Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/267775 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Citation: 
[Journal:] Real-World Economics Review [ISSN:] 1755-9472 [Issue:] 102 [Publisher:] World Economics Association [Place:] Bristol [Year:] 2022 [Pages:] 55-88
Publisher: 
World Economics Association, Bristol
Abstract: 
This paper uses word frequency to track the rise and potential peak of capitalist ideology. Using a sample of mainstream economics textbooks as my corpus of capitalist thinking, I isolate the jargon of these books and then track its frequency over time in the Google English corpus. I also measure the popularity of feudal ideology by applying the same method to a sample of Christian bibles. I find that over the last four centuries, biblical language fell out of favor and was replaced by the language of economics. Surprisingly, however, I find that since the 1980s, the trend has reversed. Today, the language of economics is waning, while biblical language is on the rise. Is this evidence that we’ve passed the peak of capitalist ideology?
Subjects: 
capitalism
economics
ideology
language
religion
JEL: 
P16
URL of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by-nc-nd Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Accepted Manuscript (Postprint)

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