The Economic Problem of a Community: ontological reflections inspired by the Socialist Calculation Debate

Diogo Lourenço () and Mário Graça Moura ()
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Diogo Lourenço: Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Porto
Mário Graça Moura: Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Porto

FEP Working Papers from Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto

Abstract: Implicitly, the Socialist Calculation Debate is about the connection between neoclassical theory and reality. It involves several ontological presuppositions, with wide-ranging implications. Our purpose is to discuss one of these presuppositions. We want to scrutinise the view, implicit in the ‘market socialist’ arguments, that things have economic roles or functions independently of the social environment in which they exist. ‘Primary factors’ and techniques of production are taken to exist independently of social arrangements; jointly with consumer preferences, they are supposed to define the economic problem of a community. In analysing this view, we borrow from F. A. Hayek, complementing his reflections with those of Donald Davidson, Willard Quine, and Tony Lawson. We also discuss a second problem, which follows from the first: if, in contrast with market socialists’ view, the economic roles of things depend holistically on complex social processes, how can we compare alternative forms of economic organisation?

Keywords: Ontology; Socialist Calculation; Economic Function; Counterfactuals. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B24 B25 B41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 26 pages
Date: 2016-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hme and nep-hpe
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:por:fepwps:572

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