Mind and matter: developing pluralist development economics

Irene van Staveren ()

International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education, 2011, vol. 2, issue 2, 120-144

Abstract: The article makes a plea for pluralist economics and especially pluralist development economics. In the first part, the argument is developed why this is necessary, referring to the current financial crisis and the methodologically inconsistent dominant concept of rationality. The second part gives examples of pluralist economic analysis. The examples deal with gender norms in Africa as asymmetric gendered institutions, the irrationality of ruthless utility maximisation and the efficiency of redistribution following the law of diminishing marginal returns. The article concludes that pluralism does not imply theoretical unification but rather closeness to real world issues such as poverty, with a policy focus.

Keywords: pluralism; rationality; gender; institutions; efficiency; economic theory; pluralist economics; financial crisis; poverty. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijplur:v:2:y:2011:i:2:p:120-144

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