Abstract

In the 1980s, Richard Thaler used Thomas Kuhn’s framework as a narrative tool to present behavioural economics (BE) as an alternative paradigm. Despite resistance from other economists to this narrative, Thaler persisted with this revolutionary style up to the 2010s and promoted an “us versus them” identity for BE. In the present article, we investigate the role of Thaler’s narrative and show that it has played an important part in BE’s successes and identity. Thaler’s narrative has stimulated imitation by creating a story out of scattered anomalies and laying out a simple scientific model to follow. The narrative has fostered a revolutionary identity for BE, promoted the more innovative aspects of BE and encouraged some behavioural economists to adopt a more confrontational approach. Although Thaler’s narrative lacked resolution – Thaler himself acknowledged the uncertainties related to BE’s revolutionary characteristics – it has shaped the history of behavioural economics.

摘要

在 1980 年代，Richard Thaler 使用 Thomas Kuhn 的框架作为叙述工具，将行为经济学 (BE) 呈现为另一种范式。尽管其他经济学家反对这种说法，但泰勒一直坚持这种革命性的风格直到 2010 年代，并为 BE 推广了“我们与他们”的身份。在本文中，我们调查了泰勒叙事的作用，并表明它在 BE 的成功和身份中发挥了重要作用。泰勒的叙述通过从零散的异常中创造一个故事并提出一个简单的科学模型来激发模仿。这种叙述为 BE 培养了一种革命性的身份，促进了 BE 更具创新性的方面，并鼓励了一些行为经济学家采用更具对抗性的方法。