Methodology for a New Microeconomics (Routledge Revivals)

Methodology for a New Microeconomics (Routledge Revivals)
Author: Lawrence A. Boland
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2014-06-03
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317680901

First published in 1986, this title argues that the successful development of a new microeconomics requires a deeper understanding of methodological individualism and its role in stability analysis. Lawrence Boland expounds a critique of neoclassical models, which, he contends, often fail to include an explicit stability analysis. He demonstrates that much of the sophisticated theoretical literature over the past thirty years can be understood as ad hoc attempts to overcome the deficiencies of such models in the absence of cogent stability analyses. In conclusion, he explains the need to update the theory taught at universities, and to develop a truly individualist version of microeconomics that is consistent with the methodological principles of major neoclassical models. An important contribution to economic methodology, this work is a highly valuable resource for all students and teachers of economics at the undergraduate level.

The Methodology of Economic Model Building (Routledge Revivals)

The Methodology of Economic Model Building (Routledge Revivals)
Author: Lawrence A. Boland
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2014-05-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317680960

The major methodological task for modern economists has been to establish the testability of models. Too often, however, methodological assumptions can make a model virtually impossible to test even under ideal conditions, yet few theorists have examined the requirements and problems of assuring testability in economics. In The Methodology of Economic Model Building, first published in 1989, Lawrence Boland presents the results of a research project that spanned more than twenty years. He examines how economists have applied the philosophy of Karl Popper, relating methodological debates about falsifiability to wider discussions about the truth status of models in natural and social sciences. He concludes that model building in economics reflects more the methodological prescriptions of the economist Paul Samuelson than Popper’s ‘falsificationism’. This title will prove invaluable to both students and researchers, and represents a substantial contribution to debates about the scientific status of economics.

Microeconomic Analysis (Routledge Revivals)

Microeconomic Analysis (Routledge Revivals)
Author: David Currie
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 379
Release: 2016-05-20
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317214889

First published in 1981, this book brings together a collection of essays on microeconomics and development presented at the conference of the Association of University Teachers of Economics. Topics covered include the intergenerational transfer of economic inequality, a review of the recent development in the theory of equity in the economy’s distribution and production process, labour and unemployment, market structure and international trade, taxation and the public sector, Third World industrialisation and Indian agriculture. This book will be of interest to students of Economics and Development Studies.

Economic Methodology and Freedom to Choose (Routledge Revivals)

Economic Methodology and Freedom to Choose (Routledge Revivals)
Author: Patrick O'Sullivan
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2012-07-26
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1136736905

First published in 1987, Professor O'Sullivan's work provides an in depth philosophical examination of the foundations of method in Economics and other human sciences. The argument is unabashedly dialectical in the great Socratic-Platonic tradition, and the reissue will be very welcome to all students of methodology, in particular those students of economic methodology seeking a refreshing alternative to yet more mathematical game playing. In an age dominated and perhaps to an extent perplexed by an ultimately non-committal postmodernism the book provides a root and branch critique of the epistemological relativism which must lie at the root of the whole post-modernist approach; and in reasserting the fundamental importance not only for the methods of science but also for European civilisation of the pursuit of truth it takes a stance which is very much against the tide of the times. A heterodox perspective is also provided and defended in detail regarding the real nature of economic methodology whereby it is shown that Economics epitomises a teleological mode of explanation which is significantly different from the efficient causal modes of explanation of the natural sciences. In fact Economics is the ultimate subjectivist/interpretative discipline in the methodological sense of Max Weber and Alfred Schutz, a fact which has only been recognised (and welcomed) in the Austrian school of Economics.

Evolutionary Macroeconomics (Routledge Revivals)

Evolutionary Macroeconomics (Routledge Revivals)
Author: John Foster
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2013-02-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 113664623X

First published in 1987, Evolutionary Macroeconomics offers an evolutionary approach to macroeconomics as an alternative to contemporary new classical and Keynesian macroeconomics. In order to develop such an approach, an alternative view of the micro-foundations of macroeconomics is presented. The book begins with a commentary on the state of macroeconomics and an evaluation of attempts to redevelop its underlying vision of economic behaviour. Particular attention is paid to the treatment of expectations and anticipations. The second part of the book presents a behavioural framework which is compatible with an evolutionary perspective on economic behaviour. The third part of the book discusses the implications of adopting an evolutionary approach to macroeconomic theory, empirical methods and policy design, culminating in a specific policy proposal to cure stagflation.

