What is the role of economists in policymaking? Historians of the economic thought have been exploring this question in a number of cases, documenting the various channels of influence of economic expertise and economists over public policies (see, e.g., Mata and Medema, 2014 and Maas et al. 2019). One economic tool that has become very popular and widespread since the 1960s is macroeconometric modelling; this practice was developed and used within policymaking institutions (such as planning offices, central banks, international organisations, ...).

The set of interviews in this collection addresses, as a main topic, early experiences in using macroeconometric modelling in policymaking at the French Treasury (1950s-1970s). Economists interviewed in this series recollect how they created a space for this new practice, navigating the intellectual and political debates of those decades.

Interviews were conducted in French by Loipa Muniz Duarte during his PhD. The materials collected have been used in her dissertation (2024’s laureate of the Charles Gide PhD Dissertation Award) and in her book, Les pratiques de modélisation macroéconomique en France entre 1950 et 1975 (2024, Garnier). Transcriptions are currently in French; translations will be released further on.

1. Bernard Billaudot

2. Jacques Boullé

3. Guy de Monchy

4. Mario Dehove

5. Pierre Malgrange

6. Jacques Mazier

7. Jacques Mistral

8. Pierre Morin

9. Henri Sterdyniak

10. Bruno Théret