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on Evolutionary Economics |
| By: | Sebastian Schweighofer-Kodritsch |
| Abstract: | This chapter presents a microeconomic, behavioral perspective on bounded rationality and beliefs. It begins with an account of how research on belief biases, in particular via probabilistic belief elicitation, has become mainstream in economics only relatively recently and late, even in behavioral economics (aka “psychology and economics”). The chapter then offers a review of the decision-theoretic foundations of modeling and eliciting (subjective) beliefs as probabilities, as well as selected—both classic and recent—evidence on humans’ bounded rationality from related research in psychology and economics. In doing so, it connects the historical debates within decision theory, on the one hand, and within psychology, on the other, concerning the normative status of expected utility and Bayesianism, as well as its methodological implications. A conclusion draws lessons for the practice of belief elicitation and future research. |
| Date: | 2024–04–18 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bdp:dpaper:0037&r=evo |
| By: | Arianna Dalzero (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology [Leipzig] - Max-Planck-Gesellschaft); Bret A. Beheim (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology [Leipzig] - Max-Planck-Gesellschaft); Hillard Kaplan (Chapman University); Jonathan Stieglitz (TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, IAST - Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse); Paul L. Hooper (Chapman University, The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque]); Cody T. Ross (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology [Leipzig] - Max-Planck-Gesellschaft); Michael Gurven (UC Santa Barbara - University of California [Santa Barbara] - UC - University of California); Dieter Lukas (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology [Leipzig] - Max-Planck-Gesellschaft) |
| Abstract: | Although still prevalent in many human societies, the practice of cousin marriage has precipitously declined in populations undergoing rapid demographic and socioeconomic change. However, it is still unclear whether changes in the structure of the marriage pool or changes in the fitness-relevant consequences of cousin marriage more strongly influence the frequency of cousin marriage. Here, we use genealogical data collected by the Tsimane Health and Life History Project to show that there is a small but measurable decline in the frequency of first cross-cousin marriage since the mid-twentieth century. Such changes are linked to concomitant changes in the pool of potential spouses in recent decades. We find only very modest differences in fitness-relevant demographic measures between first cousin and non-cousin marriages. These differences have been diminishing as the Tsimane have become more market integrated. The factors that influence preferences for cousin marriage appear to be less prevalent now than in the past, but cultural inertia might slow the pace of change in marriage norms. Overall, our findings suggest that cultural changes in marriage practices reflect underlying societal changes that shape the pool of potential spouses. |
| Keywords: | Cousin marriage, Life-history, Demography, Kinship, Tsimane |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04524409&r=evo |
| By: | Elias Fernández Domingos; Inês Terrucha; Rémi Suchon (ETHICS EA 7446 - Experience ; Technology & Human Interactions ; Care & Society : - ICL - Institut Catholique de Lille - UCL - Université catholique de Lille, UCL - Université catholique de Lille); Jelena Grujić; Juan Burguillo; Francisco Santos; Tom Lenaerts |
| Abstract: | Home assistant chat-bots, self-driving cars, drones or automated negotiation systems are some of the several examples of autonomous (artificial) agents that have pervaded our society. These agents enable the automation of multiple tasks, saving time and (human) effort. However, their presence in social settings raises the need for a better understanding of their effect on social interactions and how they may be used to enhance cooperation towards the public good, instead of hindering it. To this end, we present an experimental study of human delegation to autonomous agents and hybrid human-agent interactions centered on a non-linear public goods dilemma with uncertain returns in which participants face a collective risk. Our aim is to understand experimentally whether the presence of autonomous agents has a positive or negative impact on social behaviour, equality and cooperation in such a dilemma. Our results show that cooperation and group success increases when participants delegate their actions to an artificial agent that plays on their behalf. Yet, this positive effect is less pronounced when humans interact in hybrid human-agent groups, where we mostly observe that humans in successful hybrid groups make higher contributions earlier in the game. Also, we show that participants wrongly believe that artificial agents will contribute less to the collective effort. In general, our results suggest that delegation to autonomous agents has the potential to work as commitment devices, which prevent both the temptation to deviate to an alternate (less collectively good) course of action, as well as limiting responses based on betrayal aversion. |