Equilibrium Models in Economics

Equilibrium Models in Economics
Author: Lawrence A. Boland
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2017-04-21
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0190274344

The concept of equilibrium is fundamental to economic theory, according to which, it exists when supply and demand are balanced. Equilibrium Models in Economics critically examines the major problematic assumptions employed to build equilibrium models. It gives particular attention to the assumptions used to characterize learning, knowledge and expectations. Lawrence Boland here explores whether equilibrium models can provide a realistic explanation of economic events and objects such as prices, market demands and market supplies. He traces how the different perspectives on equilibrium models represented by such creators as Kenneth Arrow, Robert Clower, and George Richardson influenced subsequent developments in economics. A key debate is about the comparative importance of whether equilibrium refers to a state of an actual economy or a property of a formal mathematical model. Another is the extent that the distinction between a model's exogenous vs. endogenous variables involves causality. Also explored are more recent efforts provided by behavioral, evolutionary, and complexity economics-whether they might change how economics is practiced in the future and how they could. Equilibrium Models in Economics is a trenchant exploration of how the discipline has grappled with attempts to understand and explain the way information, knowledge, and the expectations of actors participating in the economy influence outcomes and behavior. It presents a realistic, workable theory of knowledge and learning, simulating how decision makers and other actors operate in fast-changing equilibrium conditions.

Routledge Revivals: International Trade (1986)

Routledge Revivals: International Trade (1986)
Author: Bharat Hazari
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 303
Release: 2018-05-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1351356968

First published in 1986, this book examines international trade, offering different theories and considering contemporary developments. Professor Hazari connects these theories and developments, such as theories of comparative advantage and factor-price differentials, to economic expansion and terms of international trade. Many key economic problems are related to the theory of international trade, problems such as tariffs, the dependency of developing countries and changing patterns of world trade, and the book shows how theory impinges on these other important issues. The theory of international trade is a popular and widely taught specialism within economics. This book surveys the pure theory which forms the core of the topic.

Prosperity and Public Spending (Routledge Revivals)

Prosperity and Public Spending (Routledge Revivals)
Author: Edward Nell
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2009-12-15
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1135156360

In a dramatic and well-argued challenge to the prevailing wisdom, Prosperity and Public Spending, first published in 1988, contends that the failure of Keynesian economics has been due to its timidity. Far from contracting, the government must expand its powers and activities, in order to achieve and maintain economic prosperity. The need for such expansion arises from the fact that the system has developed from a craft-based economy to a mass-production network with sophisticated international finance. This "transformational growth" brings about irreversible and sometimes devastating changes, requiring government action. Professor Nell argues that a lack of government action in the decade prior to the book’s initial publication was responsible for the stagnation of the economy and he asserts that this could only be overcome by a determined policy intervention and the political will to achieve dominance over private capital.

Urban Transport Planning (Routledge Revivals)

Urban Transport Planning (Routledge Revivals)
Author: Harry Dimitriou
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2013-12-19
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317831470

Originally published in 1992, this book discusses a contemporary growth in environmental awareness, reflected in an increasing concern about the pollution caused by motor cars.The author considers the problem of congestion bringing traffic to a halt in the major cities and the increasingly controversial nature of contemporary transport planning. Professor Dimitriou provides a thorough and incisive contemporary analysis and suggests some appropriate solutions for the future.

The Microeconomics of Complex Economies

The Microeconomics of Complex Economies
Author: Wolfram Elsner
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 599
Release: 2014-04-15
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0124115993

The Microeconomics of Complex Economies uses game theory, modeling approaches, formal techniques, and computer simulations to teach useful, accessible approaches to real modern economies. It covers topics of information and innovation, including national and regional systems of innovation; clustered and networked firms; and open-source/open-innovation production and use. Its final chapter on policy perspectives and decisions confirms the value of the toolset. Written so chapters can be used independently, the book includes an introduction to computer simulation and pedagogical supplements. Its formal, accessible treatment of complexity goes beyond the scopes of neoclassical and mainstream economics. The highly interdependent economy of the 21st century demands a reconsideration of economic theories. - Describes the usefulness of complex heterodox economics - Emphasizes divergences and convergences with neoclassical economic theories and perspectives - Fits easily into courses on intermediate microeconomics, industrial organization, and games through self-contained chapters