Nadia Ruiz, PhD

Philosophy Department | Stanford University

 

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Hola, I am the recipient of the Desai Family Postdoctoral Scholarship in the Philosophy Department at Stanford University.

My research focuses on the microfoundationalist approach in economics. I assess this debate from a practice-based approach, which adopts that 1) models are constrained by their design and 2) there are no clear rules determining how to construct a suitable model. Given these, I proposed that thinking of microfoundations purely as a methodological practice reveals new answers to the debate. 

I am currently researching the challenges – epistemic and non-epistemic– economists encounter when constructing models. Of major interest is whether these constraints play a role in the development policies. Are economists, as practitioners of science and as contributors to public policy, only required to justify their methodology epistemically, or do they have a “moral” responsibility as well?

I am also interested in the different methodologies used in the social sciences. For example, what is the epistemic virtue of ethnographies in Anthropology?

In my free time, I dwell on the impact of feminism in pop culture, watching cooking shows and loving Señor (my dog).

Fun fact: I perform the best lip sync of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance, choreography included. 

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