Books & ideas

Economizing on Scientific Debate

Olivier Godechot — 2018-01-15T08:00:00Z

Le négationnisme économique. Et comment s'en débarrasser (Economic Denialism, and How to Get Rid of It) has sparked lively discussion in France. What can we draw from this book for a reflection on social science methods and the terms of scientific debate?

Economics: An Experimental Science?

Sylvie Thoron — 2017-03-27T07:00:00Z

In economics, the study of behavior has been enriched by a productive dialogue between theory and experiments. Challenging the model of rationality associated with “homo economicus,” it is shedding new light on decision-making in situations of strategic interaction.

Learning from Randomized Controlled Experiments

Agnès Labrousse — 2017-01-23T08:00:00Z

Randomized controlled experiments hold out the promise of heightened scientificity and new forms of social action. In this essay, Agnès Labrousse points out some of the practical limits of these experiments and situates them within a longer history of social experimentation and governing by evidence.

Field Testing in Development Economics

Florian Mayneris — 2013-06-10T14:05:41Z

Education, microcredit, health policy…. How can we really measure the effectiveness of a public policy? Esther Duflo talks about the principles of the experimental method she has developed and perfected in several situations around the world.

Towards a Paradigm Shift in Economics?

Cyril Hédoin — 2010-06-17T06:04:00Z

Where will the revival of economic theory come from ? From the margins or from the center? In responding to James K. Galbraith's essay, Cyril Hédoin maintains that the center of economics already possesses innovative approaches that enable understanding of phenomena such as the financial crisis.