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Jon Wisman Professor Economics

Languages Spoken
French
Bio
Professor Wisman teaching interests are: History of Economic Thought, Methodology, History, Introductory Macroeconomics.
His research spans a broad spectrum of domains from history of economic thought and methodology to labor and other social issues.
See Also
Department of Economics
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

Teaching

Fall 2024

  • ECON-100 Macroeconomics

  • ECON-397 Internship in Teaching

  • ECON-620 Economic Thought

Spring 2025

  • ECON-318 Economic History

Partnerships & Affiliations

  • Association for Social Economics
    Former President

  • Editorial Advisory Board of the International Journal of Social Economics, Les Cahiers du GRATICE
    Member

Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities

Research Interests

Methodology, History of Economic Thought, Social Economics, Institutiional Economics, General Economic History, Workplace Democracy.

Selected Publications

Recent publications:

Book

The Origins and Dynamics of Inequality: Sex, Politics, and Ideology, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2022. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-origins-and-dynamics-of-inequality-9780197575949?cc=us&lang=en&#

Articles

“The Industrial Degradation of Workers that Thorstein Veblen Overlooked,” Cambridge Journal of Economics, 48 (4), July 2024: 567-588.

“Thorstein Veblen, The Meaning of Work, and its Humanization,” Journal of Economic Issues, 57 (2), June 2023: 355-374.

“Why Ideology Exists,” Journal of Economic Issues, 57 (1), March 2023: 200-217. 

“Had Keynes Read More Veblen: The Imperative of a Scientific Theory of Human Behavior” (Under journal review). Working paper at: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:amu:wpaper:2022-05

“How the Bourgeoisie's Quest for Status Placed Blame for Poverty on the Poor” (Under journal review). Working paper at: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:amu:wpaper:2022-04

“Why We All Must Work” (Under journal review). Working paper at: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:amu:wpaper:2021-04

“Economic Causes of War and Peace: Overview” in Kurtz, L.R. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, and Conflict,” vol. 1. Elsevier Academic Press, 2022: 47–57. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12- 820195-4.00072-8. ISBN: 9780128201954.

“Why Has Labor Not Demanded Guaranteed Employment?” Journal of Economic Issues, 55 (3), September 2021: 677-697 (with Michael Cauvel).

“The Proletarianization of the Professoriate and the Threat to Free Expression, Creativity, and Economic Dynamism,” Journal of Economic Issues, 54 (3), Fall 2020: 854-872 (with Quentin Duroy). DOI: 10.1080/00213624.2020.1791651. Winner of the 2020 Journal of Economic Issues Editor’s Prize (Selected as the best article in the journal for 2020).

“The Fundamental Character of Socioeconomic Exploitation, Human Nature, Technology, Social Institutions and Ideology,” Journal of Economic Issues, 53 (4), December 2019: 895-913.

“La Privatisation de La Française des Jeux, une Mauvaise Pioche,” La Découverte/Délibérée, 1 (6), 2019: 28–32 (with Quentin Duroy).

“The Darwinian dynamic of sexual selection that Thorstein Veblen missed and its relevance to institutional economics,” Journal of Institutional Economics, 15 (1), February 2019: 49-72.

Adam Smith and Thorstein Veblen on the Pursuit of Status Through Consumption versus Work,” Cambridge Journal of Economics, 43 (1), January 2019: 17-36.

“Marx, the Predisposition to Reject Markets and Private Property, and Attractive Alternatives to Capitalism,” Forum for Social Economics, 48 (3), 2020: 281-298. Published online May 2018.

Honors, Awards, and Fellowships

Recipient of American University’s 2022-2023 Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award. This is the highest award granted by American University.

Recipient of the 2023 Veblen-Commons Award — the highest honor given annually by the Association for Evolutionary Economics (AFEE), in recognition of significant contributions to evolutionary institutional economics.

Twice recipient of the American University Award for Outstanding Teaching.

Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society's Professor of the Year.

Winner of the $10,000 Speiser Essay Contest.

Elected President of the Association for Social Economics, January 2002.

Recipient of the Association for Social Economics’ Ludwig Mai Service Award, January 2007.

Recipient of the Association for Social Economics’ Thomas F. Divine Award for important life-long contributions to social economics, January 2009.

Winner of the 2020 Journal of Economic Issues Editor’s Prize (Selected as the best article in the journal for 2020): “The Proletarianization of the Professoriate and the Threat to Free Expression, Creativity and Economic Dynamism,” 54(3), September 2020: 876-894.

Work In Progress

Book

We All Must Work: Creative Destruction and the Pursuit of Happiness

Articles

Avoiding Ideology In Teaching Microeconomics (with Michael Cauvel and Aaron Pacitti)

Exploding Inequality, Capital Glut, Booming Asset Prices, and Economic Decline (with Michael Cauvel and Aaron Pacitti)