ABSTRACT
In economic theory, scholars often improve the mathematical proofs of other scholars by correcting errors or by making the proof shorter or more elegant; these, too, are innovations, but of a decidedly minor kind. It is clear that innovation is a mass phenomenon, as can be seen by browsing through books and journals. Major innovations come from specialized fields in many disciplines and from their recombinations. Economic development, elite studies, social welfare functions, socialization, and social systems are all examples of this kind of innovation. Historically minded theorists in all social sciences are dependent on monographs written by historians who have sifted through a mass of primary sources. Some have grandiose ambitions; others would be satisfied adding a few bricks to the construction of the scientific edifice. The exclusive definition of innovation used by Deutsch-Platt-Senghaas selects a manageable number of cases.
