1 |
An analysis on the development of elite sports policy in Taiwan : an institutional and Advocacy Coalition Framework perspectiveChen, Sheng-Hsiang January 2015 (has links)
Drawing upon a series of interviews with politicians, sports administrators, coaches, journalists and academics and with analysis based on the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), this thesis examines elite sports development policy in Taiwan within a political context. It investigates the issues of whether or not sports development and policy-making reflect institutional features, and how sports policy has changed over time in Taiwan. It further explores the development systems of baseball, taekwondo and tennis, with a particular focus on similarities and differences between them at the elite level. Empirical data gathered from semi-structured interviews and documentary materials is analysed using an institutional approach together the ACF. The main findings suggest that, in essence, sports development and policy-making in Taiwan comply with institutional features and, during different periods from 1949 to the present day, have consistently been influenced by the political needs of the time. The analysis of the development systems of the three selected sports identified some major similarities. The government promotes them using a top-down approach and each sport relies heavily on the public funding. There sports have no national level facilities. Talent identification and development mainly occur in schools and are conducted through the competition systems. There is government financial support for elite athletes to participate in international events or for the governing bodies to host international events. The development systems for coaches share the same mechanisms. Finally, national athletes in each sport can enjoy sports science support from the government during squad training and international events. However, the case studies also reveal considerable differences. The governing bodies of taekwondo and tennis play a more dominant in elite development than that of baseball. Parents play a more significant role in the identification and development of tennis players than for the other sports. Only taekwondo national competitors train relatively frequently at the national training centre. The facilities for elite baseball players are more adequate than for the other sports. Elite baseball players enjoy the most international competition opportunities and taekwondo competitors the least. The existence of a professional baseball league and a highly professionalised international competition system for tennis serve to highlight the difference between the three sports in terms of the emergence of full-time athletes. In sum, this demonstrates quite clearly that there exists in Taiwan a single spine of sports development in general, but with variations.
|
2 |
Harmonisation comptable internationale dans les pays émergents : contigences environnementales ou pressions institutionnelles ? : cas de la Tunisie / International accounting harmonization in emerging countries : environmental contingencies or institutional pressures ? : the Tunisian caseTrabelsi, Raoudha 22 November 2011 (has links)
La recherche conduite se focalise sur le cas de la Tunisie, un pays émergent, initialement imprégné d'une culture comptable continentale, qui s'est engagé en 1997 dans une réforme avant-gardiste d'harmonisation comptable internationale, devançant plusieurs pays, dont ceux de l'Union Européenne, en abandonnant son Plan Comptable Général hérité de la période coloniale française, pour adopter son premier système comptable de type anglo-saxon, largement inspiré du référentiel international. Alors que la normalisation comptable internationale a considérablement évolué depuis 1997, notamment par le remplacement en 2001 de l'IASC par l'IASB, et l'introduction des IFRS, paradoxalement, très peu de révisions ont été apportées au système tunisien, laissant ainsi apparaître un écart, qui s'est progressivement creusé, entre normes tunisiennes et normes internationales. Cette situation interroge les motivations réelles ayant provoqué la réforme de 1997, qui peut être due aussi bien à un réel besoin local de se joindre à la sphère mondiale, qu'à une volonté d'afficher une étiquette ou un "Label ", au sens de Daske et al. (2007), afin de se conformer aux recommandations des organismes internationaux, et d'attirer différentes parties prenantes étrangères. Il convient de ce fait de s'interroger sur la nature des facteurs à l'origine du processus d'harmonisation comptable internationale en Tunisie : s'agit-il de contingences environnementales, ou de pressions institutionnelles? Ainsi, conformément à une structure de recherche classique, avec l'exposition d'une revue de la littérature, suivie d'une étude exploratoire du terrain exploitant qualitativement des entretiens réalisés auprès de professionnels tunisiens, pour mener enfin l'étude empirique proprement dite, dans une démarche quantitative, notre recherche se base sur la théorie de la contingence et l'approche néo-institutionnelle, pour répondre à la problématique suivante : Dans un pays émergent historiquement à tradition comptable continentale, comment se mesure l'avancement du processus d'harmonisation internationale et