He concludes that political economy, "theoretical economics, economic policy, and the science of finance" is a theoretical- political science and not a "historical" science. Menger also illuminates the origin and character of social institutions, a significant contribution to sociology which has not received the recognition it warrants because of Menger's primary reputation as an economist. This book was the first shot in the famous "battle of methods" (Methodenstreit) in late nineteenth-century German--Austrian economics.