The Methodology of Positive Economics: Reflections on the Milton Friedman Legacy

摘要

In 2002, Tom Mayer organized a session for the 2003 ASSA meetings in Washington, DC to recognize the 50th anniversary of Milton Friedman's famous 1953 essay, 'The Methodology of Positive Economics' (henceforth F53). The session consisted of a panel of four presenters: Wade Hands, Uskali Maki, Melvin Reder and me. Friedman was on a conference phone connection, listened to all of the papers and even made a few comments on them. In my contribution to this session, I argued that whether one has a favourable view of F53's instrumentalist methodology depends on one's ideology concerning Friedman-the-man.