Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

The irreducibility of macro to microeconomics: a methodological approach* * We are grateful to Roland Saldanha Jr. and Vitoria Saddi for their useful comments to earlier versions of this paper. Needless to say, the usual disclaimer appliers.

A irredutibilidade da macro à microeconomia: uma abordagem metodológica

ABSTRACT

This paper criticizes the idea, widespread today, of the need to seek micro-foundations for macroeconomics. The authors argue that these two fields of economics, micro and macroeconomics, use different methodological approaches. Microeconomics deals with economic problems according to a logical-deductive methodology, while macroeconomics is more characterized by a historical-inductive approach. The attempt to reduce macroeconomics to microeconomics, or vice versa, brings only an impoverishment to science and economic debate, in which, ideally, there should be room for a great pluralism of ideas and theoretical currents.

KEYWORDS:
Economic methodology; microfoundations of macroeconomics

Centro de Economia Política Rua Araripina, 106, CEP 05603-030 São Paulo - SP, Tel. (55 11) 3816-6053 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: cecilia.heise@bjpe.org.br