Truth and Choices: Computational v. Analytical formal models
How do we show a statement about politics is true? Analytic formal modelers suggest one way:
Continue reading ‘Truth and Choices: Computational v. Analytical formal models’ »
Posts tagged ‘theory’
The better the question, the worse the answer
Justin Wolfers wrote recently about the level of interaction between economics and other social sciences. In particular, he wonders why economic work is not well represented in a list of the books most cited in social science research. It’s a good question: I find many of the tools and techniques developed by economists are useful in my works studying political phenomena, and I do cite economic research.
One particularly thoughtful commenter on Wolfers’ post notes that economics combines the controversy of addressing everyday issues with the general inaccessibility of chemistry. This conflict may make some people resist the conclusions of economists, ie. strong prior + incomprehensible evidence = small amount of updating.
Continue reading ‘The better the question, the worse the answer’ »
All Theorists are Normative (or run that risk)
A recent exchange at the excellent Cheap Talk focused on how the uselessness of the United States’ recent promise not to nuke other states who comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Continue reading ‘All Theorists are Normative (or run that risk)’ »