Normative statement
Encyclopedia
In economics
, a normative statement expresses a value judgement about whether a situation is subjectively desirable or undesirable. "The world would be a better place if the moon were made of green cheese" is a normative statement because it expresses a judgement about what ought to be. Notice that there is no way of testing the veracity of the statement; even if you disagree with it, you have no sure way of proving to someone who believes the statement that he or she is wrong by mere appeal to facts. Normative statements are characterised by the modal verbs "should", "would" or "could". They form the basis of normative economics
, and are the opposite of positive statement
s. For further information see normative science
.
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, a normative statement expresses a value judgement about whether a situation is subjectively desirable or undesirable. "The world would be a better place if the moon were made of green cheese" is a normative statement because it expresses a judgement about what ought to be. Notice that there is no way of testing the veracity of the statement; even if you disagree with it, you have no sure way of proving to someone who believes the statement that he or she is wrong by mere appeal to facts. Normative statements are characterised by the modal verbs "should", "would" or "could". They form the basis of normative economics
Normative economics
Normative economics is that part of economics that expresses value judgments about economic fairness or what the economy ought to be like or what goals of public policy ought to be....
, and are the opposite of positive statement
Positive statement
In economics and philosophy, a positive statement concerns what "is", "was", or "will be", and contains no indication of approval or disapproval...
s. For further information see normative science
Normative science
A normative science is a form of inquiry, typically involving a community of inquiry and its accumulated body of provisional knowledge, that seeks to discover good ways of achieving recognized aims, ends, goals, objectives, or purposes....
.