ABSTRACT
The purposes of this comparison between neo-Gramscian perspective and the economics of technological change (ETC) regarding the dynamic of capitalist development are twofold and are closely connected. First, we must appraise our theory's ability to account for the historical record. But, given the methodological argument at the heart of this project, this cannot be conducted under any expectation that the empirical record will ‘settle’ whether the theory is adequate or not. As discussed in Section III, the relatively close connection between theory and practice in the social sciences exacerbates problems of judgemental relativism. As a result, theory choice cannot be determined simply by the ‘facts’, because one can always dispute the interpretation of either the theory or the evidence. Testing the theory's explanatory power against the empirical record is thus best pursued as a comparison with other theories, focusing on specific discrepancies in their respective interpretations, as well as on the broad sweep of what they can and cannot explain. Note also that the outcome of this process is choice of a theory for the purposes of further development in the ongoing pursuit of understanding of one's social circumstances and not particular concrete predictions. 1 Judgements of theory choice will thus inevitably also often revert to discussion of theoretical problems, including ontological ones. Accordingly, both levels of comparison are pursued here.
