Science is Storytelling: Economics as Narrative

Abstract

The article argues that doing science is storytelling, and that economics is no exception to this rule. Through a literature review on narratives in science, the paper presents the scientific possibilities of narratives, the relationship between narrative and rhetoric, and the uses of narratives by economists in their academic work. The article advances in the literature by discussing two types of rhetorical use of narratives: one for the general public and other to the scientific community. By presenting potentialities that were pointed out in works that carry out analysis of specific narrative, we can: explore the limitation of economic knowledge, make room for comparison between proposals and overcome methodological barriers between theories.