Caffè’s pursuit of a more humane society is strictly related to his view of the economy as a human construction within a more encompassing historical process. Based on this view, he conceives of economics as a policy-oriented social science where value judgments play a crucial role. They frame the questions that need to be answered in order to carry out purposeful change. They also structure the analysis, thus the way questions are answered. A commonly shared understanding of the economy is, therefore, unlikely. Although this would seem to undermine Caffè’s view that a «reasonable core» in economic thought exists, the paper – based on methodological premises that differ, to some extent, from those of Caffè – contends that disciplinary dialogue remains possible provided economists acknowledge the need to make their methodological value judgments explicit.
The ‘solitude of the reformist’. Public policy and value judgments in the work of Federico Caffè
RAMAZZOTTI, Paolo
2012-01-01
Abstract
Caffè’s pursuit of a more humane society is strictly related to his view of the economy as a human construction within a more encompassing historical process. Based on this view, he conceives of economics as a policy-oriented social science where value judgments play a crucial role. They frame the questions that need to be answered in order to carry out purposeful change. They also structure the analysis, thus the way questions are answered. A commonly shared understanding of the economy is, therefore, unlikely. Although this would seem to undermine Caffè’s view that a «reasonable core» in economic thought exists, the paper – based on methodological premises that differ, to some extent, from those of Caffè – contends that disciplinary dialogue remains possible provided economists acknowledge the need to make their methodological value judgments explicit.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
