معرفی
Ryan Walter is an Associate Professor and Director of Teaching & Learning at the School of Political Science & International Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at The University of Queensland. His academic career spans multiple institutions with a consistent focus on the historical relationship between politics and economics, particularly examining how economists emerged as a distinctive intellectual class from the 18th century to the present.
Walter received his Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor (Honours) of Economics from Murdoch University, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy from the Australian National University. His educational background provided the foundation for his specialized research into the historical development of economic and political thought.
Walter's research centers on the relationship between politics and economics, with particular attention to how economists' skill sets and ethics have evolved in relation to empirical evidence and political beliefs. His seminal work focuses on the history of economic thought in Britain, examining how the rise of political economy transformed political discourse. His scholarship on Adam Smith, Thomas Robert Malthus, and David Ricardo has clarified how early economists faced opposition because 'theorizing' was not yet established as a prestigious activity. He argues that the presumption of intellectuals to reform society based on 'theory' was perceived as philosophical enthusiasm linked to the French Revolution. His book Before Method and Models (Oxford, 2021) represents a key statement of this research program.
Walter's recent publications reveal a consistent scholarly trajectory examining classical economists and their reception, with particular attention to methodological questions in economics. His work bridges political theory and economic history, frequently exploring how economic ideas have influenced political discourse and policy-making across different historical periods. A notable pattern in his scholarship is the examination of casuistry (moral reasoning about cases) in economic thought and the historical development of economic language.
Walter has received significant research funding through competitive grants, including an ARC Discovery Project on Australian Political Rhetoric (2014-2018), an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award for 'The rise of the national economic interest' (2014-2016), and a UQ Early Career Researcher grant for 'The Persona of the Economist' (2010).
As an academic supervisor, Walter has advised numerous PhD students to completion across diverse topics including Keynesian economics, health care policy, central banking approaches to climate change, government debt framing, varieties of capitalism, and the history of political thought. His supervision portfolio demonstrates his interdisciplinary approach and commitment to mentoring emerging scholars in both historical and contemporary political economy.
