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Evolution as a general theoretical framework for economics and public policy

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  • Wilson, David Sloan
  • Gowdy, John M.

Abstract

Economic and evolutionary thinking have been entwined throughout their histories, but evolutionary theory does not function as a general theoretical framework for economics and public policy, as it does for the biological sciences. In this lead article for a special issue of the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, we first describe how evolution functions as a general theoretical framework in the biological sciences. Then we consider four reasons why evolution might not need to be consulted for human-related subjects such as economics and public policy. We conclude that these reasons can be valid in particular cases, but they fail for any sizeable human-related subject area. Hence evolution can and should become a general theoretical framework for economics and public policy. The other articles in the special issue help to substantiate this claim.

Suggested Citation

  • Wilson, David Sloan & Gowdy, John M., 2013. "Evolution as a general theoretical framework for economics and public policy," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 90(S), pages 3-10.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:90:y:2013:i:s:p:s3-s10
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2012.12.008
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ulrich Witt (ed.), 2008. "Recent Developments in Evolutionary Economics," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 2750.
    2. Geoffrey Hodgson, 2007. "Taxonomizing the Relationship Between Biology and Economics: A Very Long Engagement," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 169-185, August.
    3. Jeroen C. J. M. van den Bergh & John M. Gowdy, 2003. "The microfoundations of macroeconomics: an evolutionary perspective," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 27(1), pages 65-84, January.
    4. Veblen, Thorstein, 1898. "Why Economics is not an Evolutionary Science," History of Economic Thought Articles, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, vol. 12.
    5. Ulrich Witt, 2008. "What is specific about evolutionary economics?," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 18(5), pages 547-575, October.
    6. Leonard, Thomas C., 2009. "Origins of the myth of social Darwinism: The ambiguous legacy of Richard Hofstadter's Social Darwinism in American Thought," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 37-51, July.
    7. Gowdy, John & Seidl, Irmi, 2004. "Economic man and selfish genes: the implications of group selection for economic valuation and policy," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 343-358, July.
    8. Ulrich Witt, 2003. "The Evolving Economy," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 2477.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lutz Bornmann & Klaus Wohlrabe, 2019. "Normalisation of citation impact in economics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 120(2), pages 841-884, August.
    2. Liagouras, George, 2017. "Population thinking vs. essentialism in biology and evolutionary economics," OSF Preprints r4g8x, Center for Open Science.
    3. Lutz Bornmann & Klaus Wohlrabe, 2019. "Die Normierung von Zitaten in der Volkswirtschaftslehre," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 72(20), pages 29-33, October.
    4. Frank Figge & Andrea Stevenson Thorpe & Siarhei Manzhynski & Melissa Gutberlet, 2022. "The us in reUSe. Theorizing the how and why of the circular economy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(6), pages 2741-2753, September.
    5. David Sloan Wilson & Robert Kadar & Steve Roth, 2015. "Hayek Deserves a New Paradigm, Not Old Ideological Categories: Response to Searles," Econ Journal Watch, Econ Journal Watch, vol. 12(2), pages 137–141-1, May.
    6. Makriyannis, Christos, 2022. "The foundational economy-as-an-organism assumption of ecological economics: Is it scientifically useful?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    7. John Gowdy & Lisi Krall, 2014. "Agriculture as a major evolutionary transition to human ultrasociality," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 179-202, July.
    8. Ulrich Witt, 2013. "The Future of Evolutionary Economics: Why Modalities Matter," Papers on Economics and Evolution 2013-09, Philipps University Marburg, Department of Geography.
    9. Christos Makriyannis, 2023. "How the Biophysical Paradigm Impedes the Scientific Advancement of Ecological Economics: A Transdisciplinary Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-24, November.
    10. Jeffrey Andrews & Matthew Clark & Vicken Hillis & Monique Borgerhoff Mulder, 2024. "The cultural evolution of collective property rights for sustainable resource governance," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 7(4), pages 404-412, April.
    11. Ladley, Daniel & Wilkinson, Ian & Young, Louise, 2015. "The impact of individual versus group rewards on work group performance and cooperation: A computational social science approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(11), pages 2412-2425.
    12. Wilson, David Sloan & Ostrom, Elinor & Cox, Michael E., 2013. "Generalizing the core design principles for the efficacy of groups," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 90(S), pages 21-32.
    13. Stoelhorst, J.W. & Richerson, Peter J., 2013. "A naturalistic theory of economic organization," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 90(S), pages 45-56.
    14. Witt, Ulrich & Schwesinger, Georg, 2013. "Phylogenetic footprints in organizational behavior," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 90(S), pages 33-44.
    15. Wood, Aaron D. & Mason, Charles F. & Finnoff, David, 2016. "OPEC, the Seven Sisters, and oil market dominance: An evolutionary game theory and agent-based modeling approach," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 132(PB), pages 66-78.
    16. Wolfram Elsner, 2019. "Policy and state in complexity economics," Chapters, in: Nikolaos Karagiannis & John E. King (ed.), A Modern Guide to State Intervention, chapter 1, pages 13-48, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    17. George Liagouras, 2017. "The challenge of Evo-Devo: implications for evolutionary economists," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 795-823, September.
    18. Grajzl, Peter & Murrell, Peter, 2016. "A Darwinian theory of institutional evolution two centuries before Darwin?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 131(PA), pages 346-372.
    19. Russell C. Weaver & Jason Knight, 2014. "Evolutionary Mismatch as a General Framework for Land Use Policy and Politics," Land, MDPI, vol. 3(2), pages 1-20, June.
    20. Wilson, James & Hill, J. & Kersula, M. & Wilson, C.L. & Whitsel, L. & Yan, L. & Acheson, J. & Chen, Y. & Cleaver, C. & Congdon, C. & Hayden, A. & Hayes, P. & Johnson, T. & Morehead, G. & Steneck, R. &, 2013. "Costly information and the evolution of self-organization in a small, complex economy," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 90(S), pages 76-93.
    21. David Wilson, 2014. "Cultural species and their ecosystems," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 31-38, April.
    22. Figge, Frank & Thorpe, Andrea Stevenson & Good, Jason, 2021. "Us before me: A group level approach to the circular economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    23. Georg Schwesinger, 2013. "Natural and Economic Selection - Lessons from the Evo-Devo and Multilevel Selection Debate," Jena Economics Research Papers 2013-014, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Adaptation; Economic history; Evolution; Public policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B52 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Historical; Institutional; Evolutionary; Modern Monetary Theory;
    • C73 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Stochastic and Dynamic Games; Evolutionary Games

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