quels en sont les déterminants? Exploitant des réponses recueillies de juin à septembre en 2009 puis en 2010, via un questionnaire administré auprès de professionnels exerçant au sein de cabinets d'expertise comptable tunisiens et de cadres comptables exerçant au sein d'entreprises localisées en Tunisie, cette étude a pu montrer un faible niveau général d'harmonisation comptable internationale en Tunisie, de jure, mais surtout de facto. Aussi, l'analyse a montré que les facteurs étudiés susceptibles d'avoir un impact sur l'avancement du processus d'harmonisation sont à la fois contingents et néo-institutionnels, ces derniers étant les plus influents, pour les cabinets, alors qu'ils sont exclusivement néo-institutionnels, pour les entreprises. Le modèle comptable anglo-saxon ne serait donc pas pertinent pour toutes les entités économiques tunisiennes, la réforme de 1997 n'étant principalement que le résultat de pressions institutionnelles, notamment étrangères, exercées sur les choix économiques et politiques du pays, plutôt que d'un besoin émanant des différents acteurs interagissant dans le tissu économique tunisien local. En l'occurrence, parmi les parties exerçant une influence sur les entités tunisiennes pour les adapter à la culture anglo-saxonne des normes internationales, cette étude a identifié, les réseaux internationaux d'expertise comptable et d'audit, notamment les Big4, les groupes de sociétés multinationales, les parties prenantes étrangères des entreprises exportatrices, etc. Ainsi, seules les entités à dimension internationale présentent des niveaux élevés de familiarisation avec les IFRS. / The study focuses on the case of Tunisia, an emerging country, initially impregnated by a continental accounting culture, having started in 1997 a pioneering reform of international accounting harmonization. Thus, ahead of several countries including those of the European Union, Tunisia replaced its General Accounting Plan inherited from the French colonial period, to adopt its first Anglo-Saxon accounting system, largely inspired by the international accounting system. But while the international accounting standardization had changed considerably since 1997, with the replacement of the IASC in 2001 by the IASB, and the introduction of IFRS, adding a "financial" dimension to the accounting information, paradoxically, very few revisions were made to the Tunisian system, showing a gap between Tunisian and international standards, that kept progressively widening. This situation of Tunisian accounting standardization, between a need and a will to make up the process of harmonizing with the international accounting standards, and a maintain of the Tunisian standards inspired by revised and even repealed old international standards, questions about the real motivations behind the 1997's Tunisian accounting reform. It may as well have been legitimized by a local real need to join the global sphere, or as a desire to display a label as defined in Daske et al. (2007), in order to comply with the recommendations of international organizations, and to attract foreign stakeholders. We therefore question the nature of the factors behind the process of international accounting harmonization in Tunisia: is it due to environmental contingencies, or institutional pressures? Following a conventional research structure, with a literature review, an exploratory study exploiting qualitatively interviews conducted with Tunisian professionals, and an empirical study using a quantitative approach, our research is based on the contingency theory and the neo-institutional approach, to address the following research question:In an emerging country historically impregnated with continental accounting tradition, how to measure the progress of the international harmonization process and what are its determinants? Exploiting responses collected via a questionnaire conducted from June 2009 to September 2009, and from June 2010 to September 2010, and administered to professionals working in Tunisian accounting firms or affiliated to the accounting departments of different Tunisian firms, the study showed the stagnation of the international accounting harmonization process in Tunisia. Also, the analysis showed that there are both contingent and institutional factors behind the launch of harmonization process, for accounting professionals working in accounting firms, and only institutional factors for professionals affiliated to accounting departments of Tunisian firms. The Anglo-Saxon accounting model would not be relevant for all economic entities in Tunisia, since the 1997 reform is principally the result of institutional pressures, mostly international ones, impacting the economic and political choices of the country, rather than a choice made to fulfill a need expressed by the various actors interacting in the local Tunisian economy. Among the parties that push Tunisian entities to be familiarized with the Anglo-Saxon culture of the international standards, our study identified the international accounting and auditing networks, including the Big4, the multinational groups, the stakeholders of foreign exporting firms, etc. Thus, in Tunisia, only the entities dealing with such international environment have high levels of familiarization with IFRS standards.
