On the scientific practice of Brazilian economists: from epistemic virtue to the administration of irrelevance

Abstract

Economists justify the internationalization of economic science using meta-language in such a way that competition is presented as an “exemplary” mechanism which increases the quality (epistemic credibility) and productivity (the absorption of new knowledge) of science. However, competition from the perfect markets of economic theory is rarely found in the real world, much less in science, where a combination of material and symbolic factors reinforces the uneven and hierarchical character of scientific production. Based on this understanding, the present work uses the concept of the ‘Irrelevance Administration Regime’ to understand the inducing structure of scientific processes in which the knowledge produced is considered to be inferior. More specifically, the objective of this paper is to clarify elements that contribute to the existence of a self-deprecated attentional dynamic, focusing on economists’ conscious or unconscious daily scientific practices.

Keywords: Irrelevance Administration Regime; Periphery; Local Knowledge; Economy; Attentional Dynamics