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/
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