OZ.S: Proposed changes to RFCD codes

[sville at uow.edu.au]

Dear Colleagues

As you may be aware, DEST has commissioned the Australian Bureau of Statistics to review the use of the Australian Standard Research Classification (ASRC).  The RFCD codes is one of these classifications, which will change to Fields of Research. As you will see from the statement below, major and negative changes are proposed for economic history. This appears to be largely the handiwork of one person in ABS (David Brett: david.brett at abs.gov.au). His logic is that economic history uses the processes and methods of history rather than economics and that the lowish amount of R&D money generated by our area requires a lower classification wherever it is located. These points are addressed in a general statement below. We urge all economic historians to register their objections through their own university and, if you wish, with David Brett himself. Our statement is a guideline – you may wish to modify it to your reflect your own views. Feedback needs to be provided by 10th September.

Kind regards
Simon Ville
President, Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand

The economic history community in Australia is strongly opposed to foreshadowed changes to its classification suggested by the proposed reforms to the RFCD codes. Under the new Fields of Research categories, ‘economic history and history of economic thought’ is removed as a four digit classification within economics and is relocated as a 6 digit classification in the History and Philosophy category.

Economic history is an active field of research in Australia. Its peak body, the Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand, manages the Australian Economic History Review, an internationally significant journal in its field which recently was admitted to the Social Science Citation Index. In addition, the Society hosts an annual conference which receives in excess of 50 papers, and offers a range of prizes for best article, PhD, honours thesis, and conference paper. 

While the new classification retains a place for economic history, it is downgraded in importance and is incorrectly located in history and philosophy. In Australia, as overseas, the overwhelming majority of economic history research is conducted in economics schools and commerce faculties and explicitly uses the methodologies and theories of these disciplinary areas. This fact is recognised by the Research Quality Framework, which locates economic history and its journals in Panel 10 (Economics, Commerce, Management). Economic history research does not seek substantial research grant expenditure, in most cases it is capital extensive work that draws upon pen & paper (laptop) and access to an archive. The substantial output of economic history, though, can be clearly indicated by the contents of the Australian Economic History Review, the regular contribution of Australian authors to overseas journals in the field, and the authorship of monographs. Further details can be provided.