The Positive and the Normative in Economic Thought

The book responds to the need for greater clarity regarding the relationship between descriptive, evaluative and prescriptive approaches within positive and normative economics. It also analyses the entanglement between evaluative and prescriptive perspectives within several theoretical frameworks in normative economics such as social choice theory, the capability approach, behavioural welfare economics and various theories of justice.

It provides a forum for discussion between various schools of economic thought and several theoretical frameworks on the relationship between the study of facts, norms and values, with particular emphasis on classical political economy, the Marxian school of economics, the Frankfurt School, the Austrian school, the Chicago school, rational choice theory, expected utility theory, behavioural economics, experimental economics, development economics, welfare economics, public economics, constitutional political economy, the capability approach and politico-economic theories of justice.

Given the scope of questions treated in this book, it will be of interest to economists, historians of economic thought, political philosophers and philosophers of science, especially those interested in the philosophy and epistemology of economics.

"Debate about the relationship between positive and normative economics has been ongoing since the origin of the discipline. This volume offers an impressive collection of historical and philosophical research on this relationship. The chapters are wide-ranging, original, and well-researched. It is a significant contribution to the literature."

D. Wade Hands, University of Puget Sound.

"Debate about the relationship between positive and normative economics has been ongoing since the origin of the discipline. This volume offers an impressive collection of historical and philosophical research on this relationship. The chapters are wide-ranging, original, and well-researched. It is a significant contribution to the literature."

D. Wade Hands, University of Puget Sound

Sina Badiei is Program Director in the Philosophy and Human Science Department at the Collège International de Philosophie (Paris) and a Fixed-Term Assistant Professor at the Walras-Pareto Centre of the University of Lausanne.

Agnès Grivaux is Assistant Professor (tenured) in Contemporary German Philosophy at the University of Nantes and a member of the research centre CAPhi.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.