Valuation studies: a collaborative valuation in practice

This discussion note provides a perspective on valuation studies by a group ofPhD students. Based on impressions from the Valuation as Practice workshopat The University of Edinburgh in early 2014 we were inspired by the example of Kjellberg et al. (2013) to debate how we see, understand, and are inspiredby the field of valuation studies. It is the hope of the editors that sharing theconcerns of early-stage researchers starting out in a field in flux, may be of useto, and perhaps spur, senior contributors to further develop this emergingresearch landscape. Using the workshop experience as a springboard, we arguethat the domain of valuation studies still relies heavily on influences from thestudy of economics, with a strong emphasis on processes of quantification andcalculation. With apparent pragmatism within the field, concern as to whatmight be lost by this narrower perspective is raised. Additionally, we call forthe exploration of the possibility of a common language of valuation, to betterdefine shared features, and identify as well as manage conflicts within the field.