A Reconsideration of Veblen's Economic Thought: Toward a Mutual Understanding between the Methodology and Theory of his Economic Science

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25885074
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Economic doctrine/Economic thought
• Research Institution: Nihon University
• Principal Investigator: ISHIDA Noriko 日本大学, 経済学部, 准教授 (90409144)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-08-30 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: ヴェブレン / 目的論 / 機械論 / 事実問題 / 産業技術 / 効率性 / 科学者 / 技術者

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Thorstein Veblen, the founder of institutional economics, has been considered a stoical scientist who kept his distance from leading figures of the “institutional economics movement” exploring progressively practical ways to solve problems in the early 20th century. On the other hand, he has also been considered an acerbic ironist, in other words, a social critic based on his own unique practical ideas. This study aims to reconcile the divisions between these two portraits of Veblen. I show that the framework of evolutionary economics he advocated was a methodological proposition that has more greater scope and more practical interest than previously interpreted, and also that it underwent some changes except for his fundamental views of social well-being. This conclusion is drawn from carefully comparing his historical view of science with that of civilization, which had been in general treated separately.

Free Research Field

経済学史