WHEN BLACK-BOXES CLASH - COMPETING IDEAS OF WHAT SCIENCE IS IN ECONOMICS, 1924-39

This paper analyzes American economics during the period between the W orld Wars. During those years, two major groups of economists - neocla ssicists and institutionalists - competed for control of the disciplin e. I analyze this struggle with the conceptual tools of actor-network theory: black boxes, trials of strength, allies and translation. The n eoclassical - institutionalist struggle is depicted as a trial of stre ngth of two competing approaches to the scientific study of the econom y. I argue that the parties in such struggles tend to recruit allies f rom other prestigious disciplines, as well as from the field's own pas t leading practitioners, and to make arguments concerning the potentia l of their research programmes to solve important problems. The advoca tes speak in the name of these allies ('translation') and try to creat e unbreakable links with them. Rivals try to break these links, and th e protagonists respond by mobilizing more allies and strengthening the network. Thus, methodological controversies resemble controversies ov er facts and theories, although the materials of which contested netwo rks are made are different.