The Social Construction of Theoretical Landscapes

Some Economics of Economic Theories

Bibliographic Data

ID2813671
AuthorsRichard E Wagner (0000-0001-8567-5776, George Mason University Department of Economics 3G4, Fairfa VA 22030 USA, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume71
Issue5
Pages1185-1204
Publication date2012-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Economics and Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9246 • E-ISSN: 1536-7150
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1536-7150.2012.00862.x
OpenAlexW2312382073
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited26

Economic theory emerges through interaction among interested participants, with the content of those theories being a product of spontaneous ordering and not scientific planning. At any moment, it is reasonable to expect various theoretical formulations to be in play, some typically receiving greater attention than others. As with spontaneous orders in general, the institutional arrangements within which theorizing occurs are influential though not determinative over the characteristics of theories. In this respect, a distinction is made between theories directed at understanding social processes as open and creative and theories directed at controlling what are treated as closed and deterministic processes. This distinction is illustrated with respect to theorizing about macro phenomena and public phenomena

Determinative · Economics · Epistemology · Macro · Political science · Positive economics · Product (mathematics) · Sociology · Complex Systems and Time Series Analysis · Computer Science · Economic theories and models · Economic Theory and Institutions · Law · Mathematics · Philosophy

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