Economic Models in the Wild: Analyzing the Argumentative Functions of Models in Policy Contexts

Models are used in a variety of arguments such as explanatory, critical, and policy arguments. However, there does not seem to be a framework within which to analyze their diverse argumentative uses. This article focuses on the argumentative uses of economic models and proposes a four-layered framework (from scientific model to policy argument) to analyze the role of such models as argumentative devices, and to make explicit the gap between model results and real-world policy claims. The case in focus is the supply and demand model and its role in explanatory and policy arguments during the COVID-19 pandemic.