Economic methodology · 经济方法论
| English | 中文 | Pinyin · 拼音 |
|---|---|---|
| value judgement/ˈvæljuː ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/ | 价值判断 | jià zhí pàn duàn |
| positive/ˈpɒzɪtɪv/ | 实证的 | shí zhèng de |
| normative/ˈnɔːmətɪv/ | 规范的 | guī fàn de |
| ceteris paribus/ˈsetərɪs ˈpærɪbəs/ | 其他条件不变 | qí tā tiáo jiàn bù biàn |
| models/ˈmɒdlz/ | 模型 | mó xíng |
| assumptions/əˈsʌmpʃnz/ | 假设 | jiǎ shè |
Fact or opinion?
- "Raising the minimum wage increases unemployment." "The government should raise the minimum wage." One of these can be tested; the other is a value judgement 价值判断.
- Telling the two apart — positive 实证的 vs normative 规范的 — is the first discipline of economic thinking.
事实还是观点?
- “提高最低工资增加失业。”“政府应该提高最低工资。”这两个中一个能被检验;另一个是一个价值判断。
- 把这两者分开——实证(positive)对规范(normative)——是经济思维的第一项纪律。
Economic method lab · 经济方法实验室
Classify statements by the role they play in economic reasoning. · 根据陈述在经济推理中扮演的角色对其进行分类。
Positive vs normative
- A positive statement is about what is — factual, testable, can be right or wrong.
- A normative statement is about what ought to be — a value judgement, involving opinion.
Economic growth shifts the PPC outward; decline shifts it inward
实证对规范
- 一个实证陈述是关于是什么——事实的、可检验的、可以对或错。
- 一个规范陈述是关于应该是什么——一个价值判断,涉及观点。
经济增长把 PPC 向外移;衰退把它向内移
Which is a positive statement? · 哪一个是实证性陈述？
A positive statement is factual and testable; the others are value judgements (normative). · 实证性陈述是事实性的且可检验的；其他都是价值判断（规范性）。
Classify each statement. · 对每个陈述进行分类。
Facts/figures that can be checked are positive; "should/ought/fair" statements are normative. · 可核查的事实/数据是实证性的；“should/ought/fair”类的陈述是规范性的。
A normative statement expresses a value judgement about what ought to be. · 规范性陈述表达了对应该是什么的价值判断。
Normative = opinion/"ought"; positive = testable fact. · Normative = 观点/“ought”；positive = 可检验的事实。
Ceteris paribus 其他条件不变
- Economists isolate one cause at a time using ceteris paribus — "all other things being equal".
- It lets you say "a price rise lowers quantity demanded" holding income, tastes, etc. constant.
Why it matters. In the real world many things change at once. Ceteris paribus is the economist's version of a controlled experiment — vary one factor, freeze the rest.
其他条件不变
- 经济学家用其他条件不变(ceteris paribus)一次隔离一个原因——“所有其他东西相等”。
- 它让你说“一次价格上升降低需求量”在保持收入、口味等不变的情况下。
为什么它重要。 在现实世界中许多东西同时改变。其他条件不变是经济学家版本的受控实验——改变一个因素,冻结其余的。
The assumption "all other things being equal" is called ceteris ______. · 假设“其他条件不变”被称为 ceteris ______。
Ceteris paribus lets economists isolate the effect of one variable. · Ceteris paribus 使经济学家能够隔离单一变量的影响。
Models 模型 and assumptions 假设
- Economics builds models — deliberate simplifications — to reveal how variables relate.
- A good model makes clear assumptions and gives testable predictions; it's judged by how well it predicts, not by being "realistic".
模型与假设
- 经济学构建模型(models)——刻意的简化——来揭示变量如何关联。
- 一个好模型做出清晰的假设(assumptions)并给出可检验的预测;它由它预测得多好评判,而不是由“现实”评判。
An economic model is mainly judged by: · 经济模型主要根据其：
Models simplify deliberately; their value is in useful, testable predictions. · 模型是刻意简化的；其价值在于有用且可检验的预测。
The trap
Watch for hidden "should". Words like fair, too high, should, better signal a normative claim. "Inequality is too high" is normative; "the top 1% own 40% of wealth" is positive.
陷阱
留意隐藏的“应该”。 像公平、太高、应该、更好这样的词标志一个规范主张。“不平等太高”是规范的;“顶部 1% 拥有 40% 的财富”是实证的。
You've got it
- positive = what is (testable fact); normative = what ought to be (value judgement)
- ceteris paribus = "all else equal" — isolate one cause at a time
- economics uses models with clear assumptions, judged by their predictions
你掌握了
- 实证 = 是什么(可检验的事实);规范 = 应该是什么(价值判断)
- 其他条件不变 = “所有其他相等”——一次隔离一个原因
- 经济学用带清晰假设的模型,由它们的预测评判