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Limits of the equilibrium model in social research
Author(s) -
Easton David
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
behavioral science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1099-1743
pISSN - 0005-7940
DOI - 10.1002/bs.3830010203
Subject(s) - meaning (existential) , mathematical economics , epistemology , scale (ratio) , social system , positive economics , computer science , sociology , economics , social science , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics
An analysis is offered of the utility of an equilibrium model for the study of social systems. In some areas of social science research is conducted explicitly in terms of an equilibrium model, as for example, in economics. In most discipb'nes, however, it lurks beneath the surface as an inarticulate theoretical framework, as is the case in political science. An attempt is made to clarify the meaning usually associated with the concept equilibrium and to distinguish among various types of equilibria. The major shortcoming of this model at the present stage of development in social research derives from the lack of data quantifiable on either an ordinal or a cardinal scale. Only to the extent that such measurement is available can equilibrium analysis be fruitfully used to understand the operations of an empirical social system. Otherwise the model remains formal and untestable.