|
3 |
Listening to Digital Media: Analysis of Music Consumption Pattern on the Example of Russian Social Networking Site VKontakte : A user-focused research based on in-depth interviewsKyryllova, Iuliia January 2018 (has links)
The present paper represents an overview of the most popular Russian social networking site VKontakte and its role in the formation of modern music consumption pattern in post-Soviet countries. Until spring 2017, it was known as the biggest platform for free music consumption in the region. The main distinctive feature of VKontakte was that it was providing free music content for its members and, as a result, was known for problems with international copyright law.However, in 2017 drastic changes occurred in copyright policies of the network, which affected music content distribution in it. As a result, VKontakte users were experiencing new routines and rapid evolution of their daily consumption habits. This research provides extensive analysis of digital music listening practices, based on the in-depth interviews with the members of the network.
|
4 |
Взаимодействие социальных институтов в процессе формирования мотивации родительского труда : магистерская диссертация / The social institutions interaction in forming the parental labor motivationVoroshilova, A. I., Ворошилова, А. И. January 2014 (has links)
The work reveals the peculiarities of the parent labor motivation that plays an essential role in the formation of both quantitative and qualitative characteristics of human capital. The study of parental labor with the proposed scheme of analysis will enable explore this phenomenon deeply and to develop a basis for its social regulation. / В работе раскрыты особенности мотивации специфического вида деятельности – родительского труда, играющей существенную роль в формировании количественных и качественных характеристик человеческого капитала. Изучение родительского труда с учетом предложенной схемы анализа позволит более глубоко исследовать этот феномен и разработать основы его социального регулирования.
|
5 |
Terence Hutchison's 1938 contribution to economic methodologyHart, John Slater, 1954- 28 February 2002 (has links)
Terence Hutchison's 1938 essay has been variously interpreted as introducing
positivism, ultra-empiricism, and Popperian falsificationism into economics. Given
Popper's well known anti-positivist stance, this state of affairs may seem puzzling. It
might be presumed either that contradictions of some kind are involved in
Hutchison's position, or that Popper's stance is not so far removed from logical
positivism after all. In tins thesis the latter option is adopted and Popper and logical
positivism is viewed as part of a wider 'logical reconstructionist' pre-Quinean
philosophy of science. Yet this move may not, and should not, resolve all disquietude
on the part of the reader. For, to the extent that Hutchison adopted those aspects of
Popper which clashed with logical positivism, there is an inherent contradiction
between the view that Hutchison introduced positivism and the view that he
introduced Popper into economics.
This provides us with the springboard we need for our thesis. For the contradiction is
resolved once these views are recognised as turning Hutchison into a straw man. In
the weak version of our thesis we argue that there has been an overemphasis on the
positivist and Popperian elements in Hutchison's essay and a neglect of the extent to
which it is concerned with economic methodology. In the strong version of our thesis
we argue that Hutchison's essay is best viewed as a modern restatement of the
inductivist-empirical-historical, as opposed to the deductivist-apriorist-fonnalist,
approach in the long-standing methodenstreit in economics. In this restatement
Hutchison draws on various elements of positivism and Popper to support a position
that arises out of, and is specific to, the concerns of economic methodology, rather
than to promote any particular philosophy of science in economics.
