Modern Economics and Social Reality

Tony Lawson is among the most influential economists of his generation. He has reclaimed a place for explicit, sustained, ontological analysis in economics demonstrating how its decades‑long neglect has hampered the discipline. Regarding social theorising more generally, Lawson has been centrally involved in developing a compelling account of the very nature of social reality (systematised as social
positioning theory), showing how it can sponsor powerful new treatments of the nature of money, corporations and gender. He has also engaged in ethical theorising to explore possibilities for emancipatory change. For those seeking a relevant approach to economics specifically, or indeed social theorising in general, his work has been agenda‑setting.

The chapters in this volume have been written in Tony Lawson’s honour. Leading heterodox economists, social theorists and legal scholars engage constructively and critically with Lawson’s landmark contributions. The chapters explore cutting‑edge developments in social ontology; issues at the interface between ontology, economics and ethics; and topics concerning the state and history of economics. Collectively, the chapters demonstrate that the perspectives Lawson outlines have critical purchase upon an extraordinary range of vital contemporary issues.

This book will interest those searching for new relevant directions in social theory and philosophy and all concerned with the future (and history) of economics.

Ioana Negru is Reader in Economics with Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, and she has extensive experience in teaching economics within the United Kingdom and Romania.

Stephen Pratten is Professor of Economics and Philosophy, King’s Business School, King’s College, London. He is co‑executive editor of the Cambridge Journal of Economics and one of the founding members of the Cambridge Social Ontology Group.

Yannick Slade‑Caffarel is Associate Professor at Paris 1 Panthéon‑Sorbonne University and a member of the Cambridge Social Ontology Group.