Macro-analysis, regulation and the method: an alternative to the methodological holism and individualism to a historical and institutionalist macro-economy

Vol. 25 No. 4 (2005)

Oct-Dec / 2005
Published March 27, 2020
PDF-Portuguese (Português (Brasil))
PDF-Portuguese (Português (Brasil))

How to Cite

Bruno, Miguel. 2005. “Macro-Analysis, Regulation and the Method: An Alternative to the Methodological Holism and Individualism to a Historical and Institutionalist Macro-Economy”. Brazilian Journal of Political Economy 25 (4):337-56. https://centrodeeconomiapolitica.org.br/repojs/index.php/journal/article/view/646.

Macro-analysis, regulation and the method: an alternative to the methodological holism and individualism to a historical and institutionalist macro-economy

Miguel Bruno
Professor Adjunto do Departamento de Evolução Econômica da Faculdade de Ciências Econômicas da Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro — FCE/UERJ.
Brazilian Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 25 No. 4 (2005), Oct-Dec / 2005, Pages 337-356

Abstract

The paper examines the epistemological conditions that make the “regulationist” macro-analysis a possible alternative to the traditional equilibrium approaches. It shows how these analyses allow to overcome the structure-agent dilemma as from the concept of contextual rationality and of a hol-individualist methodology that, combined with the notion of strong historicity, find wide theoretical basis in Bourdieu's sociology, in Braudel's works on economical history and in Lukács's ontology on the social being. The paper also explains its historical origins and concludes with a synthesis of the method and the necessary steps to accomplish this type of macroeconomics approach.

JEL Classification: B41; B40; B59; E19.


Keywords: Economic methodology “regulationist” macro-analysis regulation school contextual rationality methodological holism methodological individualism epistemological problems of economics