Survey chapters on the philosophy of science with special emphasis on logical
positivism, and on aspects of the history of economic methodology, enable us to
evaluate the nature of Hutchison's essay and to substantiate our thesis. Thereafter we
highlight the shortcomings of the traditional interpretations of Hutchison's essay
pointing to how these have limited Hutchison's influence in economics. / Economics / D. Litt. et Phil. (Economics)
|
6 |
Terence Hutchison's 1938 contribution to economic methodologyHart, John Slater, 1954- 02 1900 (has links)
Terence Hutchison's 193 8 essay has been variously interpreted as introducing
positivism, ultra-empiricism, and Popperian falsificationism into economics. Given
Popper's well known anti-positivist stance, this state of affairs may seem puzzling. It
might be presumed either that contradictions of some kind are involved in
Hutchison's position, or that Popper's stance is not so far removed from logical
positivism after all. In this thesis the latter option is adopted and Popper and logical
positivism is viewed as part of a wider 'logical reconstructionist' pre-Quinean
philosophy of science. Yet this move may not, and should not, resolve all disquietude
on the part of the reader. For, to the extent that Hutchison adopted those aspects of
Popper which clashed with logical positivism, there is an inherent contradiction
between the view that Hutchison introduced positivism and the view that he
introduced Popper into economics.
This provides us with the springboard we need for our thesis. For the contradiction is
resolved once these views are recognised as turning Hutchison into a straw man. In
the weak version of our thesis we argue that there has been· an overemphasis on the
positivist and Popperian elements in Hutchison's essay and a neglect of the extent to
which it is concerned with economic methodology. In the strong version of our thesis
we argue that Hutchison's essay is best viewed as a modem restatement of the
inductivist-empirical-historical, as opposed to the deductivist-apriorist-formalist,
approach in the long-standing methodenstreit in economics. In this restatement
Hutchison draws on various elements of positivism and Popper to support a position
that arises out of, and is specific to, the concerns of economic methodology, rather
than to promote any particular philosophy of science in economics.
Survey chapters on the philosophy of science with special emphasis on logical
positivism, and on aspects of the history of economic methodology, enable us to
evaluate the nature of Hutchison's essay and to substantiate our thesis. Thereafter we
highlight the shortcomings of the traditional interpretations of Hutchison's essay
pointing to how these have limited Hutchison's influence in economics. / Economics and Management Sciences / D. Litt. et Phil. (Economics)
|
7 |
Transfert de connaissances dans les entreprises multinationales : efficacité et influence des facteurs contextuelsVolkov, Igor 11 1900 (has links)
Dans la présente recherche, nous nous sommes penchés sur le processus du transfert intra-organisationnel de connaissances au sein d’entreprises multinationales (EM). Partant du triple constat suivant : les connaissances organisationnelles constituent un avantage stratégique (Barney, 1991 ; Bartlett et Ghoshal, 1998), les transferts intra-organisationnels constituent la raison d’être des EM (Gupta et Govindarajan, 2000), lesquelles ont accès à un vaste bassin de connaissances disséminées à travers le monde par le biais de leurs filiales et les mécanismes organisationnels internes sont plus efficaces que ceux du marché (Williamson, 1987 ; Casson, 1976) pour transférer des connaissances entre unités organisationnelles; nous nous sommes intéressés aux facteurs pouvant affecter l’efficacité de ce processus de transfert. Ayant identifié, lors de notre revue des écrits théoriques, une multitude d’approches permettant d’appréhender ce phénomène, nous proposons, dans notre recherche, un modèle théorique intégrant les trois étapes propres au processus de transfert, soit : la détermination des connaissances à transférer, la sélection des mécanismes de transfert appropriés et, finalement, l’évaluation, d’une part, de l’efficacité des transferts et, d’autre part, de l’ensemble des facteurs contextuels ayant un impact sur l’efficacité de ce processus.
Sur le plan théorique, cette recherche oppose deux courants dominant ce champ disciplinaire. L’approche stratégique, exprimée par la théorie des ressources, met l’accent sur l’importance prépondérante des facteurs organisationnels internes sur l’efficacité de toute action organisationnelle (Bartlett et Ghoshal, 1998 ; Barney, 1991). Cette approche s’oppose au courant institutionnel, lequel considère plutôt que les choix et les actions organisationnels sont surtout conditionnés par les contraintes de l’environnement externe (Ferner, 1997; Kostova, 1999; Scott, 1991). Les résultats de notre recherche démontrent que, malgré l’existence de contraintes de nature institutionnelle et culturelle, l’efficacité du processus de transfert des connaissances associées à la gestion des ressources humaines relève davantage des conditions organisationnelles internes et, plus particulièrement, de l’implication de la haute direction, du rôle accordé à la fonction RH et de l’alignement entre la stratégie corporative, la stratégie RH et la culture organisationnelle.
