Pluralist methodology for development economics: the example of moral economy of Indian labour markets

This paper adds a moral angle to a pluralist approach to development economics. Normative assumptions can be found in all the five main schools of thought that have analysed India's rural labour markets (neoclassical, new institutionalist, Marxist political economy, formalised political economy...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Olsen, W
Format: Working paper
Published: University of Oxford 2006
Description
Summary:This paper adds a moral angle to a pluralist approach to development economics. Normative assumptions can be found in all the five main schools of thought that have analysed India's rural labour markets (neoclassical, new institutionalist, Marxist political economy, formalised political economy, and feminist). The theorisations that are used by each normative overtones. I define overtones and distinguish them from normative undertones (i.e. elements of meaning that have an affect component). Statistical regressions in this literature are used to illustrate the types of undertones that are present. The undertones tend to cause performative contradictions for authors who claim value neutrality.