Steven G. Medema, George Family Research Professor

Steven Medema’s research focuses on the history of modern economics, though his writings range over subjects as diverse as the Ancient Greeks, Adam Smith, and British philosopher Henry Sidgwick. The thread that unites much of his research is the analysis of the interplay between markets and government in the history of economic ideas. His current project, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute for New Economic Thinking, examines the history of the Coase theorem and its influence in economics, law, and beyond. Professor Medema serves as an associate editor or editorial board member of several history of economics journals and was editor of the Journal of the History of Economic Thought from 1999 – 2008. He also serves as the Associate Director of the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke.

Contact Info:

Office Location:	07D Social Sciences Bldg., Box 90097, Durham, NC 27708
Email Address:
Web Page:	https://sites.duke.edu/sgmedema/

Teaching (Fall 2025):

• ECON 908.01, HISTORY OF ECONOMICS WKSHP Synopsis

  Social Sciences 113, F 03:30 PM-05:00 PM

• ECON 958S.01, HISTORY OF ECONOMICS RESEARC Synopsis

  Social Sciences 327, F 12:00 PM-01:00 PM

Education:

Ph.D.	Michigan State University	1989
A.B.	Calvin College	1985

Recent Publications   (More Publications)

1. Medema, SG, I GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS ... : AN EDITOR'S RETROSPECTIVE, Journal of the History of Economic Thought, vol. 46 no. 4 (December, 2024), pp. 663-668 [doi]  [abs]
2. Medema, SG, IDENTIFYING A CHICAGO SCHOOL of ECONOMICS: On the ORIGINS, DIFFUSION, and EVOLVING MEANINGS of A FAMOUS NAME BRAND, Journal of the History of Economic Thought, vol. 46 no. 2 (June, 2024), pp. 169-200 [doi]  [abs]
3. Johnson, M; Medema, SG; Samuels, WJ, FOUNDATIONS OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY: THE AMERICAN COLONIES FROM INCEPTION TO INDEPENDENCE: VOLUME IV Mercantilism and Colonialism, Part I, vol. 1 (January, 2024), pp. 1-393 [doi]  [abs]
4. Johnson, M; Medema, SG; Samuels, WJ, FOUNDATIONS OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY: THE AMERICAN COLONIES FROM INCEPTION TO INDEPENDENCE: VOLUME III: Colonial Money, Credit and Debt, vol. 3 (January, 2024), pp. 1-364 [doi]  [abs]
5. Johnson, M; Medema, SG; Samuels, WJ, FOUNDATIONS OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY: THE AMERICAN COLONIES FROM INCEPTION TO INDEPENDENCE: VOLUME I: From Theocracy to Secular, Materialist Commercial Society, vol. 1 (January, 2024), pp. 1-354 [doi]  [abs]