Economics and Evolution: Bringing Life Back into Economics - Couverture rigide

Hodgson, Geoffrey M.

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0472105221 ISBN 13 : 9780472105229

Editeur : The University of Michigan Press, 2018

Synopsis

Economic theory is currently at a crossroads, where many leading mainstream economists are calling for a more realistic and practical orientation for economic science. Indeed, many are suggesting that economics should be reconstructed on evolutionary lines.

This book is about the application to economics of evolutionary ideas from biology. It is not about selfish genes or determination of our behavior by genetic code. The idea that evolution supports a laissez-faire policy is rebutted. The conception of evolution as progress toward greater perfection, along with the competitive individualism sometimes inferred from the notion of the "survival of the fittest," is found to be problematic. Hodgson explores the ambiguities inherent in biology and the problems involved in applying ideas of past economic thinkers--including Malthus, Smith, Marx, Marshall, Veblen, Schumpeter, and Hayek--and argues that the new evolutionary economics can learn much from the many differing conceptions of economic evolution.

"This is a work of enormous perceptivity and subtlety as well as judiciousness of interpretation and critique . . . [that] establish[es] Hodgson as the leading institutional theorist, and as one of the leading evolutionary theorists, of his generation." --Warren J. Samuels

"A daring and successful attempt to expunge the monopoly of reductionist and mechanistic thinking over evolutionary theory . . . a must for anyone who is interested not only in the foundations of economics, but also in the foundations of social theory." --Elias L. Khalil, Ohio State University

Geoffrey M. Hodgson is University Lecturer in Economics, Judge Institute for Management Studies, University of Cambridge.

Economic theory is currently at a crossroads, where many leading mainstream economists are calling for a more realistic and practical orientation for economic science. Indeed, many are suggesting that economics should be reconstructed on evolutionary lines.

This book is about the application to economics of evolutionary ideas from biology. It is not about selfish genes or determination of our behavior by genetic code. The idea that evolution supports a laissez-faire policy is rebutted. The conception of evolution as progress toward greater perfection, along with the competitive individualism sometimes inferred from the notion of the "survival of the fittest," is found to be problematic. Hodgson explores the ambiguities inherent in biology and the problems involved in applying ideas of past economic thinkers--including Malthus, Smith, Marx, Marshall, Veblen, Schumpeter, and Hayek--and argues that the new evolutionary economics can learn much from the many differing conceptions of economic evolution.

"This is a work of enormous perceptivity and subtlety as well as judiciousness of interpretation and critique . . . [that] establish[es] Hodgson as the leading institutional theorist, and as one of the leading evolutionary theorists, of his generation." --Warren J. Samuels

"A daring and successful attempt to expunge the monopoly of reductionist and mechanistic thinking over evolutionary theory . . . a must for anyone who is interested not only in the foundations of economics, but also in the foundations of social theory." --Elias L. Khalil, Ohio State University

Geoffrey M. Hodgson is University Lecturer in Economics, Judge Institute for Management Studies, University of Cambridge.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse

′ Economics and Evolution is a rich and rewarding analysis of how evolutionary theory can be used (and misused) in the service of social science.′ Times Literary Supplement

′This is a work of enormous perceptivity and subtlety as well as judiciousness of interpretation and critique. It is a splendid sequel to the author′s Economics and Institutions; the two books together establish Hodgson as the leading institutional theorist, and as one of the leading evolutionary theorists of his generation.′ Warren J. Samuels, Michigan State University

′Economics and Evolution is more than an excellent intellectual history of how economists have appropriated biological ideas; it helps us understand how the current crisis has come about, how it could have been avoided, and how economics could reinvent itself, to become a more relevant, fruitful and intellectually sound discipline.′

′This is a timely, useful, .provocative and stimulating book. A splendid history of evolutionary theorizing in economics... The book [is] extremely useful and stimulating.′ Journal of Economic Literature

Présentation de l'éditeur

Economic theory is currently at a crossroads. While in some quarters the preoccupation with a narrow and largely empty formalism reaches unprecedented heights, many leading mainstream economists are calling for a more realistic and practical orientation for economic science. Indeed, there are now many voices suggesting that economics should be reconstructed on evolutionary lines, and a new ′evolutionary economics′ has emerged from the 1980s.

This book is about the application to economics of evolutionary ideas learnt from biology. It contains an examination of evolutionary ideas of past economic thinkers, including Mandeville, Malthus, Smith, Marx, Menger, Marshall, Veblen, Schumpeter and Hayek. Hodgson argues that the new evolutionary economics can learn much from the differing conceptions of economic evolution which have been developed in the past.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: The University of Michigan Press
• Date d'édition: 2018
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0472105221
• ISBN 13: 9780472105229
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 400
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible