More Empirical Research

Abstract

While I consider very useful any attempt to answer the question of what the future development of the science of economics will be, I expect rather divergent answers from those invited to formulate an answer. Almost as a matter of course every worker in some fields of our discipline will consider his speciality the most important — for this is the reason why he works on it. His choice will partly be based on what problems the present world is faced with and so illustrates Gunnar Myrdal’s old statement on the forces at work in such choices.¹ But there remain subjective preferences of a more random nature which co-determine our personal curiosity and there remain the environments from which each of us has originated; environments which differ. And there are elements of the technique of scientific work which fit one student better than another. Thus, for example, I am not going to touch monetary problems, since I feel less fit to deal with them; this does not imply that, in my opinion, monetary problems are not important: on the contrary. Yet, I am going to take up some problems emotionally closer to my personal approach.