经济学理论创新之我见

本文从“创新”概念的演变入手 ,分析和论述了经济学理论创新的基本内涵、作用。在此基础上 ,阐述了评价经济学理论创新性的三个标准 :是否与实践相结合 ;能不能与时俱进 ;是否遵守形式逻辑内部一致的要求。并根据这三个标准探讨了实现经济学理论创新的途径。     

The Methodological Basis of Institutional Economics: Comment

This article highlights Simon Patten's contributions to the institutionalist method and view of abundance. It illustrates Patten's role in the cross-fertilization between early institutionalists and the German Historicists. Patten's views on the societal transition to abundance, the method of social inquiry, and the role of social scientists are re-examined in light of the current exigencies of a climate-constrained, post-industrial economy. The policy implications that emerge from Patten's rejection of the presumption of scarcity are examined in a contemporary context. The article suggests that the historical and evolutionary approach that Patten fostered among institutionalists is essential to the identification and implementation of the socio-economic reform requisite of an age of abundance.     

Economic Reforms in Socialist Economics: A Comment on Petr

Abstract:

The pre-WWII approaches to trade unions were mainly based on the theoretical and methodological viewpoints of early institutional economics. Trade unions were conceived of as politico-economic organizations whose members were motivated by relative comparisons, and also were concerned with issues of equity and justice. In the post-war period, there was a major theoretical and methodological shift toward the idea of unions as optimizing economic units with well-defined objective functions, which are optimized subject to purely economic constraints. This conceptual transformation took place mainly through the Dunlop -Ross debate, in which John Dunlop conceived of unions as analogous to business firms, as opposed to Arthur Ross’s institutional and political approach. However, after decades of analytical developments, the current state of trade union theory has not produced very impressive theoretical results. We trace the historical development of the economic analysis of trade unions from a methodological perspective. We also examine the methodological reasons for the dominance of Dunlop’s approach, and the current state of – and the contemporary criticism toward – the established theory. Furthermore, we discuss the contemporary efforts to build a more comprehensive approach to trade union theory and trade union objectives, also incorporating Ross’s institutional and political insights.     

The Methodological and the Ethical Context of Positive Economics: Comment on McKenzie

This article employs the number of rule recipients in order to explain the transformation of some customs into laws. The publication of rules may mark the reaching of the threshold number beyond which the spontaneous rule leaves room for the State intervention. In addition, the publication resolves a couple of questions that Hayek left unresolved. Examples are provided from ancient merchant customs and contemporary international law.     

关注发展中国家经济安全--评张帆《国际经济学》

由东北财经大学出版社出版的<国际经济学>(2003年)是一部按照教育部规定的教学基本要求,适应财经专业教学需要、体系完整、结构合理、理论深度把握得当的教材.它接受了西方理论的科学成分,运用马克思主义观点批判分析了其国际经济关系.它不同于同类教材之处,也是最值得关注的是,张帆老师经过多年深入的研究,吸收了已经公认的经济学最新研究成果,从发展中国家国情出发,把经济理论同我国以及众多发展中国家的市场经济改革实践紧密结合,专门设篇章关注发展中国家经济安全的现实问题,并探讨了谋求经济安全的策略.突破了教材与实践、科研脱离的传统教材编写模式.     

The Fable of the Allegory: The Wizard of Oz in Economics: Comment

Although recent research strongly suggests that L. Frank Baum did not write The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a monetary or political allegory, the Populist-parable interpretation of his book remains a tremendous teaching tool in economics classes. The author offers some background on the rise and fall of the Populist interpretation, in recognition of students' natural curiosity about Baum's intentions. He also offers a classroom-ready version of the parable that synthesizes several different versions of that interpretation.     

Comment: Marrying Functional Differentiation and Institutional Economics: Reflections on Steffen Roth’s Article

The Luhmannian idea of functional differentiation offers a novel and radical systems-theoretic framework reinforcing the institutionalist vision of the embeddedness of the economic system in the societal and natural environment. Reflecting on Steffen Roth’s article, I formulate two complementary arguments. The first is that any self-organized complexity can be supported by the installation of a systemic boundary protecting it from the outer environment. The second is that this boundary prevents the complexity of the outer environment from being fully translatable into the intra-systemic complexity. Both arguments potentially inform the institutionalist analysis of the operational and moral problems of the economic function system.     

Observations on the Use of Textbooks in the Teaching of Principles of Economics: A Comment

The usual substitution effect of a price change between goods is extended to substitution among differentiated products within a heterogeneous good in a manner useful for the introductory and intermediate courses. The example of student choice of course load is used.     

The New Economics Tests for the College and Pre-college Levels: A Comment

The authors examine the recently revised Test of Understanding of College Economics (TUCE) available from the Joint Council on Economic Education. The article examines its reliability, validity, norms, and item statistics with attention to limitations.     

Comment on “What is Heterodox Economics? Conversations with Historians of Economic Thought”

The Comment on Wrenn’s article “What is Heterodox Economics?” suggests that the inability of heterodox economists to define their field arises from an as yet unrecognized and different metaphysical foundation than that of orthodox economics.