Continental Thought in Institutional Economics

Abstract

I will research some branches of continental thought in institutional economics. I will start with John Searle’s idea of social causation as collective intentionality and (according to my understanding) even more important notion of a background. I will take a continental neo-materialist and economic approach to the subject. I will also read Slavoj Zizek as neo-material economics in continental philosophical way. Furthermore, I will compare Searle’s notions of collective intentionality and the background of the social to Maurizio Ferraris’ notions of text as a replacement for collective intentionality. The problems that Ferraris addresses are understood here in terms of practices. This reading will make space for neo-material developments of economic theory as social theory. I will not directly address Alain Badiou’s neocommunism but will take some notions from neocommunism in general.