09}},
  publisher    = {{Duke University Press}},
  series       = {{History of Political Economy}},
  title        = {{Hayek-Myrdal Interactions in the Early 1930s: New Facts Change an Old Story}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1215/00182702-12213457}},
  doi          = {{10.1215/00182702-12213457}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}