The three characteristics of the 2021 economics books: ideological, historical narrative, and interdisciplinarity

21st Century Business Herald Wang Feng reported that on January 16, the 2021 annual economics book (100 kinds) conference with the theme of "Economic Reading and Writing in the Era of Great Change" was held. The event was sponsored by China Economics Education and Research Network and Crus Vientiane Life Front Eaves Bookstore.

The main person in charge of the annual economics book and the editor-in-chief of the China Economics Education and Research Network introduced the characteristics of the 2021 economics book and the selection of the book list: In this era of great change, the changes caused by new challenges are accelerating, and the new ideas, new experiences and new methods are more important. Ideological, historical narrative and interdisciplinary interdisciplinarity have become the three major characteristics of economics books in recent years, especially in 2021. At the same time, excellent original works from the local area are also particularly eye-catching.

(Theme exhibition of CR Vientiane Life Front Eaves Bookstore)

Benli pointed out that in the face of great change, it is especially necessary to remain sober and in awe, and continuous in-depth reading, thinking and writing are the source of our sobriety and self-knowledge.

The meaning and characteristics of reading in the era of great change

Historical narratives are a distinctive feature of the 2021 Economics Book of the Year. Among the 100 books selected by the China Economics Education and Research Network, there are many books such as "Chinese-style Planning: From the "First Five-Year Plan" to the "Fourteenth Five-Year Plan", "Cambridge Economic History of Europe", "The Price Revolution: A New World History", "Haibei and Shell Coin: A Little-Known Global History", "When the Economy Meets law: Market Evolution in Ming and Qing China", "Global Trade Conflicts: 16th-20th Centuries", etc., or expound the history of economic development, or explain the history behind economic phenomena.

In the keynote speech, Wang Yijiang, professor of economics and human resources at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, raised a question that is easy to ignore: Why did the market economy appear so late in human history and become the dominant economic system in only a few countries?

Wang Yijiang pointed out that to answer this question, it is necessary to reconsider the philosophical basis of economics. "'Violence' is an important part of human nature, and 'violence', like 'exchange', is an important mechanism for human society to allocate resources. When we consider economics, the new philosophical basis is 'violence' and the market, which are the ancient alternative distribution mechanisms. Wang Yijiang believes that the interaction between the market and "violence" has created a diverse and colorful world for us. The market is a very vital economic system, under a variety of conditions, the market will spontaneously emerge. The market is wanted to become a dominant economic system of society, and there are high requirements for the interaction between economy and politics.

Interdisciplinarity is another distinctive feature of the 2021 Economics Book. Among the 100 books selected by the China Economics Education and Research Network, there are interdisciplinary writings such as "Noise", "Individuality and Entanglement: The Moral and Material Basis of Social Life", and "The Social Significance of Money".

Chen Dafei, general manager of orient securities wealth research center, believes that "if there is a complete set of knowledge, then the known knowledge may be only a very small subset." Even for this known knowledge, the ability and scope of each of us to absorb knowledge is very limited. Chen Dafei further reviewed his experience in studying the market with empirical methods, and emphasized that the evolution of knowledge and the development of society is a process of continuous falsification and optimization.

Due to the characteristics of the discipline, economics books not only focus on theoretical deduction, but also care for reality. In the 2021 book market, "Staying in the Matter: The Chinese Government and Economic Development" integrates the principles of economics with the practice of Chinese economic development, with local government investment and financing as the main line, and widely adopts the latest research results of scholars in various fields.

Lan Xiaohuan, the author of the book and an associate professor at fudan university's school of economics, said, "Whether it is writing articles, writing books or speaking, there will be targets. In order to achieve the purpose of efficient communication, we must understand what the reader is thinking. If you want to write a book that can really attract people to read, the writing is important, but what is more important is the way the author thinks, the structure of the article and the logical extension, and should try to conform to the way of thinking of the target reader. ”

The Narrative of Economics and the Future of Indigenous Works

The event also featured a roundtable dialogue session on the theme of "Narratives of Economics and the Future of Local Works". The guests had in-depth exchanges and discussions on topics such as the experience and methods of reading and writing in economics, the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic on reading and writing, why we should read classics, the expectations and predictions of Chinese original writing.

About economics reading and narrative. Zhang Xiaoyu, a researcher at the World Politics Research Center of East China Normal University, believes that unlike academic paper writing, economic writing should maintain a certain sense of life, and use the mood of dialogue and chat with readers to write in order to better convey feelings.

Tu Zhiyong, an associate professor at Peking University's HSBC Business School, believes that if academic works can unfold the underlying logic of professional research to readers one by one, readers may be able to absorb professional content better and faster, and they can also better appreciate the author's results.

Liang Pinghan, a professor at the School of Politics and Public Affairs Management of Sun Yat-sen University, believes that academic paper writing is usually accompanied by error correction psychology, while economic writing will emphasize "reductionism" more and try to restore the details and foundations behind the story.

Ding Jianfeng, an associate professor at sun yat-sen University Law School, believes that for any one economic point of view, 10 economists may have 11 different views, and it is necessary to try to participate in the collision and discussion of views with a dialogue mentality, so that the results obtained may be more enlightening.

Expectations of local works. Zhang Xiaoyu pointed out that world-class economic problems are taking place in this part of China, and the younger generation of authors have received training in international cutting-edge academic norms, with both local and international thinking paradigms, and more and more fine works will emerge Chinese writing. At the same time, when the Chinese world understands other civilizations, it is necessary to avoid falling into the traditional narrative framework, and should understand civilizations outside the Chinese world from a more diverse perspective, so as to better understand themselves and the world.

Tu Zhiyong pointed out that many of the major problems we are facing now are interdisciplinary problems, and we look forward to reading more excellent interdisciplinary original works.

Liang Pinghan pointed out that as people become more eager to better understand the meaning of life and the meaning of society, local writing may pay more attention to responding to people's inner needs.

Ding Jianfeng pointed out that in the future, economic writing and economic publishing should pay more attention to diversity, and only by better understanding culture, understanding values, and understanding various ethical judgments can we obtain an economic judgment that is closer to the truth of life.

Since the first release of the "Annual Economics Book List" in 2015, China Economics Education and Research Network has selected and published more than 100 kinds of economic books published in Chinese mainland for seven consecutive years. China Economics Education and Research Network was founded by Professor Hai Wen, former Vice President of Peking University and Founding Dean of HSBC Business School, and is currently hosted by HSBC Business School of Peking University.