ABSTRACT
In recent months a number of French students, joined by some of their lecturers, have initiated a debate on the state of modern economics. The debate turns on the question of which research methods are appropriate for the investigation of economic reality. As so often in the past, a French debate has provoked an international response. Because of the importance of this debate to the future of economics, it is essential to be clear about what is at issue, especially in these pages where the debate began.
