Intellectual Path Dependence in Economics

Intellectual Path Dependence in Economics PDF Author: Altug Yalcintas
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131770469X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 189

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Book Description
Is economics always self-corrective? Do erroneous theorems permanently disappear from the market of economic ideas? Intellectual Path Dependence in Economics argues that errors in economics are not always corrected. Although economists are often critical and open-minded, unfit explanations are nonetheless able to reproduce themselves. The problem is that theorems sometimes survive the intellectual challenges in the market of economic ideas even when they are falsified or invalidated by criticism and an abundance of counter-evidence. A key question which often gets little or no attention is: why do economists not reject theories when they have been refuted by evidence and falsified by philosophical reasoning? This book explores the answer to this question by examining the phenomenon of intellectual path dependence in the history of economic thought. It argues that the key reason why economists do not reject refuted theories is the epistemic costs of starting to use new theories. Epistemic costs are primarily the costs of scarcity of the most valued element in academic production: time. Epistemic scarcity overwhelmingly dominates the evolution of scientific research in such a way that when researchers start off a new research project, they allocate time between replicable and un-replicable research. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the methodology, philosophy and history of economics.

Intellectual Path Dependence in Economics

Intellectual Path Dependence in Economics PDF Author: Altug Yalcintas
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131770469X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 189

Get Book Here

Book Description
Is economics always self-corrective? Do erroneous theorems permanently disappear from the market of economic ideas? Intellectual Path Dependence in Economics argues that errors in economics are not always corrected. Although economists are often critical and open-minded, unfit explanations are nonetheless able to reproduce themselves. The problem is that theorems sometimes survive the intellectual challenges in the market of economic ideas even when they are falsified or invalidated by criticism and an abundance of counter-evidence. A key question which often gets little or no attention is: why do economists not reject theories when they have been refuted by evidence and falsified by philosophical reasoning? This book explores the answer to this question by examining the phenomenon of intellectual path dependence in the history of economic thought. It argues that the key reason why economists do not reject refuted theories is the epistemic costs of starting to use new theories. Epistemic costs are primarily the costs of scarcity of the most valued element in academic production: time. Epistemic scarcity overwhelmingly dominates the evolution of scientific research in such a way that when researchers start off a new research project, they allocate time between replicable and un-replicable research. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the methodology, philosophy and history of economics.

The Economics of QWERTY

The Economics of QWERTY PDF Author: S. J. Liebowitz
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 9780814751787
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Book Description
The top left hand side of the keyboard reads "Q-W-E-R-T-Y." Is this inefficient layout an inefficient early development to which we are now forever committed? The "economics of QWERTY" describes cases in which it has been claimed that technologies which have become accepted are not as good as rival technologies. Perhaps they have been "locked in" at an early stage, preventing newer, better possibilities from taking hold. Distinguished economists Stan Liebowitz and Steven Margolis have critically examined the various aspects of the economics of QWERTY and its implications, calling into question the historical accuracy of the standard account of QWERTY and similar cases such as those of Beta/VHS and Macintosh/Windows. They contend that no plausible case of inferior standards being locked in has ever been documented, though much antitrust activity and legislative policy has been based on the belief in the occurrence of such cases. The Economics of Qwerty brings together into one volume Liebowitz and Margolis's essential contributions, remarkable for their eloquence and relevance, to consider these issues, which are of real and enduring importance for the functioning of the market economy. Together they constitute a complete account of the critique of the economics of QWERTY.

Path Dependence and Creation

Path Dependence and Creation PDF Author: Raghu Garud
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 113570631X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 474

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Book Description
The editors, aware of the recent work in evolutionary theory and the science of chaos and complexity, challenge the sometimes deterministic flavor of this subject. They are interested in uncovering the place of agency in these theories that take history so seriously. In the end, they are as interested in path creation and destruction as they are in path dependence. This book is compiled of both theoretical and empirical writings. It shows relatively well-known industries, such as the automobile, biotechnology, and semi-conductor industries in a new light. It also invites the reader to learn more about medical practices, wind power, lasers, and synthesizers. Primarily written for academicians, researchers, and Ph.D. students in fields related to technology management, this book is research-oriented and will appeal to all managers.

