Associate Professor
Overview
Supervised by the late Barry Hindess, I wrote my PhD on the history of economic thought in Britain, focusing on how the rise of political economy changed political discourse. My current research continues this inquiry but in relaton to the emergence of the political economist as a distinctive intellectual persona, focusing on Adam Smith, Thomas Robert Malthus, and David Ricardo. A major result has been to clarify the nature of the opposition that greeted the first economists. In short, 'theorising' had not been established as a prestigious activity; the presumption of intellectuals to reform their societies on the basis of 'theory' was perceived as an instance of philosophical enthusiasm, an intellectual pathology thought to underlie the French Revolution. Political economists responded to this opposition in divergent ways, producing fractiousness within their own ranks.
The long-range hypothesis to test in future work is that these teething issues were never resolved, with the result that the office of the economist in relation to government has never been stabilised by the development of a set of professional ethics and disciplines internal to economics of the type that lawyers and doctors innovated. If correct, this suggests that, while some economists have been domesticated by the imposition of bureaucratic offices, as for those working in central banks and treasury departments, most economists continue to roam wild, leaving our political institutions as exposed to their enthusiasm/truth as they were 200 years ago. The key statement of the initial stage of this research is Before Method and Models (Oxford, 2021). A series of subsidiary findings are published in Modern Intellectual History, Journal of the History of Ideas, Historical Journal, and Intellectual History Review.
Research Interests
- History of economic thought
- History of political thought
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Economics, Murdoch University
- Bachelor of Commerce, Murdoch University
- Doctor of Philosophy, Australian National University
Publications
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Book: Before method and models: the political economy of Malthus and Ricardo
Walter, Ryan (2021). Before method and models: the political economy of Malthus and Ricardo. New York, United States: Oxford University Press.
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Journal Article: Malthus's sacred history: outflanking civil history in the late Enlightenment
Walter, Ryan (2020). Malthus's sacred history: outflanking civil history in the late Enlightenment. Rethinking History, 24 (3-4), 481-502. doi: 10.1080/13642529.2020.1822662
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Journal Article: Conservative politics and laissez-faire economics?: The Burke-Smith problem revisited
Walter, Ryan (2020). Conservative politics and laissez-faire economics?: The Burke-Smith problem revisited. Critical Historical Studies, 7 (2), 271-295. doi: 10.1086/710696
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Journal Article: Office, political theory, and the political theorist
Kearnes, David and Walter, Ryan (2020). Office, political theory, and the political theorist. The Historical Journal, 63 (2), 317-337. doi: 10.1017/s0018246x19000220
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Journal Article: Defending political theory after Burke: Stewart's intellectual disciplines and the demotion of practice
Walter, Ryan (2019). Defending political theory after Burke: Stewart's intellectual disciplines and the demotion of practice. Journal of the History of Ideas, 80 (3), 387-408. doi: 10.1353/jhi.2019.0028
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Journal Article: The Bullion Controversy and the history of political thought: experience, innovation and theory
Walter, Ryan (2019). The Bullion Controversy and the history of political thought: experience, innovation and theory. Intellectual History Review, 29 (3), 467-488. doi: 10.1080/17496977.2018.1526452
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Journal Article: The enthusiasm of David Ricardo
Walter, Ryan (2018). The enthusiasm of David Ricardo. Modern Intellectual History, 15 (2), 1-29. doi: 10.1017/S1479244316000044
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Journal Article: Rhetoric or deliberation? The case for rhetorical political analysis
Walter, Ryan (2017). Rhetoric or deliberation? The case for rhetorical political analysis. Political Studies, 65 (2), 300-315. doi: 10.1177/0032321716651898
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Journal Article: Adam Smith’s free trade casuistry
Walter, Ryan (2016). Adam Smith’s free trade casuistry. Global Intellectual History, 1 (1), 61-82. doi: 10.1080/23801883.2016.1228180
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Journal Article: From theory to history: Keith Tribe’s Land, labour and economic discourse and The economy of the word
Walter, Ryan (2016). From theory to history: Keith Tribe’s Land, labour and economic discourse and The economy of the word. Economy and Society, 45 (3-4), 537-546. doi: 10.1080/03085147.2016.1240517
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Journal Article: Slingsby Bethel's Analysis of State Interests
Walter, Ryan (2015). Slingsby Bethel's Analysis of State Interests. History of European Ideas, 41 (4), 489-506. doi: 10.1080/01916599.2014.926659
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Book: A critical history of the economy: on the birth of the national and international economies
Walter, Ryan (2011). A critical history of the economy: on the birth of the national and international economies. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, UK: Routledge.
