The Future Of The Philosophy Of Economics

Originating from the International Network for Economic Method conference, hosted by the Erasmus Institute for Economics and Philosophy (EIPE) at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2013, this book chooses key themes that reflect on fascinating new developments in the philosophy of economics. Contributions discuss new avenues and debates in important and upcoming areas, such as the philosophy of economic policy making, decision theory, ethics, and new questions in economic methodology. The book offers an excellent insight into cutting edge research in these fields that are about to shape the future of the philosophy of economics. This book was originally published as a special issue of The Journal of Economic Methodology.

Philosophy of Economics: A Contemporary Introduction is the first systematic textbook in the philosophy of economics. It introduces the epistemological, metaphysical and ethical problems that arise in economics, and presents detailed discussions of the solutions that have been offered. Throughout, philosophical issues are illustrated by and analysed in the context of concrete cases drawn from contemporary economics, the history of economic ideas, and actual economic events. This demonstrates the relevance of philosophy of economics both for the science of economics and for the economy. This text will provide an excellent introduction to the philosophy of economics for students and interested general readers alike.

This insightful Modern Guide offers a broad coverage of questions and controversies encountered by contemporary economists. A refreshing approach to philosophy of economics, chapters comprise a range of methodological and theoretical perspectives, from lab and field experiments to macroeconomics and applied policy work, written using a familiar, accessible language for economists.

As most econometricians will readily agree, the data used in applied econometrics seldom provide accurate measurements for the pertinent theory's variables. Here, Bernt Stigum offers the first systematic and theoretically sound way of accounting for such inaccuracies. He and a distinguished group of contributors bridge econometrics and the philosophy of economics--two topics that seem worlds apart. They ask: How is a science of economics possible? The answer is elusive. Economic theory seems to be about abstract ideas or, it might be said, about toys in a toy community. How can a researcher with such tools learn anything about the social reality in which he or she lives? This book shows that an econometrician with the proper understanding of economic theory and the right kind of questions can gain knowledge about characteristic features of the social world. It addresses varied topics in both classical and Bayesian econometrics, offering ample evidence that its answer to the fundamental question is sound. The first book to comprehensively explore economic theory and econometrics simultaneously, Econometrics and the Philosophy of Economics represents an authoritative account of contemporary economic methodology. About a third of the chapters are authored or coauthored by Heather Anderson, Erik Biørn, Christophe Bontemps, Jeffrey A. Dubin, Harald E. Goldstein, Clive W.J. Granger, David F. Hendry, Herman Ruge-Jervell, Dale W. Jorgenson, Hans-Martin Krolzig, Nils Lid Hjort, Daniel L. McFadden, Grayham E. Mizon, Tore Schweder, Geir Storvik, and Herman K. van Dijk.

. . . there are many first-rate contributions here. Those contributions make this collection valuable especially to readers who are already knowledgeable about the various areas in which the interests of philosophers and economists overlap. Daniel M. Hausman, Journal of Economic Methodology The Elgar Companion To Economics and Philosophy is a very good read. Every library should buy it now. John King, History of Economics Review The volume collects articles surveying developments in such related fields as economic methodology, ethics, epistemology, and social ontology. Many of the articles are forward-looking, and as such constitute substantive and original (and at times provocative) contributions to the literature. The volume as a whole is a success; the editors are to be congratulated for their efforts. Bruce J. Caldwell, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, US This Companion is called economics and philosophy but actually it is about the philosophy of economics and all the great questions in the subject are here. The weather in the philosophy of economics has been stormy lately and the climate continues to this day to be unsettled. Will the storms soon settle down to give way to calmer days? Read this excellent collection of informative papers in the field to stimulate your own answer to that question. Mark Blaug, University of London and University of Buckingham, UK The Elgar Companion to Economics and Philosophy aims to demonstrate exactly how these two important areas have always been linked, and to illustrate the key areas of overlap. The Companion is divided into distinct parts, each of which highlights a leading area of scholarly concern: political economy conceived as social philosophy; the methodology and epistemology of economics; and social ontology and the ontology of economics. The contributors are well-known and distinguished authors from a variety of disciplines, who have been invited both to survey and to provide a personal assessment of current and prospective future states of their respective areas of philosophical interest. Academics and students who have an interest in economics and philosophy, political philosophy and the history of ideas will find this book of great appeal, as will researchers working in the field and readers interested in the nature of the discipline of economics.

How did Britain’s economy become a bastion of inequality? In this landmark book, the author of The New Enclosure provides a forensic examination and sweeping critique of early-twenty-first-century capitalism. Brett Christophers styles this as ‘rentier capitalism’, in which ownership of key types of scarce assets—such as land, intellectual property, natural resources, or digital platforms—is all-important and dominated by a few unfathomably wealthy companies and individuals: rentiers. If a small elite owns today’s economy, everybody else foots the bill. Nowhere is this divergence starker, Christophers shows, than in the United Kingdom, where the prototypical ills of rentier capitalism—vast inequalities combined with entrenched economic stagnation—are on full display and have led the country inexorably to the precipice of Brexit. With profound lessons for other countries subject to rentier dominance, Christophers’ examination of the UK case is indispensable to those wanting not just to understand this insidious economic phenomenon but to overcome it. Frequently invoked but never previously analysed and illuminated in all its depth and variety, rentier capitalism is here laid bare for the first time.

This book develops a philosophico-methodological analysis of prediction and its role in economics. Prediction plays a key role in economics in various ways. It can be seen as a basic science, as an applied science and in the application of this science. First, it is used by economic theory in order to test the available knowledge. In this regard, prediction has been presented as the scientific test for economics as a science. Second, prediction provides a content regarding the possible future that can be used for prescription in applied economics. Thus, it can be used as a guide for economic policy, i.e., as knowledge concerning the future to be employed for the resolution of specific problems. Third, prediction also has a role in the application of this science in the public arena. This is through the decision-making of the agents — individuals or organizations — in quite different settings, both in the realm of microeconomics and macroeconomics. Within this context, the research is organized in five parts, which discuss relevant aspects of the role of prediction in economics: I) The problem of prediction as a test for a science; II) The general orientation in methodology of science and the problem of prediction as a scientific test; III) The methodological framework of social sciences and economics: Incidence for prediction as a test; IV) Epistemology and methodology of economic prediction: Rationality and empirical approaches and V) Methodological aspects of economic prediction: From description to prescription. Thus, the book is of interest for philosophers and economists as well as policy-makers seeking to ascertain the roots of their performance. The style used lends itself to a wide audience.

In today’s data-driven world, certain infrastructures of society have begun to lose their anthropological traits. Economics, specifically, has started placing importance on quantity over quality, excluding its philosophical perspective. Scientists and associates of economics need to be reacquainted with the psychological aspect of commerce and its significance to humanity. Examining the Relationship Between Economics and Philosophy is an essential reference source that discusses the psychological view of economics as well as its philosophical background. Featuring research on topics such as cognitive science, neoliberalism, and neuroeconomics, this book is ideally designed for scientists, economists, managers, executives, academicians, researchers, and students seeking coverage on the philosophy of the financial system and its impact on competitive markets.