This paper is intended both as a contribution to the conceptual work on process in
economic thought and as an attempt to connect a non-institutionalist, non-evolutionary
thinker to it. The paper has two principal objectives: (i) to delineate a broad,
philosophically grounded conception of what an economic process theory (EPT) is;
and (ii) to locate the contributions of George Shackle within this broad conception
of EPT. In pursuing these two objectives, I hope to draw out the originality and significance
of Shackle’s economics with a particular emphasis on what he adds to process
conceptions developed within other heterodox traditions such as institutional
and evolutionary economics. I will also highlight some of the perceived limitations
of Shackle’s approach and link them to the limitations of process philosophy.
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