Critical realism and economics: post-keynesianism and ontology in Kregel's method

Starting from a realistic perspective of the economic dynamics of capitalist society, after an analysis of the theses of critical realism in science, especially in the works of Roy Bhaskar and Tony Lawson, the argument that within post-Keynesian heterodox thinking there is a return to ontology, which makes it possible to draw a theoretical framework that is more consistent with the reality of the economic environment. To illustrate, we bring to light the contribution of Jan Kregel, which shows a certain approximation with the methodological proposal of critical realism, especially with regard to ideas about changes in trajectory, cumulative causation, subjectivity, uncertainty and economic unpredictability.

Keywords:
Critical realism; Bhaskar, Lawson; Post-Keynesian; kregel