英文摘要 |
Housing Studies, as a cross-displinary research field, should have rich publications to address different methodology from different disciplines. But articles related to methodological issues are rare. Based on the discussion of scientific philosophy, the purpose of this article is to interpret the potential of the socio-economic approach, which merges the strengths of economics and sociology, and to apply this approach in housing studies.From the viewpoint of instrumentalism, as raised by Economist Milton Friedman, an assumption is only the starting point to a conclusion for establishing a logical rule, the sufficient condition. What should be judged is the conclusion, but not the simplified assumption. From the instrumentalist's viewpoint, economics and sociology have the possibility to co-exist. Thus, this article identifies the knowledge foundation for the socio-economic approach by providing the union of economics and sociology.Intergenerational housing transfer, which is the concern of both economists and sociologists, is chosen as the issue for empirical study. A theorectical review on intergenerational transfer from neo-classical economics, new institutional economics and exchange theory is provided. The author concludes that a process of merger is happening among these three different approaches, and the trade-offs during the merger are analylized.In contemporary Taiwan, the housing researchers over emphasize the economic approach. However, returning to the socio-economic approach should be beneficial for future development of housing studies in Taiwan. |