Grants
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(2014–2018) Australian National University
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The rise of the national economic interest
(2014–2016) ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
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(2010) UQ Early Career Researcher
Supervision
-
Competition and the OECD
Doctor Philosophy
-
A Curious Case of Institutional Change: The Employment Act 1946
Doctor Philosophy
-
Racism and the Citizen in Liberal Democracies
Doctor Philosophy
Available Projects
-
The History of Political Theory
I am currently investigating the history of political theory, building on Ian Hunter's "History of Theory" work. Early results have been published in Modern Intellectual History (2018). The leading finding so far is that the first "political theorists" were greeted with hostility because their presumption to remodel their societies on the basis of abstract reason was construed in relation to "enthusiasm" - a pathology affecting the mind by which it becomes enchanted with its own creations, above all, intellectual systems and dazzling ideas. These results suggest that a crucial line for further research to pursue is the means by which "theorists" achieved the status and prestige that they enjoy today.
-
The History of Liberalism
My recent work loosely tracks the history of "liberalism", but with extreme scepticism towards the usefulness of that category. In short, the aim is to reject the lazy assertion that ideas make the world and instead track those texts and arts of reasoning that achieved institutional and political traction. This, in turn, requires focusing on texts and their reception histories, alongside investigating the personnel who staffed the liberal-democratic state. While my chief interest is in the role of political economists in shaping parliamentary deliberation and reform in nineteenth-century Britain - see the Bullion Controversy, Poor Laws, and Corn Laws - the bigger vision will need to take in party politicians, lawyers, and bureaucrats. Early results have been published in Intellectual History Review (2018).
Publications
Featured Publications
-
Before method and models: the political economy of Malthus and Ricardo
Walter, Ryan (2021). Before method and models: the political economy of Malthus and Ricardo. New York, United States: Oxford University Press.
-
Malthus's sacred history: outflanking civil history in the late Enlightenment
Walter, Ryan (2020). Malthus's sacred history: outflanking civil history in the late Enlightenment. Rethinking History, 24 (3-4), 481-502. doi: 10.1080/13642529.2020.1822662
-
Conservative politics and laissez-faire economics?: The Burke-Smith problem revisited
Walter, Ryan (2020). Conservative politics and laissez-faire economics?: The Burke-Smith problem revisited. Critical Historical Studies, 7 (2), 271-295. doi: 10.1086/710696
-
Office, political theory, and the political theorist
Kearnes, David and Walter, Ryan (2020). Office, political theory, and the political theorist. The Historical Journal, 63 (2), 317-337. doi: 10.1017/s0018246x19000220
-
Walter, Ryan (2019). Defending political theory after Burke: Stewart's intellectual disciplines and the demotion of practice. Journal of the History of Ideas, 80 (3), 387-408. doi: 10.1353/jhi.2019.0028
-
The Bullion Controversy and the history of political thought: experience, innovation and theory
Walter, Ryan (2019). The Bullion Controversy and the history of political thought: experience, innovation and theory. Intellectual History Review, 29 (3), 467-488. doi: 10.1080/17496977.2018.1526452
-
The enthusiasm of David Ricardo
Walter, Ryan (2018). The enthusiasm of David Ricardo. Modern Intellectual History, 15 (2), 1-29. doi: 10.1017/S1479244316000044
-
Rhetoric or deliberation? The case for rhetorical political analysis
Walter, Ryan (2017). Rhetoric or deliberation? The case for rhetorical political analysis. Political Studies, 65 (2), 300-315. doi: 10.1177/0032321716651898
-
Adam Smith’s free trade casuistry
Walter, Ryan (2016). Adam Smith’s free trade casuistry. Global Intellectual History, 1 (1), 61-82. doi: 10.1080/23801883.2016.1228180
-
Walter, Ryan (2016). From theory to history: Keith Tribe’s Land, labour and economic discourse and The economy of the word. Economy and Society, 45 (3-4), 537-546. doi: 10.1080/03085147.2016.1240517
-
Slingsby Bethel's Analysis of State Interests
Walter, Ryan (2015). Slingsby Bethel's Analysis of State Interests. History of European Ideas, 41 (4), 489-506. doi: 10.1080/01916599.2014.926659
-
A critical history of the economy: on the birth of the national and international economies
Walter, Ryan (2011). A critical history of the economy: on the birth of the national and international economies. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, UK: Routledge.
Book
-
Before method and models: the political economy of Malthus and Ricardo
Walter, Ryan (2021). Before method and models: the political economy of Malthus and Ricardo. New York, United States: Oxford University Press.
