Early Challenges to Orthodoxy: The Political Element in the Development of Economic Theory (first published in 1930)

Abstract

Myrdal defended his doctoral dissertation in the Spring of 1927 and received a ‘Laudatur’ — the highest possible grade, rarely awarded — for his performance. This achievement automatically qualified him for an appointment as a docent (associate professor) in the University. He embraced his new duties with enthusiasm and eagerly sought to make a mark in the profession. He later described his situation at that time as complicated by the fact that his senior colleagues represented ‘a hard crust of ability and authority, both tempting and deterring to anybody trying to sprout into independent thinking.’¹