--%>

Good theory

It is frequently said that a good theory is one which can in principle be refuted by an empirical, data-oriented study. Describe why a theory which cannot be evaluated empirically is not a good theory.
In evaluating theory there are two steps: firstly, you have to examine the reasonability of the theory's assumptions; secondly, you have to test the theory's predictions by comparing them with facts. If a theory cannot be tested, it cannot be accepted or rejected. Hence, it contributes little to our understanding of reality.

   Related Questions in Microeconomics

  • Q : Illustration of Economic Capital An

    An illustration of economic capital would be: (1) loanable funds in banks. (2) factory buildings. (3) gold held through price speculators. (4) labor’s productive skills. (5) corporate stocks. How can I solve

  • Q : Profit Maximization in Labor Markets

    Can someone help me in finding out the right answer from the given options. All the profit maximizing firms use labor up to the point where: (1) VMP = MFC. (2) VMP = w. (3) VMP = MRP. (4) MRP = MFC. (5) MR   MC is maximized.

  • Q : Consumption and saving schedules The

    The consumption and saving schedules demonstrate that: A) consumption rises, but saving declines, as disposable income rises. B) saving varies inversely with the profitability of investment. C) saving varies directly with the level of disposable income. D) saving is i

  • Q : Goals of the Firm-Profit Maximization

    The supposition that firms try to maximize the profits: (i) Is the beginning point for most of the economic analyses of how firms function. (ii) Can be wrong for the cases in which the professional corporate managers maximize their own self interests rather than the i

  • Q : Current deposit account Name the

    Name the additional facility that the businessman acquires in the current deposit account of bank. Answer: The businessman acquires the facility of overdraft (that

  • Q : Prevent entry and set production A

    A strategy probable to make a cartel successful would be for cartel members to: (w) give slightly differentiated outputs. (x) stagger the amounts by which they raise prices. (y) prevent entry and set production quotas which are enforceable. (z) mainta

  • Q : Produces differentiated goods by

    Monopolistic competitors generate differentiated goods which have numerous potential: (1) substitutes and important barriers to entry protecting them from potential rival producers. (2) close substitutes whose suppliers face no long run barriers to en

  • Q : Definition of Economic Profit To assert

    To assert that a firm made exactly zero economic profits as well signifies that it made: (i) Zero accounting profits. (ii) Normal economic profits. (iii) Negative accounting profits. (iv) No profits at all. Choose the right answer

  • Q : Strategies of monopolistic competitors

    The strategies of monopolistic competitors invariably comprise: (1) industrial espionage. (2) predatory pricing. (3) product differentiation. (4) price-fixing. (5) cutthroat competition. I need a good answer on the

  • Q : Illustration of Rational Ignorance I

    I have a problem in economics on Illustration of Rational Ignorance. Please help me in the following question. Supposing that the meat you purchase from a grocery store is good devoid of inspecting its quality yourself with the microscope is an illustration of: (1) Be