Critical realism, method of grounded theory, and theory construction

Frederic S. Lee

Handbook of Research Methods and Applications in Heterodox Economics

Handbooks of Research Methods and Applications series

Edited by Frederic S. Lee and Bruce Cronin

Despite the important critiques of the mainstream offered by heterodox economics, the dominant method remains econometrics. This major new Handbook provides an invaluable introduction to a range of alternative research methods better suited for analysing the social data prominent in heterodox research projects, including survey, historical, ethnographic, experimental, and mixed approaches, together with factor, cluster, complex, and social network analytics. Introductions to each method are complemented by descriptions of applications in practice.

Handbook

Published in print:: 29 Apr 2016

ISBN:: 9781782548454

eISBN:: 9781782548461

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781782548461

Pages:: c 640

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Chapter 2: Critical realism, method of grounded theory, and theory construction

Frederic S. Lee

Handbook Chapter

Published:: 29 April 2016

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781782548461.00008

Pages:: 35–53 (19 total)

Collection: Economics 2016

Abstract

This chapter articulates a relationship between critical realism and the method of grounded theory, arguing that this is particularly well suited for heterodox economic enquiry. Such an approach to theory creation and evaluation directly engages with mixed research methods (such as historical method, survey methods, participation observation method, analytical statistics, social network analysis, modeling, and cases), data triangulation, and historical theorization. Because critical realism is concerned with the social ontology of the domain of economics and the method of rounded theory promotes the use of mixed research methods and data triangulation, heterodox economics does not have a preference for a particular method or data.

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