The Evolution of Path Dependence

The Evolution of Path Dependence PDF Author: Lars Magnusson
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1848449267
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
The notion and interpretation of path dependence have been discussed and utilized in various social sciences during the last two decades. This innovative book provides significant new insights onto how the different applications of path dependence have developed and evolved. The authors suggest that there has been a definite evolution from applications of path dependence in the history of technology towards other fields of social science. They also discuss the various definitions of path dependence (strong or weak) and explore the potential applications of path dependence in new areas such as political economy and economic geography. With new perspectives on how the debate surrounding path dependence has evolved, this book will strongly appeal to postgraduate students and scholars of economic history, economic geography, political science and business studies.

Path Dependence and Lock-in

Path Dependence and Lock-in PDF Author: Stan J.. Liebowitz
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 9781782545545
Category : Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Since their first emergence in the work of Paul David thirty years ago, the dual issues of Path Dependence and Lock-In have become critically important subjects in the fields of economics, sociology, and business strategy. Theoretical and public policy debates on these issues have arisen, addressing whether markets consistently choose the best products. This collection presents each side of the debate, bringing together key publications that initiated this literature with the later works that criticize or defend many of the early claims. Both the theoretical and empirical foundations of Path Dependence and Lock-In are examined along with the role of network effects. An original introduction by the editors is included to situate each article in its wider context.

An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change

An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change PDF Author: Richard R. Nelson
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674041431
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 456

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Book Description
This book contains the most sustained and serious attack on mainstream, neoclassical economics in more than forty years. Nelson and Winter focus their critique on the basic question of how firms and industries change overtime. They marshal significant objections to the fundamental neoclassical assumptions of profit maximization and market equilibrium, which they find ineffective in the analysis of technological innovation and the dynamics of competition among firms. To replace these assumptions, they borrow from biology the concept of natural selection to construct a precise and detailed evolutionary theory of business behavior. They grant that films are motivated by profit and engage in search for ways of improving profits, but they do not consider them to be profit maximizing. Likewise, they emphasize the tendency for the more profitable firms to drive the less profitable ones out of business, but they do not focus their analysis on hypothetical states of industry equilibrium. The results of their new paradigm and analytical framework are impressive. Not only have they been able to develop more coherent and powerful models of competitive firm dynamics under conditions of growth and technological change, but their approach is compatible with findings in psychology and other social sciences. Finally, their work has important implications for welfare economics and for government policy toward industry.

Evolution and Path Dependence in Economic Ideas

Evolution and Path Dependence in Economic Ideas PDF Author: Pierre Garrouste
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 9781781950227
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
Since the 1980s there has been a renewed interest in attempts to introduce a sense of history into economic literature. In this text, the authors argue that it is not possible to explain a state of the world without first analyzing the processes that lead to that state.

Intellectual Paths and Pathologies: How Small Events in Scholarly Life Accidentally Grow Big

Intellectual Paths and Pathologies: How Small Events in Scholarly Life Accidentally Grow Big PDF Author: Altuğ Yalçıntaş
Publisher: Altug Yalcintas
ISBN: 9944629146
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description


Institutions and the Path to the Modern Economy

Institutions and the Path to the Modern Economy PDF Author: Avner Greif
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521480444
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 536

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Book Description
Publisher Description

Applied Evolutionary Economics and the Knowledge-based Economy

Applied Evolutionary Economics and the Knowledge-based Economy PDF Author: Andreas Pyka
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1845428994
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
This book focuses on knowledge-based economies and attempts to analyze dynamic innovation driven processes within those economies. It shows that evolutionary economics, and in particular the strand of applied industry and innovation studies often called Neo-Schumpeterian economics, has left the nursery of new academic approaches and is able to offer important insights for the understanding of socio-economic processes of change and development having a strong impact on economic reality all over the world. The contributions are summarized under four major sections knowledge and cognition, studies of knowledge-based industries, the geographical dimension of knowledge-based economies and measuring and modelling for knowledge-based economies and give a broad overview of the prolific research being undertaken in applied evolutionary economics. Students will find this book an invaluable resource for future research, as will researchers seeking an introduction to new methods and perspectives of analysis.