Models, Mathematics, and Methodology in Economic Explanation

Donald W. Katzner is Professor of Economics and former Department Chair at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His published research has spanned several areas, including: microeconomic and general equilibrium theory; the methodology of building models and of analyzing phenomena when measures of appropriate variables are neither available nor reasonably constructible; the analysis of uncertain economic phenomena when it is inappropriate to employ notions of probability; the impact of culture on economic behavior; and organizational issues within the economic firm.

'Professor Katzner has written a brilliant book: engaging, rigorous, and thought-provoking. It should sit on the desk of every economist and Ph.D. student in economics who wishes to tackle issues of contemporary relevance with the rigor and clarity that ought to characterize economics as a social science.' Roberto Veneziani, Queen Mary University of London

• Introduction; 1. Science and economics; 2. Economic models and explanation; 3. The stages of model building in economics; 4. Models and mathematics; 5. Models and measurement (or lack thereof); 6. Issues relating to the construction of models from scratch; 7. An example: the efficiency of organizational forms; 8. The implicit assumption requirements of later-stage model building; 9. Ordinality and the adequacy of analytic specification; 10. Categories of models; 11. Conclusion.