Economists around the world are developing doubts about the principles underlying their craft. They recognize that the methodology of mainstream economics remains largely dependent on a narrow range of mathematical models and econometric techniques that have little bearing on explaining today's world. Yet they also understand how funding is often contingent on this tightly defined orthodoxy - as is the path to their own career success.
Through a series of cutting-edge articles, Issues in Heterodox Economics addresses these issues and provides a critical analysis of the methodology of mainstream economics and its dependence on mathematical modelling. Through articles from leading international authors a range of non-mainstream topics is discussed - sustainable development, worker control of firms, evolutionary growth theory, and more. The importance of learning from cognate disciplines such as sociology is also discussed. By urging economists to cast aside sterile mathematical formalism and encouraging them to develop the intellectual discipline to tackle issues of true economic importance, editor Donald A.R. George offers a new vision for the future of economics.
Consolations for the Economist: the Future of Economic Orthodoxy by Donald A. R. George 1
2 Axiomatization and Formalism in Economics by T. A. Boylan and P. F. O'Gorman 31
3 Variety of Methodological Approach in Economics by Sheila C. Dow 33
4 Variations on the Theme of Conning in Mathematical Economics by K. Vela Velupillai 53
5 The Sociological Approach to Financial Markets by Alex Preda 95
6 Workers' Savings and the Right to Manage by Donald A. R. George 123
7 A New Vision of the Knowledge Economy by Brian Chi-ang Lin 143
8 Evolutionary and New Growth Theories. Are They Converging? by Fulvio Castellacci 175
9 Repetition and Financial Incentives in Economics Experiments by Jinkwon Lee 219
Index