Economists do more than merely describe an external economic world. They shape it in the image of their theories and models. This idea, following the philosophy of language, puts forward that economic theories are performative, and not only descriptive.

Acknowledgments. Introduction. Part I: The Performativist Approach. Introduction to Part I. Chapter 1 From language to device: How economics makes shapes the world. Chapter 2 The theory of performativity: a double remoteness. Chapter 3 Criticisms of the sociological approach to performativityConclusion to part I. Part II: A Conventionalist Approach to Performativity. Introduction to Part II. Chapter 4 Changing perspective: performativity, institutional fact and convention. Chapter 5 An ontological focus. Conclusion to part II. Part III: Three Scenes of Performativity. Introduction to Part III. Chapter 6 Performativity and empiricity: rationality and liberal paternalism. Chapter 7 Performativity and self-fulfillment: the case of the Black-Scholes-Merton equations. Chapter 8 A conventional limit to performativity: the example of organ trade. Conclusion to part III. General Conclusion. Bibliography. Index