Sur le plan méthodologique, il s’agit d’une recherche exploratoire qualitative menée auprès de trois EM (2 canadiennes et 1 française) oeuvrant dans les secteurs de la métallurgie et des télécommunications. Les données empiriques proviennent de 17 entrevues approfondies que nous ont accordées, au Canada, en France, en Allemagne et en Suisse des cadres responsables de la gestion des ressources humaines, affectés au siège social des EM en question ou œuvrant au sein de leurs filiales, et de sources documentaires secondaires. / The aim of this research is to investigate the process of transfer of intra-organizational knowledge within multinational corporations. Taking into consideration the following three postulates: that organizational knowledge represents a source of competitive advantage for a firm (Barney, 1991; Bartlett and Ghoshal, 1998); that access to a large pool of knowledge disseminated across the world and the transfer of this knowledge across the organization constitutes la raison d’être of MNC (Gupta and Govindarajan, 2000); and that internal organizational mechanisms are more efficient than the market (Williamson, 1987) for the transfer of this knowledge between organizational units, for the purpose of this study we were particularly interested in the factors that can affect the effectiveness of this process of transfers. Having identified in past research various theoretical approaches to study this phenomena, we proposed and tested the integrative theoretical model helping to analyse the impact of contextual factors on each of the following three stages of the process of transfer: the determination of knowledge to be transferred, the selection of mechanisms of knowledge transfer and finally, the evaluation of the effectiveness of transfer.
Our research confronts two theoretical perspectives currently dominating the field of knowledge transfer in multinational corporations. The strategic approach and the resource-based view of the firm emphasize the importance of internal organizational factors for the effectiveness of any organizational action (Bartlett and Ghoshal, 1998; Barney, 1991). On the other hand, the institutional approach considers rather that organizational choices and actions are conditioned by the external environment (Ferner, 1997; Kostova, 1999; Scott, 1991). The results of our research show that in spite of the existence of institutional and cultural constraints, the effectiveness of the entire process of transfer of knowledge related to HRM is determined by internal organizational conditions, such as the involvement of top management, the role of RH function and the alignment between corporative strategy, HR strategy and the organizational culture.
Our methodological approach is based on a qualitative case-study of three multinational companies (two Canadian and one French) working in metallurgical and telecommunications sectors. Our empirical data stems from seventeen semi-structured interviews conducted with the top HR managers of these companies, who are actively involved in the process of knowledge transfer at HQ or at its subsidiaries in Canada, France, Germany and Switzerland. We also used a large amount of publicly available information from these companies.
|
8 |
Transfert de connaissances dans les entreprises multinationales : efficacité et influence des facteurs contextuelsVolkov, Igor 11 1900 (has links)
Dans la présente recherche, nous nous sommes penchés sur le processus du transfert intra-organisationnel de connaissances au sein d’entreprises multinationales (EM). Partant du triple constat suivant : les connaissances organisationnelles constituent un avantage stratégique (Barney, 1991 ; Bartlett et Ghoshal, 1998), les transferts intra-organisationnels constituent la raison d’être des EM (Gupta et Govindarajan, 2000), lesquelles ont accès à un vaste bassin de connaissances disséminées à travers le monde par le biais de leurs filiales et les mécanismes organisationnels internes sont plus efficaces que ceux du marché (Williamson, 1987 ; Casson, 1976) pour transférer des connaissances entre unités organisationnelles; nous nous sommes intéressés aux facteurs pouvant affecter l’efficacité de ce processus de transfert. Ayant identifié, lors de notre revue des écrits théoriques, une multitude d’approches permettant d’appréhender ce phénomène, nous proposons, dans notre recherche, un modèle théorique intégrant les trois étapes propres au processus de transfert, soit : la détermination des connaissances à transférer, la sélection des mécanismes de transfert appropriés et, finalement, l’évaluation, d’une part, de l’efficacité des transferts et, d’autre part, de l’ensemble des facteurs contextuels ayant un impact sur l’efficacité de ce processus.
