1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910298515903321

Autore

Birks Stuart

Titolo

Rethinking economics [[electronic resource] ] : from analogies to the real world / / by Stuart Birks

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Singapore : , : Springer Singapore : , : Imprint : Springer, , 2015

ISBN

981-287-176-4

Edizione

[1st ed. 2015.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (94 p.)

Collana

SpringerBriefs in Economics, , 2191-5504 ; ; 0

Disciplina

330.01

339.5

Soggetti

Economic theory

Econometrics

Economic policy

Economic Theory/Quantitative Economics/Mathematical Methods

Economic Policy

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Chapter 1: The importance of rhetoric and framing -- 1.1: Three paths -- 1.2: Rhetoric and framing.-1.2.1: Rhetoric -- 1.2.2: Framing -- Chapter 2: Logical gaps: Path A – Theory to the real world -- 2.1: What is theory? -- 2.2.: Limits of theory -- 2.2.1: Perfect competition and counterfactuals -- 2.2.2: Accepting or rejecting a theory -- 2.2.3: Evidence consistent with theory -- 2.2.4: An additional consideration: the importance of groups -- 2.3: Conclusions -- Chapter 3: Logical gaps: Path B - Theory to empirical formulations -- 3.1: Data problems -- 3.1.1: Aggregation -- 3.1.2: Proxies -- 3.1.3: More on indices -- 3.2: Functional forms -- 3.2.1: Controlling for other factors -- 3.2.2: Causality -- 3.2.3: Structural stability -- 3.3: Conclusions -- Chapter 4: Logical gaps: Path C – Empirical results to the real world -- 4.1: Using statistics for policy -- 4.1.1: The research phase -- 4.1.2: The media phase -- 4.2: Consideration of the problems -- 4.2.1: Interpretation of statistical significance -- 4.2.2: Interpretation: why not change the relationship? -- 4.3: There are standard policy questions not covered by the econometrics -- 4.3.1: An example – TV watching and attention



problems -- 4.3.2: Policy questions -- 4.4: An additional example: advantage and disadvantage -- 4.5: Conclusions -- Chapter 5: A way forward -- 5.1: An example: efficiency in economics research -- 5.2: A broader context -- 5.3: In a nutshell -- 5.4: And a final word -- Appendix -- References.

Sommario/riassunto

This brief responds to the criticism that mainstream economics is currently facing due to its heavy reliance on models and narrow range of quantitative research techniques. It takes a broader view, identifying issues that are also relevant for heterodox and pluralist approaches to economics. By acknowledging that the world of theory is not the same as the reality that we are trying to understand, the brief focuses on three paths that generally receive little attention. These are: from theory to the real world; from theory to empirical analysis; and from empirical results to policy application. Each path highlights a range of related concerns and qualifications, and the focus on these transitions provides a strong basis for critical evaluation of analyses and potentially more realistic results and recommendations. It also provides a framework for synthesizing information from alternative schools of thought and across disciplines. In addition, the importance of framing and rhetoric is demonstrated. The brief addresses philosophical and methodological issues using a clear, non-technical approach that can be easily understood by a non-specialist audience.