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NEP - New Economics Papers
Issue: nep-hpe-2002-07-04

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NEP report on History and Philosophy of Economics
Edited by Andy Denis (andy.denis@...)

This document is in the public domain, please circulate to any.

In this issue:

*( 1 ) Pluralism, Scientific Progress and the Structure of
Organization Studies.
Christian Knudsen
*( 2 ) The essential tension in the social sciences: Between the
"unification" and "fragmentation" trap*
Christian Knudsen
*( 3 ) The Rhetorical Dimensions of Bounded Rationality: Herbert A.
Simon and Organizational Economics
Nicolai J. Foss
*( 4 ) A Foundation Model for Marxian Breakdown Theories Based on a New
Falling Rate of Profit Mechanism.
Howard Petith
*( 5 ) Maximising Happiness?
Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer
*( 6 ) "On Paradigms, Theories and Models"
Haider Ali Khan
*( 7 ) L'altruismo: atteggiamento irrazionale, strategia vincente o
amore per il prossimo?
Ottone, Stefania

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*(1)

Pluralism, Scientific Progress and the Structure of
Organization Studies.


Christian Knudsen


Abstract: Should organization studies aspire to be a mono-paradigmatic
science as argued by Pfeffer or should we pursue a strategy of
unconditional pluralism by "letting thousands flower grow"? A new
framework is presented that suggests that scientific progress in
organization studies will best be promoted by upholding a balance
between the exploitation of existing research programs and the
exploration of new research programs. Too much pluralism can be as
destructive for scientific progress as too little pluralism.

Downloads:
http://netec.wustl.edu/adnetec-cgi-bin/nep?urn=RePEc:ivs:iivswp:02-05

IVS/CBS Working Papers / Department of Industrial Economics and Strategy,
Copenhagen
Business School

*(2)

The essential tension in the social sciences: Between the
"unification" and "fragmentation" trap*


Christian Knudsen


Abstract: A new framework is presented that suggests that scientific
progress requires a balance between exploitation of existing research
programs (normal science) and exploration of new research programs
(revolutionary science) Too much pluralism can be as destructive for
scientific progress as too little pluralism. In order to make
progress in an intellectual field one need to uphold what Thomas
Kuhn described as an essential tension between tradition and
innovation. In the framework presented here, this implies balancing
on a knife-edge trying to avoid falling into either a
"fragmentation trap" or a "unification trap". The "fragmentation
trap" is a self-reinforcing process where the exploration of new
theories completely comes to dominate the exploitation of existing
research programs, while the "unification trap" is a self-reinforcing
process where the exploitation of an existing research program
completely comes to dominate the exploration of new research
programs. A number of strategies for avoiding both the
"fragmentation trap" and the "unification trap" are presented and
discussed in relationship to management studies and economics,
respectively. The framework is finally used to discuss the type of
traps that faces different social sciences and the way they are
organized as discussed by Richard Whitley in his comparative analysis
of intellectual fields.

JEL Codes: A12 B40
Downloads:
http://netec.wustl.edu/adnetec-cgi-bin/nep?urn=RePEc:ivs:iivswp:02-06

IVS/CBS Working Papers / Department of Industrial Economics and Strategy,
Copenhagen
Business School

*(3)

The Rhetorical Dimensions of Bounded Rationality: Herbert A.
Simon and Organizational Economics


Nicolai J. Foss


Abstract: I discuss the rhetorical dimensions of bounded rationality in
two different, yet related, contexts, namely in the practice of
organizational economists and in Herbert Simon's key attempts to
persuade economists to take bounded rationality seriously, his Ely
lecture and his Nobel Prize lecture. I discuss various reasons why
Simon failed to convince his contemporaries, among other things,
the absence of clear definitions of bounded rationality and
heuristics for incorporating it into economic models. Simon's
failures in these respects help explaining the very modest, and
mainly "rhetorical," use of bounded rationality in the works of
organizational economists.

JEL Codes: B41 D23 M1
Keywords: Herbert Simon, bounded rationality, organizational economics,
rhetoric.

Downloads:
http://netec.wustl.edu/adnetec-cgi-bin/nep?urn=RePEc:ivs:iivswp:02-07

IVS/CBS Working Papers / Department of Industrial Economics and Strategy,
Copenhagen
Business School

*(4)

A Foundation Model for Marxian Breakdown Theories Based on a New
Falling Rate of Profit Mechanism.