Sur le plan théorique, cette recherche oppose deux courants dominant ce champ disciplinaire. L’approche stratégique, exprimée par la théorie des ressources, met l’accent sur l’importance prépondérante des facteurs organisationnels internes sur l’efficacité de toute action organisationnelle (Bartlett et Ghoshal, 1998 ; Barney, 1991). Cette approche s’oppose au courant institutionnel, lequel considère plutôt que les choix et les actions organisationnels sont surtout conditionnés par les contraintes de l’environnement externe (Ferner, 1997; Kostova, 1999; Scott, 1991). Les résultats de notre recherche démontrent que, malgré l’existence de contraintes de nature institutionnelle et culturelle, l’efficacité du processus de transfert des connaissances associées à la gestion des ressources humaines relève davantage des conditions organisationnelles internes et, plus particulièrement, de l’implication de la haute direction, du rôle accordé à la fonction RH et de l’alignement entre la stratégie corporative, la stratégie RH et la culture organisationnelle.
Sur le plan méthodologique, il s’agit d’une recherche exploratoire qualitative menée auprès de trois EM (2 canadiennes et 1 française) oeuvrant dans les secteurs de la métallurgie et des télécommunications. Les données empiriques proviennent de 17 entrevues approfondies que nous ont accordées, au Canada, en France, en Allemagne et en Suisse des cadres responsables de la gestion des ressources humaines, affectés au siège social des EM en question ou œuvrant au sein de leurs filiales, et de sources documentaires secondaires. / The aim of this research is to investigate the process of transfer of intra-organizational knowledge within multinational corporations. Taking into consideration the following three postulates: that organizational knowledge represents a source of competitive advantage for a firm (Barney, 1991; Bartlett and Ghoshal, 1998); that access to a large pool of knowledge disseminated across the world and the transfer of this knowledge across the organization constitutes la raison d’être of MNC (Gupta and Govindarajan, 2000); and that internal organizational mechanisms are more efficient than the market (Williamson, 1987) for the transfer of this knowledge between organizational units, for the purpose of this study we were particularly interested in the factors that can affect the effectiveness of this process of transfers. Having identified in past research various theoretical approaches to study this phenomena, we proposed and tested the integrative theoretical model helping to analyse the impact of contextual factors on each of the following three stages of the process of transfer: the determination of knowledge to be transferred, the selection of mechanisms of knowledge transfer and finally, the evaluation of the effectiveness of transfer.
Our research confronts two theoretical perspectives currently dominating the field of knowledge transfer in multinational corporations. The strategic approach and the resource-based view of the firm emphasize the importance of internal organizational factors for the effectiveness of any organizational action (Bartlett and Ghoshal, 1998; Barney, 1991). On the other hand, the institutional approach considers rather that organizational choices and actions are conditioned by the external environment (Ferner, 1997; Kostova, 1999; Scott, 1991). The results of our research show that in spite of the existence of institutional and cultural constraints, the effectiveness of the entire process of transfer of knowledge related to HRM is determined by internal organizational conditions, such as the involvement of top management, the role of RH function and the alignment between corporative strategy, HR strategy and the organizational culture.
