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Economic Opportunity and Evolution: Beyond Landscapes and Bounded Rationality

Author

Listed:
  • Teppo Felin

    (Saïd Business School - University of Oxford)

  • Stuart Kauffman

    (Departments of Biochemistry and Mathematics - University of Vermont [Burlington])

  • Roger Koppl

    (Syracuse University, Whitman School of Management - Syracuse University)

  • Giuseppe Longo

    (La République des savoirs : Lettres, Sciences, Philosophie - CdF (institution) - Collège de France - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Département de Philosophie - ENS Paris - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris sciences et lettres, Centre Cavaillès - La République des savoirs : Lettres, Sciences, Philosophie - CdF (institution) - Collège de France - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Département de Philosophie - ENS Paris - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris sciences et lettres)

Abstract

The nature of economic opportunity has recently received significant attention in entrepreneurship and strategy. The notion of search on an (NK) opportunity landscape has been particularly relevant to these conversations and debates. We argue that existing notions of landscapes are overly focused on bounded rationality and search (often instantiated as the problem of NP-completeness), rather than focusing on how to account for the readily manifest, emergent novelty we see in the economic sphere (the "frame problem"). We discuss the entrepreneurial and economic implications of these arguments by building on unique insights from biology, the natural and computational sciences.

Suggested Citation

  • Teppo Felin & Stuart Kauffman & Roger Koppl & Giuseppe Longo, 2014. "Economic Opportunity and Evolution: Beyond Landscapes and Bounded Rationality," Post-Print hal-01415115, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01415115
    DOI: 10.1002/sej.1184
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-01415115
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    7. César García-Díaz & Gábor Péli & Arjen van Witteloostuijn, 2020. "The coevolution of the firm and the product attribute space," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(6), pages 1-25, June.
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    12. ., 2019. "Economic theory of non-territorial unbundling," Chapters, in: The Political Economy of Non-Territorial Exit, chapter 1, pages 14-38, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    13. Mario Daniele Amore & Mariano Mastrogiorgio, 2022. "Technological Entry, Redeployability, and Firm Value," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(7), pages 1688-1722, November.
    14. M. J. Histen, 2022. "The extent of the firm," Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 545-567, September.
    15. James Caton, 2017. "Entrepreneurship, search costs, and ecological rationality in an agent-based economy," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 30(1), pages 107-130, March.
    16. Schweisfurth, Tim G. & Raasch, Christina, 2018. "Absorptive capacity for need knowledge: Antecedents and effects for employee innovativeness," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 687-699.
    17. Trushin, Eshref & Ugur, Mehmet, 2018. "Ecosystem complexity, firm learning and survival: UK evidence on intra-industry age and size diversity as exit hazards," Greenwich Papers in Political Economy 19095, University of Greenwich, Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre.
    18. Stephen G. Zimmer, 2023. "Rethinking the role of human Capital in Growth Models," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 36(4), pages 567-588, December.
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    20. Badger Newman, Arielle & Alvarez, Sharon, 2022. "Questioning boundedly rational frameworks in practice: The case of women entrepreneurs in Kumasi, Ghana," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 37(4).
    21. Hannigan, Timothy R. & Briggs, Anthony R. & Valadao, Rodrigo & Seidel, Marc-David L. & Jennings, P. Devereaux, 2022. "A new tool for policymakers: Mapping cultural possibilities in an emerging AI entrepreneurial ecosystem," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(9).
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    24. Trent J. MacDonald, 2019. "The Political Economy of Non-Territorial Exit," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 18871.
    25. Schweisfurth, Tim G. & Raasch, Christina, 2018. "Absorptive Capacity for Need Knowledge: Antecedents and Effects for Employee Innovativeness," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 47(4), pages 687-699.

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