Welfare economics is a branch of economics that attempts to provide a framework for evaluating acts, policies, states of affaires and institutions. There are some philosophical and normative foundations that the framework is based on, such as consequentialism, utilitarianism, welfarism, individualism and reductionism. However, some economists try to show welfare economics as positive economics. By assessing and investigating welfare economics’ criteria, it is shown that this claim leads to economics as a powerless and useless science to deal with real problems of economy and economic life. However, looking at methods of applied welfare economics show that some value judgments influence research process. Therefore, it is better that researchers recognize and announce these value judgments as well as the methods, assumptions, and limits.
Arabi, S. H. (2009). From Positivist to Normative Economics
Philosophical Foundations of Welfare Economics. Methodology of Social Sciences and Humanities, 14(57), 29-51.
MLA
Seyed Hadi Arabi. "From Positivist to Normative Economics
Philosophical Foundations of Welfare Economics". Methodology of Social Sciences and Humanities, 14, 57, 2009, 29-51.
HARVARD
Arabi, S. H. (2009). 'From Positivist to Normative Economics
Philosophical Foundations of Welfare Economics', Methodology of Social Sciences and Humanities, 14(57), pp. 29-51.
VANCOUVER
Arabi, S. H. From Positivist to Normative Economics
Philosophical Foundations of Welfare Economics. Methodology of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2009; 14(57): 29-51.
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