Rhetoric vs realism in economic methodology: a critical assessment of recent contributions

This paper reviews the relatively new debate on rhetoric andrealism in economic methodology, concentrating on its main exponents:Deirdre McCloskey on the side of rhetoric, Tony Lawson as theadvocate of critical realism, and Uskali Mäki, arguingfor a combination of rhetoric and realism. The review highlightsa blind spot in the debate, namely the opportunity to rethinkcritically the project of epistemology.     

Applying mathematics to economics according to Cournot and Walras

This article examines the reasons that led Cournot to refuse Walras's request that he writes an article defending mathematical economics. From a reading of Cournot's works on philosophy and economics we show three reasons which explain the Cournot's refusal. First, Cournot does not attach the same importance to the theorems proposed by Walras. Second, these theorems enable Walras to defend an economic system that he considers to be truer than any other while Cournot believed that the economy could be subject to various forms of mathematical representations. Third, Cournot does not refer to the same conception of mathematics of Walras.     

The Situations of Urban Inquiry: Thinking Problematically about the City

In the context of debates about the epistemological and ontological coherence of concepts of critical urban studies, we argue that urban concepts should be conceptualized problematically. We do so by aligning Michel Foucault's genealogical work on problematization with John Dewey's pragmatist understanding of problem formation and responsiveness. This approach brings into view the degree to which debates about urban futures are shaped by a variety of critical perspectives that extend beyond the academy and activism. We elaborate this argument through examples of global urban policy formation and practices of neighbourhood change. Approaching urban concepts problematically suggests a move away from the idea of critique as a form of scholastic correction towards an appreciation of the contested fields of practice in and through which critical understandings of urban problems emerge.     

Realism and constructivism in strategy research: a critical realist response to Mir and Watson

Mir and Watson (2000) advocate that constructivism has the potential to inform strategy research. In their discussions, they compare constructivism with realism, and highlight certain alleged strengths of the former over the latter. Although their paper provides some insights, their version of constructivism is problematic and their understanding of realism is inaccurate. In this note we clarify some key issues concerning constructivism and realism. Moreover, we argue that Mir and Watson's insights can be accommodated within a critical realist framework. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interactive unawareness

The standard state-spaces of asymmetric information preclude non-trivial forms of unawareness (Modica and Rustichini (Theory Decision 37 (1994) 107–124); Dekel, Lipman and Rustichini (Econometrica 66 (1998) 159–173)). We introduce a generalized state-space model that allows for non-trivial unawareness among several individuals, and which satisfies strong properties of knowledge as well as all the desiderata on unawareness proposed this far in the literature.     

HRM-performance research: under-theorized and lacking explanatory power

The search for a measurable link between HR practices and organizational performance is currently preoccupying HR professionals, consultants, government and academics. Empirical research on this human resource management-performance (HRM-P) link is, however, marred by a serious problem: it is under-theorized. While some (but by no means all) researchers on the HRM-P link are aware of the problem, none are prepared to face up to the scale of the implications. Without theory, research on the HRM-P link lacks explanatory power. The only ‘solution’ on offer (the assertion that theory will develop via more and/or better empirical work) has been less than successful: empirical research has multiplied with little or no theoretical development. Nor can it. The under-theorization and lack of explanatory power is rooted in the ‘scientific’ perspective that underpins empirical research. The paper draws upon critical realist philosophy to reveal exactly why the ‘scientific’ approach encourages under-theorization and lack of explanatory power and, furthermore, why the ‘solution’ on offer cannot solve the problem. The conclusion notes why the HR community should not avoid philosophical issues.     

The quantitative turn in the history of economics: promises,perils and challenges

ABSTRACT

A quantitative turn in history of economic thought is looming. We argue that engineering it consciously is of crucial importance for historians of economics. We also highlight the limitations of quantitative techniques. Yet, the combination of qualitative and quantitative research could substantially enrich our narratives of the development of economics and its practice, of how ideas and tools disseminate and influence other spheres. A failed quantitative turn could lead our field to a house divided and, in the worst case, a civil war.     

德鲁克管理思想的认识论基础及其启示

当代科学与技术的关系非常密切,技术经常被看成科学的应用或应用科学。然而,从认识论的角度看,技术问题与科学问题在评价标准、推理方式,甚至最终答案方面都表现出明显的不同。德鲁克管理思想建筑在＂技术认识论＂的基础之上,这一观点是理解德鲁克全部管理思想的钥匙。＂德鲁克精神＂并非由德鲁克首创,它是由泰罗和法约尔所奠基的,将管理理论视为一种立基于实践的技术性体系——德鲁克的伟大贡献是在人们逐渐淡忘管理的技术本质的时候,不失时机地依据新的管理环境重建起管理理论的框架。     

Sustainable Development: Epistemological Frameworks &; an Ethic of Choice

As the second part of a research agenda addressing the idea and meaning of Sustainable Development, this paper responds to the challenges set in the first paper. Using a Foucaudian perspective, we uncover and highlight the importance of discourse in the development of societal context which could lead to the radical change in our epistemological thought necessary for Sustainable Development to reach its potential. By developing an argument for an epistemological change, we suggest that business organizations have an ethical responsibility towards revaluating Sustainable Development, leading to a discourse based on an integrated inclusive process of celebrating diversity in all its forms. The paper goes on to explore the argument for such a change. This exploration is based on three issues: the notion of over simplification in the promotion of development; the idea of an imbalance in the interaction of business and government operating in the larger context of society; and the notion of increasing responsibility with increasing influence in terms of the business organization within society. Having established the argument for an ethical choice by business organizations, we then reflect on how such a change could be incorporated into an organization.Andrew Fergus is a PhD Candidate with a double major in Organizational Dynamics (Organizational theory/behavior) and Environmental Management/Sustainable Development. His research is focused towards the dynamic relationships found at the interface of organizations, society, and the environment.Dr Julie Rowney is a Professor, Human Resources and Organizational Dynamics, and is the Director of the Faculties International Sustainable Energy Development Programs in Latin America, the Caribbean, Iran and China. Her research activities lie in the areas of diversity, gender, sustainable development, leadership, change, and international/crosscultural comparisons.     

Foucault on the Marginal Revolution in Economics: Language and the Cartesian Legacy

Scholars have long debated the ‘revolutionary’ character of the ‘Marginal Revolution’ in economics, focusing on theoretical foundations, methodological devices, social context and political aspects. This article offers a new perspective by investigating ontological and epistemological conditions of that intellectual movement. This requires, in turn, a characterization of those conditions, for which purpose we will draw on Foucault's configurations of thought into ‘epistemes’ in The Order of Things. Although not mentioning those conditions, there have been few references in economics to Foucault's approach. They have mainly claimed that he neglected its importance because he did not see it as a ‘revolution’ in The Order of Things. It is argued here that he actually considered it a ‘revolution’ in The Archaeology of Knowledge. A revision of Foucault's account provides some ideas regarding deep philosophical conditions of the emergence of neoclassical theory and defies some usual interpretations of the circumstances that led to the mathematization of economics. The main conclusion is that its revolutionary character did not stem from a change of ontological beliefs, but—just as many historians of economics have defended—it was a methodological revolution. This study suggests a reinterpretation of that event, claiming that it resulted from a new conception of language and a crisis of Descartes's project of a mathematical unifying science. Going beyond that debate, these reflections proffer ideas that deserve an appraisal in economics.