DOI - Mendel University Press

DOI identifiers

DOI: 10.11118/978-80-7701-082-5-0082

A Brief Contribution to the Theory of Explanatory Value with Reference to Regional Development

Miroslav Horák ORCID...1
1 Department of Languages and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, Zemìdìlská 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic

The objective of this study is to examine how the concept of “explanatory value” is defined and applied across the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. A systematic literature review was conducted using the SPIDER framework, with searches in the Web of Science Core Collection and explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria applied (English language, review articles, last five years; additionally, the year 2025). Titles, abstracts, and full texts were subjected to a screening process. The initial query yielded five pertinent studies, frequently employing the concept of “explanatory power.” A supplementary query generated eleven records from 2025, resulting in nine unique studies after duplicates were removed. The findings confirm the disciplinary heterogeneity of the concept and highlight its role as an evaluative criterion. Explanatory value emerges as a multidimensional and context-dependent concept that combines logical, empirical, and pragmatic aspects. In the context of regional development, explanatory value provides a key measure for assessing the adequacy of socioeconomic models and their applicability in regional policy design.

Keywords: Explanatory Value, Theory, Regional Development, Systematic Literature Review

pages: 82-87, online: 2026



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