Economics as an Imperialist Social Science
- 1 September 1993
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Human Relations
- Vol. 46 (9) , 1035-1052
- https://doi.org/10.1177/001872679304600902
Abstract
Economics is far more versatile than its critics believe. It is a method of analysis and not just a field of study. The method is to combine two core assumptions-individual optimization and equilibrium-with various sets of specific assumptions adapted to different fields of application. The method is applicable not only to the market system but also the social and political environment within which this system is embedded. Social and psychological insights can be encapsulated in the specification of interdependent preferences, which hold the key to modelling all kinds of institutional behavior in rational terms.Keywords
This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Economic Approach to Human BehaviorPublished by University of Chicago Press ,1976
- An Economic Theory of ClubsEconomica, 1965
- The Calculus of ConsentPublished by University of Michigan Library ,1960
- The Nature of the FirmEconomica, 1937