Imperial College London

DrMichaelJoffe

Faculty of MedicineSchool of Public Health

Emeritus Reader
 
 
 
//

Contact

 

m.joffe

 
 
//

Location

 

Medical SchoolSt Mary's Campus

//

Summary

 

Summary

I have worked as an epidemiologist for much of my career. I have published extensively on reproductive epidemiology, especially on biological fertility as assessed using the time taken to conceive - "Time To Pregnancy" or TTP. I developed and validated a method of measuring this in population samples using self reports, and together with colleagues, developed the methodological aspects of analysis of the data, which are highly complex.

Another area of epidemiological expertise is the use of causal systems to analyse epidemiological relationships (exposure-disease) in their broader context, whether biological and/or social. This also involved work on causal inference, including philosophical aspects.

More recently I have worked on a distinct approach to studying the economy, using methods that are well established in natural sciences such as biology - see the website https://evidence-based-economics.org/.This gives a central place to causal relationships, and the evidence for them, both statistical (what philophers call "difference making") and mechanistic; causal systems (combinations of individual causal relationships) are also important here. Publications on this topic include both substantive economic studies and papers in economic methodology.


Peer-reviewed papers in economics and economic methodology since 2017:

Joffe M. 2017. Causal theories, models and evidence in economics - some reflections from the natural sciences. Cogent Economics & Finance 5: 1280983  http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/23322039.2017.1280983?needAccess=true

Joffe M. 2017. The roots of growth: entrepreneurship, innovation and the capitalist firm. In Pyka A, Cantner U (eds.) Foundations of Economic Change – A Schumpeterian View on Behaviour, Interaction and Aggregate Outcomes, Springer. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-62009-1_11

Joffe M. 2017. Why does capital flow from poor to rich countries? – the real puzzle. Real-World Economics Review No. 81 http://www.paecon.net/PAEReview/issue81/Joffe81.pdf

Joffe M. 2017. Evidence and the micro-foundations of economic growth. Economics and Business Review 3(3): 52-79. http://www.ebr.edu.pl/pub/2017_3_52.pdf

Joffe M. 2017. The neglect of buying power in traditional economic theory, and its practical implications. Advances in Economics & Business 5(8): 435-439. http://www.hrpub.org/download/20170730/AEB1-11809448.pdf

Joffe M. 2018. Causation, Capacities, Flow, Initiative and Power in the Economic System. Advances in Economics and Business 6(2): 125-135. http://www.hrpub.org/download/20180330/AEB4-11811031.pdf

Joffe M. 2018. The creation of jobs. Real-World Economics Review Issue No. 83  http://www.paecon.net/PAEReview/issue83/Joffe83.pdf

Joffe M. 2019. Mechanism in behavioural economics. Journal of Economic Methodology 26(3): 228-242. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/1350178X.2019.1625214?needAccess=true

 

Not yet published:

Equilibrium, instability, growth and feedback in economics (PDF)

Profit rate dynamics in US manufacturing (PDF)

Cost and price reduction in the transition to the modern economy (PDF)

Specific outcome measures to complement GDP (PDF)



Publications

Journals

Joffe M, 2022, Profit rate dynamics in US manufacturing, International Review of Applied Economics, ISSN:0269-2171

Greenland S, Mansournia MA, Joffe M, 2022, To curb research misreporting, replace significance and confidence by compatibility A Preventive Medicine Golden Jubilee article, Preventive Medicine, Vol:164, ISSN:0091-7435, Pages:1-5

Joffe M, 2019, Mechanism in behavioural economics, Journal of Economic Methodology, Vol:26, ISSN:1350-178X, Pages:228-242

Joffe M, 2017, Causal theories, models and evidence in economics-some reflections from the natural sciences, Cogent Economics and Finance, Vol:5, ISSN:2332-2039

More Publications