Theorizing Competition: An Interdisciplinary Framework

ICAE Working Paper Series - No. 120 - December 2020

Posted: 26 Feb 2021

See all articles by Carina Altreiter

Carina Altreiter

Vienna University of Economics and Business - Department of Social Sciences

Claudius Gräbner

Johannes Kepler University Linz

Stephan Puehringer

Johannes Kepler University of Linz - Institute for Comprehensive Analysis of the Economy (ICAE)

Ana Rogojanu

University of Vienna

Georg Wolfmayr

University of Vienna

Date Written: December 8, 2020

Abstract

This paper introduces a framework to facilitate an interdisciplinary analysis of ‘competition’. While such an interdisciplinary analysis can be justified by referencing the various fields of social and economic life in which ‘competition’ is important, three challenges are found to aggravate such endeavor. To mitigate these challenges, and to explicate the often implicit meta-theoretical assumption in the scope, methodological and normative dimension, a meta-theoretical framework is proposed. Its usefulness is illustrated via a comparative description of selected contributions from the social sciences and humanities. Despite its limited scope, it y ields some preliminary conjectures that may inspire future research: first, there are sufficient common elements across different concepts of competition that justify an interdisciplinary approach to study competition; second, apart from differences between disciplines, there are remarkable differences within disciplines that are at least of similar importance. Finally, there are important interdependencies between the meta-theoretical dimensions considered in the framework.

Keywords: competition, interdisciplinarity, methodology of the social sciences and humanities

JEL Classification: B41, B5, P16

Suggested Citation

Altreiter, Carina and Gräbner, Claudius and Puehringer, Stephan and Rogojanu, Ana and Wolfmayr, Georg, Theorizing Competition: An Interdisciplinary Framework (December 8, 2020). ICAE Working Paper Series - No. 120 - December 2020, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3753394

Carina Altreiter

Vienna University of Economics and Business - Department of Social Sciences

Augasse 2-6
Wien, A-1090
Austria

Claudius Gräbner (Contact Author)

Johannes Kepler University Linz

Altenbergerstr. 69
A-4040 Linz, Uper Austria 4040
Austria

Stephan Puehringer

Johannes Kepler University of Linz - Institute for Comprehensive Analysis of the Economy (ICAE) ( email )

Aubrunnerweg 3a
A-4040 Linz
Austria

Ana Rogojanu

University of Vienna

Vienna
Austria

Georg Wolfmayr

University of Vienna

Vienna
Austria

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