-
Studies in Australian Political Rhetoric
Uhr, John and Walter, Ryan eds. (2014). Studies in Australian Political Rhetoric. Canberra, ACT, Australia: ANU E Press.
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A critical history of the economy: on the birth of the national and international economies
Walter, Ryan (2011). A critical history of the economy: on the birth of the national and international economies. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, UK: Routledge.
Book Chapter
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Malthus’s principle of population in Britain: restatement and antiquation
Walter, Ryan (2020). Malthus’s principle of population in Britain: restatement and antiquation. Malthus across nations. (pp. 18-52) edited by Gilbert Faccarello, Masashi Izumo and Hiromi Morishita. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781788977579.00006
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Economic management, rhetorical tactics, and the cost of promises
Walter, Ryan (2014). Economic management, rhetorical tactics, and the cost of promises. Studies in Australian political rhetoric. (pp. 33-62) edited by John Uhr and Ryan Walter. Canberra A.C.T., Australia: ANU E Press.
Journal Article
-
Malthus's sacred history: outflanking civil history in the late Enlightenment
Walter, Ryan (2020). Malthus's sacred history: outflanking civil history in the late Enlightenment. Rethinking History, 24 (3-4), 481-502. doi: 10.1080/13642529.2020.1822662
-
Conservative politics and laissez-faire economics?: The Burke-Smith problem revisited
Walter, Ryan (2020). Conservative politics and laissez-faire economics?: The Burke-Smith problem revisited. Critical Historical Studies, 7 (2), 271-295. doi: 10.1086/710696
-
Office, political theory, and the political theorist
Kearnes, David and Walter, Ryan (2020). Office, political theory, and the political theorist. The Historical Journal, 63 (2), 317-337. doi: 10.1017/s0018246x19000220
-
Walter, Ryan (2019). Defending political theory after Burke: Stewart's intellectual disciplines and the demotion of practice. Journal of the History of Ideas, 80 (3), 387-408. doi: 10.1353/jhi.2019.0028
-
The Bullion Controversy and the history of political thought: experience, innovation and theory
Walter, Ryan (2019). The Bullion Controversy and the history of political thought: experience, innovation and theory. Intellectual History Review, 29 (3), 467-488. doi: 10.1080/17496977.2018.1526452
-
In search of the two-handed economist: ideology, methodology and marketing in economics
Walter, Ryan (2018). In search of the two-handed economist: ideology, methodology and marketing in economics. Economic and Labour Relations Review, 29 (3), 367-371. doi: 10.1177/1035304618781655
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The enthusiasm of David Ricardo
Walter, Ryan (2018). The enthusiasm of David Ricardo. Modern Intellectual History, 15 (2), 1-29. doi: 10.1017/S1479244316000044
-
Rhetoric or deliberation? The case for rhetorical political analysis
Walter, Ryan (2017). Rhetoric or deliberation? The case for rhetorical political analysis. Political Studies, 65 (2), 300-315. doi: 10.1177/0032321716651898
-
Adam Smith’s free trade casuistry
Walter, Ryan (2016). Adam Smith’s free trade casuistry. Global Intellectual History, 1 (1), 61-82. doi: 10.1080/23801883.2016.1228180
-
Walter, Ryan (2016). From theory to history: Keith Tribe’s Land, labour and economic discourse and The economy of the word. Economy and Society, 45 (3-4), 537-546. doi: 10.1080/03085147.2016.1240517
-
Devetak, Richard and Walter, Ryan (2016). The critical theorist's labour: empirical or philosophical historiography for international relations?. Globalizations, 13 (5), 1-12. doi: 10.1080/14747731.2015.1133527
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Utilitarianism and Malthus' virtue ethics: respectable, virtuous and happy
Walter, Ryan (2016). Utilitarianism and Malthus' virtue ethics: respectable, virtuous and happy. European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 23 (1), 159-164. doi: 10.1080/09672567.2015.1074824
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Slingsby Bethel's Analysis of State Interests
Walter, Ryan (2015). Slingsby Bethel's Analysis of State Interests. History of European Ideas, 41 (4), 489-506. doi: 10.1080/01916599.2014.926659
-
The Rhetorical Standards of Public Reason in Australia
Walter, Ryan and Uhr, John (2015). The Rhetorical Standards of Public Reason in Australia. Australian Journal of Politics and History, 61 (2), 248-262. doi: 10.1111/ajph.12100
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A Review of “Adam Ferguson in the Scottish Enlightenment: The Roman Past and Europe's Future”
Walter, Ryan (2015). A Review of “Adam Ferguson in the Scottish Enlightenment: The Roman Past and Europe's Future”. European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 22 (1), 135-140. doi: 10.1080/09672567.2014.924701
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Budget talk: rhetorical constraints and contests
Walter, Ryan and Uhr, John (2013). Budget talk: rhetorical constraints and contests. Australian Journal of Political Science, 48 (4), 431-444. doi: 10.1080/10361146.2013.837426
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Foundations of modern international thought
Walter, Ryan (2013). Foundations of modern international thought. The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 20 (3), 513-517. doi: 10.1080/09672567.2013.795359
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Review of Iara Vigo de Lima’s Foucault’s archaeology of political economy
Walter, Ryan (2012). Review of Iara Vigo de Lima’s Foucault’s archaeology of political economy. Erasmus Journal for Philosophy and Economics, 5 (1), 106-111.
