Each discipline has its own framing and conventions. Economics emphasises the identification of key variables and relationships and their estimation using quantitative research methods, with common reliance on econometrics. The approaches shape what is observed and any resulting policy...

This paper considers the role of theory in our understanding of economic phenomena. While theoretical findings are sometimes claimed to have direct, real world relevance, this is based on rhetoric rather than logic. Theory can and has been considered as analogy, metaphor or framing. These...