Howard Petith


Abstract: Abstract: The paper presents a foundation model for Marxian
theories of the breakdown of capitalism based on a new falling rate
of profit mechanism. All of these theories are based on one or more
of ?the historical tendencies?: a rising capital-wage bill ratio, a
rising capitalist share and a falling rate of profit. The model is a
foundation in the sense that it generates these tendencies in the
context of a model with a constant subsistence wage. The newly
discovered generating mechanism is based on neo-classical reasoning
for a model with land. It is non-Ricardian in that land augmenting
technical progress can be unboundedly rapid. Finally, since the model
has no steady state, it is necessary to use a new technique,
Chaplygin?s method, to prove the result.

JEL Codes: B24 E11 O41
Keywords: Marx, Breakdown, Falling Rate of Profit

Downloads:
http://netec.wustl.edu/adnetec-cgi-bin/nep?urn=RePEc:aub:autbar:516.02

UFAE and IAE Working Papers / Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica
(UAB) and Institut d'Anàlisi Econòmica (CSIC)

*(5)

Maximising Happiness?


Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer


Abstract: The measurement of individual happiness challenges the notion
that revealed preferences only reliably and empirically reflect
individual utility. Reported subjective well-being is a broader
concept than traditional decision utility; it also includes concepts
like experience and procedural utility. Micro- and macroeconometric
happiness functions offer new insights on determinants of life
satisfaction. However, one should not leap to the conclusion that
happiness should be maximised, as was suggested for social welfare
function maximisation. In contrast, happiness research strengthens
the validity of an institutional approach, such as reflected in the
theory of democratic economic policy.

JEL Codes: D60 D71 I31
Keywords: constitutional economics; happiness; institutions; social welfare
function

Downloads:
http://netec.wustl.edu/adnetec-cgi-bin/nep?urn=RePEc:zur:iewwpx:022

IEW - Working Papers / Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW

*(6)

"On Paradigms, Theories and Models"


Haider Ali Khan (GSIS, University of Denver and CIRJE,
Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo)


Abstract: The purpose of this brief note is to alert the reader to the
existing confusing state of affairs in the social sciences regarding
the terms paradigm, theories and models, trace a few of the causes,
and offer some tentative distinctions that may make our discourses a
bit clearer. Since the word paradigm is used in so many different
ways, it is suggested that we avoid using this term unless necessary
in a particular context. For most ordinary scientific discourse and
debate,the terms theories and models are sufficient. As shown in this
paper, they are terms that can be defined clearly, and used to raise
relevant questions about choice among different theories and models.
From this perspective, paradigm seems to be an example of the traps
that beset a careless user of ordinary language. Wittgenstein was the
most important modern philosopher to point this out in general. To
use a somewhat Wittgensteinian language, paradigm is an example of a
language game that has somewhere gone awry. But we still have the
language games of models and theories that are eminently serviceable
for the social science discourses.

Downloads:
http://netec.wustl.edu/adnetec-cgi-bin/nep?urn=RePEc:tky:fseres:2002cf156

CIRJE F-Series / CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo

*(7)

L'altruismo: atteggiamento irrazionale, strategia vincente o
amore per il prossimo?


Ottone, Stefania


Abstract: La teoria dell'Homo Oeconomicus ha fornito una visione
formalizzata dell'uomo che, dominato da una natura tendenzialmente
egoista, agisce principalmente nel suo interesse. Questa immagine
dell'uomo non è però sempre in linea con l'evidenza empirica. Il
contributo proveniente da studi condotti nel campo della
sociobiologia e della psicologia ha permesso di superare in parte i
limiti della teoria economica classica permettendo di delineare un
modello di uomo meno rigoroso, ma al tempo stesso più completo. La
conclusione è che la natura dell'uomo non è univoca, come allo stesso
modo non lo sono le conseguenze delle sue azioni. L'obiettivo di
questo lavoro è proprio quello di ripercorrere le principali tappe
che hanno visto modificarsi l'immagine che l'economia ha dell'uomo
e della sua natura, a partire dall'Homo Oeconomicus fino ad
arrivare al più moderno Homo Oeconomicus Maturus il cui comportamento
è determinato non solo dalle leggi di mercato, ma anche dai propri
impulsi emotivi.

JEL Codes: A12 A13 C70
Downloads:
http://netec.wustl.edu/adnetec-cgi-bin/nep?urn=RePEc:uca:ucapdv:19

P.O.L.I.S. department's Working Papers / Department of Public Policy and
Public Choice - POLIS

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