Syllabus
1. Methodological issues and the role of methodology in the development of economic science -- lecture on the major methodological approaches in economic theories of the 20th Century, and on the role of methodology in the development of economic theory .
2. Neoclassical economics before Keynes -- lecture on basic methodological approaches of the prekeynesian neoclassical theories used before 1930ies.
3. Neoclassical economics after Keynes - lecture on the methodological developments in the neoclassical economics since 1930ies. The importance of the development of neoclassical macroeconomics and the methodological approach of M. Friedman is stressed.
4. Austrian and neoaustrian economics -- a consistent methodological individualism and its implications,lecture on major methodological issues of neoaustrian economics in the tradition of L. von Mises and F. von Hayek.
5. Keynes and his methodological approach - lecture on the methodological approaches of J. M. Keynes as developed in his major works. Problems of expectations, animal spirits, time issues etc.
6. Neokeynesian macroeconomics - lecture on the development of the neoclassical synthesis using examples from the papers and books by F. Modigliani, P. A. Samuelson, D. Patinkin and other leading neokeynesians.
7. Postkeynesian economics -- postkeynesian methodological perspective, critical realism, interpretation of the theoretical heredity of J. M. Keynes, antimarginalist revolution, historical time and expectations.
8. Neoricardian economics, Sraffa and the implications of his work for the development of economic theory - lecture on methodological principles of the theoretical approach of P. Sraffa, reproducibility, surplus etc.
9. Institucionalismus a new institutional economics - lecture on methodological approaches and differences between old and new institutional economic theories, (institutions, historical time , development and role of institutions, property rights, formalization and mathematical methods etc.).
10. J. A. Schumpeter -- an alternative without followers? Lecture on methodological approaches of J. A. Schumpeter in his Theory of economic development (entrepreneur, innovation, empirical-inductive perspective, creative destruction).
11. Marxian political economy -- lecture on methodological approaches of K. Marx, and theoretical approach of marxian economic theory in its later development.
12. French structuralism - lecture on sociological approach to economic theory on the basis of a structural method, a trial to solve the methodological dichotomy in contemporary economics by a sociological method.
Annotation
The course aims at helping students to understand methodological differences among major economic theories of the 20th Century. Comparative perspectives on methodological approaches, problems of the scope and building of basic theoretical structures of different streams and schools of economic thought are explained.
In this way the prerequisites for an ability to compare the strong and weak points of different theoretical approaches may be developed. Subject should create prerequisites for a deeper understanding the complexity of contemporary economic theory.