Evolution as a general theoretical framework for economics and public policy
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.
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Volume (Year): 90 (2013)
Issue (Month): 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 |
| Contact details of provider: | Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jebo
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References listed on IDEAS
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- 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.
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- 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. Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)