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LES ORIGINES DE LA DISTINCTION ENTRE POSITIF ET NORMATIF EN ECONOMIE (The Origin of the Positive-normative Distinction in Economics)

Author

Listed:
  • Philippe Mongin

    (HEC Paris - Recherche - Hors Laboratoire - HEC Paris - Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales)

Abstract

Economists are accustomed to distinguishing between a positive and a normative component of their work, a distinction that is peculiar to their field, having no exact counterpart in the other social sciences. The distinction has substantially changed over time, and the different ways of understanding it today are reflective of its history. Our objective is to trace the origins and initial forms of the distinction, from the English classical political economy of the first half of the 19th century to the emergence of welfare economics in the first half of the 20th century. This sequential account will also serve to identify the main representative positions along with the arguments used to support them, and it thus prepares the ground for a discussion that will be less historical and more strictly conceptual.

Suggested Citation

  • Philippe Mongin, 2018. "LES ORIGINES DE LA DISTINCTION ENTRE POSITIF ET NORMATIF EN ECONOMIE (The Origin of the Positive-normative Distinction in Economics)," Working Papers hal-01937107, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-01937107
    DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3106604
    as

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    Keywords

    John Stuart Mill; John Neville Keynes; Lionel Robbins; positive economics and normative economics; value judgments; Hume's thesis; objectivity in; économie positive et économie normative; jugements de valeur; thèse de Hume; objectivité au sens de Weber; économie du bien-être;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B20 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - General
    • B41 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - Economic Methodology
    • D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General
    • D70 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - General

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