Review of Economic Philosophy

Tag: Philosophy of economics

  • Change and Continuity in Economic Methodology and Philosophy of Economics

    Abstract

    This paper provides my reflections on the state of economic methodology and philosophy of economics as of the beginning of 2020 following the end of a fifteen year co-editorship of the Journal of Economic Methodology with Wade Hands. It looks at how economic methodology and philosophy of economics, as a meta-field type of research, has changed since it emerged as a distinct subfield in economics in the 1980s. Using an evolution of technology analysis, it distinguishes two different possible scenarios for the field’s future according to environmental factors operating upon it and how specialization in research may affect both it and economics, and then makes a crossdisciplinarity argument for its further development as a diverse, pluralistic domain of research.

    JEL Codes: B41, B20.

    Keywords

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    [Read the paper on Cairn]

  • The philosophy of need and the normative foundations of health policy

    Abstract

    The concept of need plays an essential role in defining legitimate health inequalities. The debate on equity in healthcare policy has so far evolved independently of the philosophical discussions of need. This article draws on moral and political philosophy in order to develop a conception of need that goes beyond the current dichotomy between universal lists and individual preferences. We propose an institutionalist approach to needs that emphasises the role of social processes in creating and consolidating specific and situated healthcare needs.

    JEL : I11, I18, D63, B52

    Keywords

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    Outline

    • Implicit and explicit conceptions of need in health economics
    • In search of ethical foundations for need
      • Moral justification
      • From moral and political ideals to institutional configurations
    • An institutionalist approach to need
      • Institutionalism in health economics and the problem of universal needs‑lists
      • The political dimension of needs
      • The justification of healthcare needs and the political process
    • Conclusion