Economia

Revista de Economia Política, vol. 29, nº 2 (114), pp. 163-190, abril-junho/2009

Os dois métodos e o núcleo duro da teoria econômica
Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira*

The two methods and the hard core of economics. While methodological sciences have no object and are supposed to adopt a hypothetical-deductive method, substantive sciences including economics should use an empirical or historicaldeductive method. The great classical economists and Keynes did that and were able to develop open models explaining how equally open economic systems work.
Thus, the hard core of relevant economics is formed by the classical microeconomics and the classical theory of capitalist economic growth, and by Keynesian macroeconomics. In contrast, neoclassical economist aiming to build a mathematical science wrongly adopted the hypothetical-deductive method, and came to macroeconomic and growth models that do not have practical use in policymaking. The exception is
Marshall’s microeconomics that does not provide a model of real economic systems, but is useful to the analysis of markets.
Keywords: hypothetical-deductive method; historical-deductive method; open systems; mathematical economics; new historical facts.
JEL Classification: B10; B20; B41.

O problema teórico central enfrentado pela economia e pelas outras ciências sociais é a escolha do método ou abordagem preferidos de investigação. Economistas clássicos como Smith, Malthus e Marx usaram essencialmente o método histó* Professor Emérito da Fundação Getulio Vargas. E-mail: [e-mail] Este trabalho baseia-se no curso de Metodologia Científica para Economistas que venho ministrando desde 1989. Meus especiais agradecimentos vão para Ramón Garcia Fernandez e José Marcio Rego, que dividem comigo a responsabilidade por ele. Agradeço também os comentários de Adam Przeworski, Alexandra Strommer de Godoy, Alain Herscovici, Eleutério Prado, Gilberto Tadeu Lima, Leda Paulani, Marcos Ribeiro
Ferrari, Paulo