| Abstract: |
Evolutionary economics is a paradigm for explaining the transformation of the
economy. To achieve its goal, it needs being founded on a proper theory of
economic behavior. The paper discusses these foundations. It is argued that
the historical malleability of economic behavior is based on the interactions
between innate behavior dispositions and adaptation mechanisms on the one hand
and the limited, and always selective, cognitive and observational learning
that contributes to an ever more extended and differentiated action knowledge.
The implications of this interpretation are outlined in an exemplary fashion
for the case of the evolution and growth of consumption. Length 29 pages |