Possibilism in Albert O. Hirschman

Cyrille Ferraton and Ludovic Frobert

Table of Contents

Abstract

Albert O. Hirschman is, above all, known for his works on economic development and publications such as Exit, Voice, and Loyalty (1970), The Passions and the Interests (1977) or The Rhetoric of Reaction (1991). He is less well-known for his defense of possibilism, which represents his methodological approach to the social sciences. This article presents its origin and major characteristics.

Keywords

  • possibilism
  • development
  • methodology
  • social change