Neoclassical Theory Structure and Theory Development : An Empirical-Philosophical Case Study Concerning the Theory of International Trade
by Bert Hamminga
1. Introduction for philosophers of science -- 2. On the cause of fruitless methodology (an introduction for economists) -- 3. Aims and set-up of this study -- A. Two central theses in the theory of international trade and their place in the economists’ world view -- A.1. The neoclassical economists’ world view: neoclassical foundations of economic analysis -- A.2. The effects of international trade through the economists’ spectacles: comparative statics -- A.3. Two central theses in the theory of international trade -- A.4. Why are the theorems “interesting” -- B. The emergence of interesting theorems -- B.1. Introduction -- B.2. The Stolper-Samuelson Exposition -- B.3. Questions arising in connection with the S&S-exposition -- C. Economic “normal science” centred around interesting theorems -- C.1. Introduction -- C.2. Some central concepts in informal symbolism -- C.3. Examples of research centred around the S&S-theorem -- C.4. Research centred around the factor price equalization theorem -- C.5. Summary -- D. Consolidation: metatheory on theory structure and theory development in the Ohlin-Samuelson research programme -- E. The hypothesis of the plausibility strategy -- E.1. The “plausibility strategy”: a first approach -- E.2. Initial explanatory power of the hypothesis -- E.3. Elementary plausibility -- E.4. SEPC, the enigma -- F. Problems of econometrics. The mutal independency thesis -- F.1. Identification problems -- F.2. Anchoring problems -- F.3. How these problems arise from the nature of theory development in the Ohlin-Samuelson programme -- F.4. The mutual independency thesis -- G. Conclusion: results and relevance -- G.1. Summary of the metatheory -- G.2. Some concluding remarks on the relationship between theory development and plausibilism -- G.3. Some beliefs about the generality of the metatheory -- G.4. The merits and problems of other metatheories if applied to neoclassical general equilibrium research programmes -- G.5. Vice, Virtue and Rationality -- H. Appendix: a scheme for formalization of the link between theory development and plausibilism -- I. Appendix: the irrefutability of the Samuelson-type meaningfull theorems -- J. Appendix: The Friedman controversy and its consensus -- K. Appendix: Ricardian versus neoclassical FEA -- L. References -- M. Index.