Sheila Dow's concept of dualism: clarification, criticism and development

This paper analyses Dow's concept of dualism and decomposesit into eight categories, one not explicitly identified by Dow.It is argued that Dow's original definition is underdevelopedand thereby lacking practical relevance. The paper presentsa development of Dow's definition, which allows her to attackthe splitting of polar categories. This significantly increasesthe relevance of Dow's definition of dualism and buttressesher criticisms of the mainstream. The paper also identifies‘heuristic dualism’ in Dow's work. A distinctioncan be made between Dow's ‘heuristic dualism’, whichis strictly an intermediate step in an argument, and the mainstreamuse of fixed dualistic categories.     

Eriksson on critical realism: a comment

Abstract

This note offers a critique of Ralf Eriksson's treatment of Critical Realism. Eriksson, in the context of an analysis of Keynes, makes several mistaken claims about Critical Realism. Specifically, contrary to Eriksson, Critical Realism does not claim that the world is independent of consciousness, that isolation and closure are equivalent, that abstraction and closure are equivalent, that Lawson employs double standards in the possibility of closed systems, or that realist theories must be simple. Eriksson attacks a vulgar form of realism, but not Critical Realism as it currently stands. We also argue that Eriksson's misinterpretations may be partially due to some ambiguous statements in the Critical Realist literature.     

Is UK economics teaching changing? Evaluating the new subject benchmark statement

This paper evaluates the recent reform to the curricular governance framework for UK Economics teaching: the revised Subject Benchmark Statement document for Economics (SBSE). The crisis of confidence in economics which was amplified by the global financial crisis presented an opportunity for fundamental change in economics teaching. The paper asks whether the new SBSE represents change. We ask whether the new SBSE is pluralist with regard to economic theory and method; how it treats the economy and its wider socio-political dimension; what are its educational goals and approach; and overall, how much change has it brought? The paper concludes that the new SBSE does not constitute change: it still exhibits limited pluralism, ignores ethics, power and politics and ignores key educational goals.     

Retroduction as mixed-methods triangulation in economic research: reorienting economics into social science

This paper argues that mixed-methods triangulation can be understoodas the manifestation of retroduction, the logic of inferenceespoused by critical realism. As such, it can provide the basisupon which different insights upon the same phenomenon can besensibly combined and thus has the potential to unite aspectsof different traditions of economic and social thought. In thisregard, the paper supports Lawson's view that the exclusiveinsistence on mathematical and statistical modelling in economicsis misguided. The paper explores how disciplinary boundariesmay be broken down and interdisciplinary social science, ofwhich economics can be a part, established.     

Critical Realism and Econometrics: Constructive Dialogue with Post Keynesian Economics

The philosophy of science known as critical realism, as developed in economics, offers both a methodological critique of mainstream economics and a methodological foundation for alternative economic perspectives. Post Keynesian economics is a school of thought that has often been defined in terms of its opposition to the mainstream and has, to varying degrees, become allied to critical realism. Post Keynesians have not fully developed the detailed epistemological consequences of a commitment to critical realism. One such consequence is a possible tension over the use of econometric methods. This arises because, on the one hand, many of the epistemological pronouncements of critical realism imply the suspicion of econometric methods. On the other hand, many Post Keynesians regularly employ these methods in their desire to apply economic analysis. This paper examines these tensions and shows that drawing upon Post Keynesian economics a useful symbiosis of ideas is produced which has positive implications for the practice of critical–realist empirical work including econometrics.