Our methodological approach is based on a qualitative case-study of three multinational companies (two Canadian and one French) working in metallurgical and telecommunications sectors. Our empirical data stems from seventeen semi-structured interviews conducted with the top HR managers of these companies, who are actively involved in the process of knowledge transfer at HQ or at its subsidiaries in Canada, France, Germany and Switzerland. We also used a large amount of publicly available information from these companies.
|
9 |
Terence Hutchison's 1938 contribution to economic methodologyHart, John Slater, 1954- 28 February 2002 (has links)
Terence Hutchison's 1938 essay has been variously interpreted as introducing
positivism, ultra-empiricism, and Popperian falsificationism into economics. Given
Popper's well known anti-positivist stance, this state of affairs may seem puzzling. It
might be presumed either that contradictions of some kind are involved in
Hutchison's position, or that Popper's stance is not so far removed from logical
positivism after all. In tins thesis the latter option is adopted and Popper and logical
positivism is viewed as part of a wider 'logical reconstructionist' pre-Quinean
philosophy of science. Yet this move may not, and should not, resolve all disquietude
on the part of the reader. For, to the extent that Hutchison adopted those aspects of
Popper which clashed with logical positivism, there is an inherent contradiction
between the view that Hutchison introduced positivism and the view that he
introduced Popper into economics.
This provides us with the springboard we need for our thesis. For the contradiction is
resolved once these views are recognised as turning Hutchison into a straw man. In
the weak version of our thesis we argue that there has been an overemphasis on the
positivist and Popperian elements in Hutchison's essay and a neglect of the extent to
which it is concerned with economic methodology. In the strong version of our thesis
we argue that Hutchison's essay is best viewed as a modern restatement of the
inductivist-empirical-historical, as opposed to the deductivist-apriorist-fonnalist,
approach in the long-standing methodenstreit in economics. In this restatement
Hutchison draws on various elements of positivism and Popper to support a position
that arises out of, and is specific to, the concerns of economic methodology, rather
than to promote any particular philosophy of science in economics.
Survey chapters on the philosophy of science with special emphasis on logical
positivism, and on aspects of the history of economic methodology, enable us to
evaluate the nature of Hutchison's essay and to substantiate our thesis. Thereafter we
highlight the shortcomings of the traditional interpretations of Hutchison's essay
pointing to how these have limited Hutchison's influence in economics. / Economics / D. Litt. et Phil. (Economics)
|
10 |
Terence Hutchison's 1938 contribution to economic methodologyHart, John Slater, 1954- 02 1900 (has links)
Terence Hutchison's 193 8 essay has been variously interpreted as introducing
positivism, ultra-empiricism, and Popperian falsificationism into economics. Given
Popper's well known anti-positivist stance, this state of affairs may seem puzzling. It
might be presumed either that contradictions of some kind are involved in
Hutchison's position, or that Popper's stance is not so far removed from logical
positivism after all. In this thesis the latter option is adopted and Popper and logical
positivism is viewed as part of a wider 'logical reconstructionist' pre-Quinean
philosophy of science. Yet this move may not, and should not, resolve all disquietude
on the part of the reader. For, to the extent that Hutchison adopted those aspects of
Popper which clashed with logical positivism, there is an inherent contradiction
between the view that Hutchison introduced positivism and the view that he
introduced Popper into economics.
This provides us with the springboard we need for our thesis. For the contradiction is
resolved once these views are recognised as turning Hutchison into a straw man. In
the weak version of our thesis we argue that there has been· an overemphasis on the
positivist and Popperian elements in Hutchison's essay and a neglect of the extent to
which it is concerned with economic methodology. In the strong version of our thesis
we argue that Hutchison's essay is best viewed as a modem restatement of the
inductivist-empirical-historical, as opposed to the deductivist-apriorist-formalist,
approach in the long-standing methodenstreit in economics. In this restatement
Hutchison draws on various elements of positivism and Popper to support a position
that arises out of, and is specific to, the concerns of economic methodology, rather
than to promote any particular philosophy of science in economics.
Survey chapters on the philosophy of science with special emphasis on logical
positivism, and on aspects of the history of economic methodology, enable us to
evaluate the nature of Hutchison's essay and to substantiate our thesis. Thereafter we
highlight the shortcomings of the traditional interpretations of Hutchison's essay
pointing to how these have limited Hutchison's influence in economics. / Economics and Management Sciences / D. Litt. et Phil. (Economics)
|
Page generated in 0.018 seconds