This article uses the functional decomposition approach to modeling Mäki (2009b) to discuss the importance of methodological considerations before choosing a modeling framework in applied research. It considers the case of agent-based models and dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models to...

Institutionalist economists have always been criticizing the neoclassical way of studying the economy, especially because of its obsession to a very strict and flawed formalism. This formalism receives critique also from advocates of agent-based computational economic (ACE) models. The criticism...

This paper is motivated by the observation that (1) socio economic analysis uses significantly less formalisms than mainstream economics, and (2) that there exist numerous situations in which socio economics could benefit from a more formal analysis. This is particularly the case if institutions...

We present an experiment for the study of learning in a complex task which requires both memorisation and the ability to process several pieces of information. The outcome of an action, for which immediate feedback is given, depends on the context (i.e. one of thirty-two sequences of three...

The purpose of this paper is to explain the scope of evolutionary infeasibility of socialism in the broad sense, in light of the theory of spontaneous order of F. A. Hayek. To that end we will study the redefinition of socialism in the context of evolutionary praxeology, we apply the theory of...

Whether in Europe or in North America, Structuration Theory has been widely applied in Information System research. Looking at some structurationists’ trajectories, it seems that European and American researchers correspond each to specific sub-theoretical streams. After having put forward...

In this paper we have presented arguments for simplicity as epistemological criterion of economic research. In particular, have been important aspects that show how the tradition of the theory, to make principle simplicity to represent many empirical data of experience or information, was one of...

Posthumous tributes to Benoit Mandelbrot (1924-2010) have highlighted his remarkable influence on the natural sciences, from geometry to meteorology, to theories with non-Euclidean spaces and geospatial models approach. Mandelbrot culminates a series of major thinkers going back to classical...