Abstract

SALAZAR, Boris  and  CENDALES, Andrés. KOOPMANS: ESTRUCTURA MODULAR Y ESTRATEGIAS GANADORAS EN TEORÍA ECONÓMICA. Cuad. Econ. [online]. 2007, vol.26, n.46, pp.23-49. ISSN 0121-4772.

Taking up an original idea by Koopmans, we suggest that scientific efficiency and the rapid development of the neoclassical research programme may be explained by a modular structure which its creators have been spontaneously using and practising. The fundamental idea is simple; combining basic modules belonging to the programme's hard nucleus produces new models which might be useful (in turn) for constructing other models. We show that the sequence of models of theoretical economics follows a partial order growing in complexity and realism, in the sense that it moves away from the simpler modules than those preceding them, but without which it could not have been constructed. Rival investigation programmes were not effective competitors as they did not have a modular structure.

Keywords : modular structure; neoclassic programme; model; efficiency.

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