The boundaries of economics: How different social sciences interact

The history of economic thought can and must be seen through different lenses. The economy and society take place in different settings but can be treated as one when thinking in an abstract way. Practically, economies differ across the globe and along historical times. Theoretical reflections try to take those diversifications into account. An economy is never isolated in a vacuum but always exists in a field of social coordinates determined by space and time as well as in a related framework of culture and other institutions. This is why one of the major theorists in economics and sociology included “economy” and “society” (Weber [1921] 1972) in the title of his book, already turning it into a kind of manifesto because the economy and society are mentioned in the same breath. Causes for the distinct and growing separation of the academic domains of economics and sociology are ongoing processes of specialization and fragmentation. Thanks to the growth in publications and knowledge in economics, degrees of specialization have emerged. One of the great paradoxes in economics is the existence of mainstream economics, which is taught to undergraduate students and dominates textbooks, side by side with fresh and provocative new contributions, which enter the arena and become established by public and academic debate, being awarded prestigious prizes in the process. The article tries to highlight development in economics oscillating between continuity and change. Specifically, the interplay between different domains in the social sciences is discussed as fields of tension and cooperation among economics, sociology, history, and psychology.