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Walter, Ryan (2011). States and markets. Review of International Studies, 37 (2), 691-713. doi: 10.1017/S026021051000094X
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Hobbes, liberalism, and political technique
Walter, Ryan (2011). Hobbes, liberalism, and political technique. European legacy-toward new paradigms, 16 (1), 53-69. doi: 10.1080/10848770.2011.543374
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Politics and economics: Beyond the contamination thesis
Walter, Ryan (2011). Politics and economics: Beyond the contamination thesis. Contemporary Political Theory, 10 (4), 444-462. doi: 10.1057/cpt.2010.35
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The Analysis of Interest and the History of Economic Thought
Walter, Ryan (2011). The Analysis of Interest and the History of Economic Thought. Parergon: Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, 28 (2), 129-147. doi: 10.1353/pgn.2011.0090
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Foucault and radical deliberative democracy
Walter, Ryan (2008). Foucault and radical deliberative democracy. Australian Journal of Political Science, 43 (3), 531-546. doi: 10.1080/10361140802267290
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The economy and Pocock's political economy
Walter, Ryan (2008). The economy and Pocock's political economy. History of European Ideas, 34 (3), 334-344. doi: 10.1016/j.histeuroideas.2007.12.010
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Reconciling Foucault and Skinner on the state: The primacy of politics?
Walter, Ryan (2008). Reconciling Foucault and Skinner on the state: The primacy of politics?. History of the Human Sciences, 21 (3), 94-114. doi: 10.1177/0952695108093955
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Governmentality accounts of the economy: A liberal bias?
Walter, Ryan (2008). Governmentality accounts of the economy: A liberal bias?. Economy and Society, 37 (1), 94-114. doi: 10.1080/03085140701760890
Grants (Administered at UQ)
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(2014–2018) Australian National University
-
The rise of the national economic interest
(2014–2016) ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
-
(2010) UQ Early Career Researcher
PhD and MPhil Supervision
Current Supervision
-
Competition and the OECD
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
-
A Curious Case of Institutional Change: The Employment Act 1946
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
-
Racism and the Citizen in Liberal Democracies
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
-
Small is Beautiful: Knowledge Sharing Practices in Indonesia's Puskesmas Model of Primary Health Care
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
-
Financial Market Tolerance of Government Debt: Understanding Tolerance for Government Debt and the Economic and Political Factors Considered
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
-
Drivers of Central Bank Activism on Climate Change
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Completed Supervision
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Short-termism in varieties of capitalism
(2021) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
-
(2020) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
-
(2018) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
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(2017) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Possible Research Projects
Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.
-
The History of Political Theory
I am currently investigating the history of political theory, building on Ian Hunter's "History of Theory" work. Early results have been published in Modern Intellectual History (2018). The leading finding so far is that the first "political theorists" were greeted with hostility because their presumption to remodel their societies on the basis of abstract reason was construed in relation to "enthusiasm" - a pathology affecting the mind by which it becomes enchanted with its own creations, above all, intellectual systems and dazzling ideas. These results suggest that a crucial line for further research to pursue is the means by which "theorists" achieved the status and prestige that they enjoy today.
-
The History of Liberalism
My recent work loosely tracks the history of "liberalism", but with extreme scepticism towards the usefulness of that category. In short, the aim is to reject the lazy assertion that ideas make the world and instead track those texts and arts of reasoning that achieved institutional and political traction. This, in turn, requires focusing on texts and their reception histories, alongside investigating the personnel who staffed the liberal-democratic state. While my chief interest is in the role of political economists in shaping parliamentary deliberation and reform in nineteenth-century Britain - see the Bullion Controversy, Poor Laws, and Corn Laws - the bigger vision will need to take in party politicians, lawyers, and bureaucrats. Early results have been published in Intellectual History Review (2018).
