Foundations of Economic Method

Lawrence A. Boland is Professor of Economics at Simon Fraser University, Canada. He has published widely within economic methodology and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

• Prologue: Understanding the Methodology of Economics Part 1: The 'Hidden Agenda' of Neoclassical Economics 1. The problem of Induction vs. the Problem with Induction 2. The Explanatory Problem of Individualism Part 2: The Visible Agenda of Neoclassical Economics 3. Rationality vs. Maximization 4. Maximization and Game Theory Part 3: Critical Applied Methodology 5. Ideal-Type Methodology and Intrumentalism 6. Psychologistic-Individualism and the Methodology of New Institutional Economics 7. Equilibrium-based Explanations vs. Individualism 8. Imperfect Knowledge vs. Imperfect Behaviour 9. From Macroseconomics to Evolutionary Game Theory 10.Time and Evolution in Economic Theory Part 4: A Critique of Traditional Economic Methodology 11.Intrumentalism vs. Conventionalism: Against Rule-based Methodology 12.Optimistic and Defeatist Conventionalism 13.Falsifiability without Popper an the Agenda Part 5: Putting Popper on the Agenda 14.Understanding Popper's Theory of Science 15.Situational Analysis and Neocalssical Explanation Part 6: Applied Methodology for Economics Model Building 16.Knowledge and Learning in Economic Models 17.Individualism and Social Knowledge 18.Obstacles to Building Realistic Models. Epilogue: Problem-oriented Methodology: Towards a Popperian 'small-m' Methodology of Economics