| Date: | 2022–05–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04296038&r=evo |
| By: | GUÉNIN--CARLUT, Avel |
| Abstract: | We attempt here to assess the possibility of reorganizing contemporary societies toward the coupled imperatives of fulfilling human needs while respecting planetary boundaries. We first show that social organization respects the property of (biological) autonomy, and suggest a principled manner to describe social change. We conclude an “ecological redirection” is possible, but necessitates an overall reorganization of social activity around lower scale, dynamic forms of organization. |
| Date: | 2024–04–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:bcyku&r=evo |
| By: | Klaus Gründler; Andreas Link |
| Abstract: | Inequality between ethnic groups has been shown to be negatively related to GDP, but research on its effect on contemporary economic growth is limited by the availability of comparable data. We compile a novel and comprehensive dataset of harmonized Gini indices on ethnic inequality for countries and sub-national units between 1992 and 2013. Our approach exploits differentials in nighttime lights (NTL) across ethnic homelands, using new techniques to harmonize NTL series across geographic regions and years to address concerns about spatial and temporal incomparability of satellite photographs. Our new data shows that ethnic inequality is widespread across countries but has decreased over time. Exploiting the artificiality of sub-national borders in an instrumental variable setting, we provide evidence that income inequality across ethnic groups reduces contemporary economic growth. The negative effect of ethnic inequality is caused by increasing conflict and decreasing public goods provision. |
| Keywords: | ethnic inequality, economic development, regional data, nighttime lights, satellite photographs, calibration, ethnic groups, conflict, public goods provision |
| JEL: | O10 O15 O43 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11034&r=evo |
| By: | Giuliano, Paola; Nunn, Nathan |
| Abstract: | This note addresses the questions, concerns, and issues raised in "Understanding cultural persistence and change: a replication of Giuliano and Nunn (2021)." In terms of replicability, all of the tables in Giuliano and Nunn (2021) are correct, and the replication files match the output reported in the tables. In their note, the authors suggest alternative, more-restricted samples (e.g., omitting observations: under five years of age, under 16 years of age, living in rural locations, first or second-generation immigrants, with unmarried spouses, from specific ancestral groups, from the 1930 Census, etc.) and also less-restrictive samples (e.g., including grandchildren in analyses of parent-to-child cultural transmission for households that comprise three generations). We re-explain the logic of our baseline samples and why these samples are the most natural, as well as discuss the issues, complications, and incorrect reasoning associated with the authors' suggested alternatives. We also show, reproducing all relevant tables in full for each alternative raised, that our conclusions do not depend on these decisions. |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:i4rdps:117&r=evo |
| By: | Bertoli, Simone; Clerc, Melchior; Loper, Jordan; Fernández, Èric Roca |
| Abstract: | Giuliano and Nunn (2021), GN henceforth, provide econometric evidence that ancestral climatic variability is negatively associated with the current importance of tradition using a variety of data sources. This replication focuses on the results that use individual-level data and identifies major discrepancies between several econometric specifications described in the article and their corresponding code. We are able to correct most of these mistakes by realigning the code with the text. Once corrections are implemented, we obtain almost invariably a smaller and non-significant coefficient for climatic variability. |
| Keywords: | cultural persistence, tradition, languages |
| JEL: | F22 Z13 N10 Q54 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:i4rdps:116&r=evo |
| By: | Markus Lampe (Vienna University of Economics & Business, CEPR); Paul Sharp (University of Southern Denmark, CAGE, CEPR) |
| Abstract: | We seek to understand the welfare of dairy cattle in Denmark from 1750 to 1900, a period marked by significant agricultural development and industrialization. By applying contemporary animal welfare metrics to historical data, we uncover a detailed picture of how bovine welfare evolved. Our findings reveal a complex pattern of both improvements and declines in welfare over time, influenced by changes in farming practices such as feeding, housing, and health management. Our work contributes to a deeper understanding of the nexus of economic progress and animal welfare, highlighting the historical complexities of agricultural practices and their impact on animal welfare. |
| Keywords: | Animal welfare, cattle, dairying, Denmark |
| JEL: | N53 N54 Q18 |
| Date: | 2024–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hes:wpaper:0257&r=evo |