Die ökonomische Tradition und die Verfassung der Wissenschaft

Abstract

AbstractThe usual view on the division of labour between the philosophy of science and economics is mistaken. The concentration on formal problems in both sciences has concealed the convergence of their problems. This convergence has been revealed by the institutional change in both sciences. The common problems of these sciences are related to the explanation of phenomena in the realm of knowledge. For this assumptions are needed about problem-solving behavior of competing individuals. The institutional theory of the progress of knowledge by Karl Popper refers to this competition. One of the rewards desired in this competiton is the acknowledgment of the value of the solutions offered by the competitors. These solutions are goods which are evaluated by rules of method. The competition in science can be seen as a competition for status in the framework of incentive-compatible rules in which bilateral exchange plays no role. The question to what extent the institutional arrangements in the realm of science in the western world are adequate for the progress of knowledge may have different answers for different countries.