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Contract or War? On the Consequences of a Broader View of Self-Interest in Economics

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  • Garfinkel, M.R.
  • Skaperdas, S.

Abstract

The first principle of Economics is that every agent is actuated only by self-interest. The workings of this principle may be viewed under two aspects, according as the agent acts without, or with, the consent of others affected by his actions. In wide senses, the first species of action may be called war, the second, contract.

Suggested Citation

  • Garfinkel, M.R. & Skaperdas, S., 2000. "Contract or War? On the Consequences of a Broader View of Self-Interest in Economics," Papers 99-00-12, California Irvine - School of Social Sciences.
    • Handle: RePEc:fth:calirv:99-00-12
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    9. Lee, J. & Skaperdas, S., 1998. "Workshops or Barracks? Productive versus Enforcive Investment and Economic Performance," Papers 97-98-20, California Irvine - School of Social Sciences.
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    12. Kai Konrad & Stergios Skaperdas, 2012. "The market for protection and the origin of the state," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 50(2), pages 417-443, June.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Charles Anderton & John Carter, 2004. "Vulnerable Trade: The Dark Side of an Edgeworth Box," Working Papers 0411, College of the Holy Cross, Department of Economics.
    3. Richard Cornes & Roger Hartley & Yuji Tamura, 2019. "Two‐Aggregate Games: Demonstration Using a Production–Appropriation Model," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 121(1), pages 353-378, January.
    4. Raul Caruso, 2006. "A Trade Institution as a Peaceful Institution? A Contribution to Integrative Theory," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 23(1), pages 53-72, February.
    5. Muthoo, Abhinay, 2000. "On the foundations of basic property rights, Part I: A model of the state-of-nature with two players," Economics Discussion Papers 9986, University of Essex, Department of Economics.
    6. Anderton, Charles H. & Carter, John R., 2008. "Vulnerable trade: The dark side of an Edgeworth box," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 422-432, November.
    7. Ramon Castillo & Stergios Skaperdas, 2005. "All in the family or public? Law and appropriative costs as determinants of ownership structure," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 6(2), pages 93-104, July.
    8. Charles Wilber, 2004. "Ethics, human behavior and the methodology of social economics," Forum for Social Economics, Springer;The Association for Social Economics, vol. 33(2), pages 19-50, March.
    9. Robert Bates & Avner Greif & Smita Singh, 2002. "Organizing Violence," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 46(5), pages 599-628, October.
    10. Charles Anderton, 2003. "Economic theorizing of conflict: Historical contributions, future possibilities," Defence and Peace Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(3), pages 209-222.
    11. Escalante, Edwar E., 2020. "Night watchers and terrorists," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 116-131.
    12. Tony Addison & Mansoob Murshed, 2001. "From Conflict to Reconstruction: Reviving the Social Contract," WIDER Working Paper Series DP2001-48, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    WAR ; SOCIAL CHOICE ; MOTIVATION;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D80 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - General
    • D74 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions

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