Economic Methodology
Understanding Economics as a Science
Published on 17. March 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-0-230-21813-0 (ISBN)
Description
Like other sciences, the study of economics has been shaped by rigorous arguments and debates that continue to influence economists today. In this fascinating introduction, Boumans and Davis consider the scientific nature of the methods, logic, and forms of explanation that underlie economics as a discipline.
Reviews / Votes
'An extremely valuable volume which will certainly become an indispensable guide in introducing a student to the modern state of economic methodology.' - Ivan A. Boldyrev, Journal of Economic Methodology 'This is a very innovative, clear, and well-informed text in economic methodology that fills an important niche.' - D. Wade Hands, Professor of Economics, University of Puget Sound and Co-editor of the Journal of Economic Methodology 'This is an excellent book that goes beyond being a textbook. It is a contribution in synthesizing issues in methodology of economics.' - Sohrab Behdad, Professor and John E. Harris Chair in Economics, Denison UniversityMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Basingstoke
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
2 black & white tables, 3 black & white line drawings
Dimensions
Height: 246 mm
Width: 170 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
391 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-230-21813-0 (9780230218130)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
MARCEL BOUMANS is Associate Professor and Co-director of the faculty research programme History and Methodology of Economics at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. JOHN B. DAVIS is Professor of History and Philosophy of Economics and Co-director of the faculty research programme History and Methodology of Economics at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Professor of Economics at Marquette University, USA.
Content
The Received View of Science Focus 1.1 Axiomatization Focus 1.2 Models Focus 1.3 Formalism Methodologies of Positive Economics Focus 2.1 Methodologies before Friedman Focus 2.2 Measurement Focus 2.3 Experiments Popper's Logic of Discovery Focus 3.1 The Duhem-Quine Thesis Focus 3.2 Popper's Situational Analysis Focus 3.3 Testing Kuhn and Lakatos Focus 4.1 Research Programs in Economics Focus 4.2 Scientific Revolutions in Economics? Focus 4.3 Facts The Sociology of Scientific Knowledge Focus 5.1 Economics as a Discipline Focus 5.2 Case Study Research Focus 5.3 Feminist Philosophy of Science and Feminist Political Economy Rhetoric, Postmodernism, and Pluralism Focus 6.1 Analogy and Metaphor Focus 6.2 Paul Feyerabend Focus 6.3 Realism and Causal Explanation in Economics Value Judgements in Economics Focus 7.1 Logical Positivism and Ordinalist Utility Theory Focus 7.2 Neutral Science? Focus 7.3 Naturalistic Legitimation Glossary