ABSTRACT
The value of a theoretical construct for understanding the international division of labor depends heavily on the uses to be made of that construct or conceptual framework. These uses are a more certain test than an appeal to facts, because the same facts can support different theories. A common test of particular general economic theories (like the Marxist or neoclassical) is how compatible a particular or partial theory is with that paradigm's general principles. This kind of partial-general congruence test is valid, but its acceptability depends on the extent to which the general body of thought provides a valid understanding of basic causal forces.
