Call for Papers: Methodology of Economics 
Research Area, EAEPE 2009 Conference in Amsterdam, 6-8 November 2009

EAEPE Conference 2009 will be organized in 
Amsterdam from Friday 6 until Sunday 8 
November.  Methodology of Economics Research Area 
invites paper proposals for the EAEPE 2009 
Conference. The proposals should be in line with 
the themes of the research area (see below). The 
abstract should clearly mention (i) the title of 
the paper, (ii) name of the author(s) and full 
address of the corresponding author (postal 
address, phone, fax and email) (iii) the aim and 
the main argument of the paper, and (iv) keywords 
and relevant JEL Codes. The abstract should 
consist of 600-700 words. The proposal should be 
uploaded to the EAEPE Web site. Visit the 
conference page for instructions: http://eaepe.org/eaepe-conference-2008

Important deadlines: Deadline for abstract 
submission: May 1, 2009 // Notification for 
abstract acceptance: May 30, 2009 // Deadline for 
paper submission: September 20, 2009
The description of EAEPE Methodology of Economics Research Area is as follows:

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[Methodology of Economics Research Area]

Economic methodology, broadly conceived, is the 
study of how economics functions, how it could 
function, and how it should function ­ and of 
the various presuppositions and conditions of all 
these. It examines various meta theoretical key 
concepts such as theory and model, assumption and 
idealization, causation and explanation, testing 
and progress, rhetoric and truth, social 
construction and pluralism; as well as various 
goals, styles and constraints of research, such 
as mathematical modelling and experimentation, 
grounded theory and case study, causal and 
functional explanation, forecasting and policy, 
ontological and institutional (academic and 
otherwise) constraints on economic inquiry. It 
also sets out to examine fundamental substantial 
concepts such as rationality, choice, routine, 
trust, institution, evolution, coordination, equilibrium, path dependence.

Three dimensions seem particularly relevant to 
these inquiries within EAEPE. The first is often 
put in terms of orthodoxy and heterodoxy. The 
second is in terms of realism and non-realism. 
Neither of these dimensions and the respective 
distinctions is unproblematic, and hence should 
be part of the domain of methodological inquiry 
itself. The distinctions also do not coincide as 
there are realist versions of "orthodoxy" and 
non-realist versions of "heterodoxy", ­ which 
helps to underline the fact that none of the four 
categories on the two dimensions is uniform. 
There is a methodological and conceptual jungle 
there, and it is our task to develop maps that 
help us orient ourselves so as to do better 
economics without misrepresenting current practice.

A third dimension deals with what is and what is 
not economics. Are there, or should there be, any 
disciplinary boundaries? If so, where are they 
located? On what conditions, and how, are they to 
be crossed? Economics participates in 
interdisciplinary encounters in a variety of ways 
and directions, influencing other disciplines and 
being influenced by them. For example, while 
political science, sociology, and science studies 
have been partly reshaped by an increasing use of 
economic concepts and methods, economics itself 
is being transformed due to its encounters with 
cognitive and life sciences. Institutional and 
evolutionary economics lie at the crossroads of 
these trends. Since none of this is simple, 
uniform, and straightforward, careful analyses 
are needed to track the detailed structure of 
these processes. What drives and shapes them? 
Which parts of economics participate in these 
encounters and how? How are we to evaluate the 
outcomes? How does all this relate with the first two dimensions?
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Please contact the Methodology of Economics 
Research Area Coordinators Uskali Mäki 
([log in to unmask]) and N. Emrah Aydinonat 
([log in to unmask]) if you have any questions.

Best regards,
Uskali Mäki, [log in to unmask]
N. Emrah Aydinonat, [log in to unmask]

ps. For more information about the conference and 
about other research areas please visit the EAEPE website: http://eaepe.org/