ABSTRACT
The development of institutional economic history reflects the general trends of the development of institutionalism. The writings of scientists working at the beginning of the 20th century during the epoch of ‘old institutionalism’ were very popular (M. Weber, V. Zombart, K. Polanyi, N. Elias). All these scientists used sociological methods for studying economic history (essentially the history of the genesis of capitalism). In the second half of the 20th century, the sociological approach to economic history continued to be developed in the work of K. Wittfogel, as well as by representatives of economic anthropology (M. Sahlins) and researchers involved in world-systems analysis (I. Wallerstein, F. Brodel). But in the 1950s, the sociological ‘challenge’ generated the ‘answer’ of professional economists. In other words, this is a scientific trend that arose in the US and came to be known as a new economic history and cliometrics. The highest expression of authority in this respect is the Nobel Prize in Economics that was awarded (in 1993) to D. North and R. Fogel (the most outstanding representatives of the field).
