The economics–engineering nexus: response to the commentaries

This paper contributes to the debate on the relationship between economics and engineering that was opened in a previous article by the author and the comments made on the subject by other scholars, all published in the 4/2021 Issue of the Journal. It discusses the knowledge advancement and problem-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEconomia e politica industriale Vol. 49; no. 1; pp. 1 - 29
Main Author Mariotti, Sergio
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cham Springer International Publishing 01.03.2022
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Business Strategy/Leadership
Economics
Economics and Finance
Engineering
Entrepreneurship
Imperialism
Industrial economics
Industrial Organization
R & D/Technology Policy
A12
Epistemology
Economics–engineering nexus
Transdisciplinarity
Artificial intelligence
Unification of knowledge
B50
N01
Complexity
A20
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Summary:This paper contributes to the debate on the relationship between economics and engineering that was opened in a previous article by the author and the comments made on the subject by other scholars, all published in the 4/2021 Issue of the Journal. It discusses the knowledge advancement and problem-solving opportunities offered by the interaction and cross-fertilization that occurs between the two disciplines. It claims that the distance between the epistemology and mentality of fundamental branches of economics and engineering is narrowing, thereby allowing a fruitful knowledge collaboration. An alliance between independent peers is the best form of governance to exploit the potentialities inherent to the relationship, as an alternative to both “economic imperialism” and “reverse imperialism”. Relatedly, the paper delves into the role of economic complexity and artificial intelligence in pushing this paradigm shift of the economics–engineering nexus, and it re-discusses the meaning and content of transdisciplinarity in the context of such an alliance. Finally, the paper expresses the hope that these topics will become a matter of debate in a widespread community of scholars.
ISSN:0391-2078
1972-4977
DOI:10.1007/s40812-021-00203-z