Economic models translate real problems to an artificial world, and calculate outcomes. The match between artificial worlds populated by rational robots, and the real world, is never assessed. Instead, models are judged on aesthetic grounds, involving conformity to preconceived principles of...

One of the more striking features of the debate over the Coase theorem is the wide variety of models and theoretical frameworks used to discuss, evaluate, or otherwise analyze Coase's result - an artifact of an ambiguity in Coase's reasoning. Some framed Coase's result in a bargaining context...

Dieser Beitrag nimmt eine feld-und kapitaltheoretische Analyse der Volkswirtschaftslehre in Deutschland vor. Die Machtstrukturen auf dem Feld der ökonomischen Disziplin werden dabei anhand der(ungleichen) Verteilung des ökonomischen, sozialen und symbolischen Kapitals skizziert. Auf Grundlage...

An increasing number of researchers, whether in Sweden, Slovakia, Italy, Japan, Brazil, or many other places, are using English in their discourse, written or oral, despite working in a place where the native language is not English. To convey insights and research results to the general public...

Community currency systems are now turning to digital methods to increase the social outreach of member households in remote areas, mitigate detrimental effects in times of crises, and promote community social cohesion. The resilience of digital community currency systems depends on a set of...

This paper considers from a methodological point of view why disputes in macroeconomics over its fundamental assumptions regularly occur. It analyses the problem first using Kuhn's concept of the paradigm and then draws on McCloskey's use of rhetorical analysis. It finds the latter of limited...

The appeal of the 'Micro-foundations' project, which requires that all macroeconomic propositions are reduced to or derived from microeconomic ones, is strongly supported by the considerable force of what Lakatos calls the discipline's 'hard core'. This is particularly so if this project is...

The standard textbook presentation of many policy issues, such as the financial crisis and income distribution, is problematic. This view is shared by many economists, both mainstream and heterodox. Despite this agreement, it has not and will not change because the textbook presentations have...

Demands for pluralism in economics education have been widespread in recent years. As change in the universities is slow and piecemeal, we present a comparative approach to economics which builds the intellectual basis for the online learning platform Exploring Economics...

Economic theorists have seldom discussed the social structures behind markets, even though market trading relies heavily on seller/buyer roles and personal relations among traders. This paper considers the structural basis of markets and proposes a layered approach which accommodates a wide...