nep-evo New Economics Papers
on Evolutionary Economics
Issue of 2024‒11‒18
four papers chosen by
Matthew Baker, City University of New York


  1. Historical Self-Governance and Norms of Cooperation By Rustagi, Devesh
  2. A controversy about modeling practices: the case of inequity aversion By Alexandre Truc; Dorian Jullien
  3. Biological and Cultural Evolution Leads to Industrial Revolution By Heng-fu Zou
  4. Neuroeconomics: Hype or Hope? An Answer By Alexandre Truc

  1. By: Rustagi, Devesh (University of Warwick)
    Abstract: Does self-governance, a hallmark of democratic societies, foster norms of generalized cooperation? Does this effect persist, and if so, why? I investigate these questions using a natural experiment in Switzerland. In the middle-ages, the absence of an heir resulted in the extinction of a prominent noble dynasty. As a result, some Swiss municipalities became self-governing, whereas the others remained under feudalism for another 600 years. Evidence from a behavioral experiment, World Values Survey, and Swiss Household Panel consistently shows that individuals from historically self-governing municipalities exhibit stronger norms of cooperation today. Referenda data on voter-turnout allow me to trace these effects on individually costly and socially beneficial actions for over 150 years. Furthermore, norms of cooperation map into prosocial behaviors like charitable giving and environmental protection. Uniquely, Switzerland tracks every family’s place of origin in registration data, which I use to demonstrate persistence from cultural transmission in a context of historically low migration.
    Keywords: Self-governance, norms of cooperation, cultural transmission, public goods game, referendum, Switzerland JEL Classification: D02, H41, N43, Z10
    Date: 2024
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cge:wacage:718
  2. By: Alexandre Truc (GREDEG - Groupe de Recherche en Droit, Economie et Gestion - UNS - Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (1965 - 2019) - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UniCA - Université Côte d'Azur); Dorian Jullien (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UP1 UFR02 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - École d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)
    Abstract: This paper studies the controversy on Fehr and Schmidt's model of inequity aversion. It borrows insights from disciplines such as philosophy and the sociology of science that have specialized in studying scientific controversies. Our goal is to contribute to the historical and methodological literature on behavioral economics, which happens to have neglected behavioral economists' research on social preferences. Our analysis of the controversy reveals some new insights about the relation of behavioral economics with other sub-fields in economics, as well as with other disciplines.
    Keywords: Controversies, Behavioral Economics, Rhetoric, Social Preferences, Norms, Inequity Aversion
    Date: 2023
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04719263
  3. By: Heng-fu Zou (The World Bank)
    Date: 2024–10–12
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cuf:wpaper:682
  4. By: Alexandre Truc (GREDEG - Groupe de Recherche en Droit, Economie et Gestion - UNS - Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (1965 - 2019) - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UniCA - Université Côte d'Azur)
    Abstract: In June of 2010, a special issue in the Journal of Economic Methodology was introduced with the question: "Neuroeconomics: Hype or Hope?" (Marchionni and Vromen, 2010). More than ten years later, it is time to provide an answer. Using a variety of sources ranging from Web of Science to EconLit, I assess the importance of neuroeconomics as a research program in economics. I show that after a rapid increase in interest in the early 2000s, neuroeconomics decreased in importance beginning in the 2010s, especially compared with the continuing rise of behavioral economics. Here, I explore a number of explanations for this decline in interest. Then, I compare neuroeconomics with behavioral economics to emphasize key points of divergence in how these programs were constructed at the frontiers of economics. Most notably, I show that neuroeconomists were more confrontational in their approach to economics, more focused on programmatic writings with few theoretical contributions, and importantly, more oriented towards neuroscience rather than economics.
    Abstract: En juin 2010, un numéro spécial du Journal of Economic Methodology soulevait la question suivante : « Neuroeconomics: Hype or Hope ? » (Marchionni et Vromen, 2010). Plus de dix ans après, il est temps de proposer une réponse à cette question. En m'appuyant sur diverses sources, allant de Web of Science à EconLit, j'évalue l'importance de la neuroéconomie en tant que programme de recherche en sciences économiques. Je montre que, après une montée rapide de l'intérêt pour la neuroéconomie au début des années 2000, l'importance de la neuroéconomie a baissé dans les années 2010, notamment en comparaison à l'essor ininterrompu de l'économie comportementale. Dans cet article, j'explore un certain nombre d'explications pour cette perte d'intérêt. Ensuite, je compare neuroéconomie et économie comportementale pour souligner des différences essentielles dans la manière dont ces deux programmes ont été construit à la frontière des sciences économiques. Plus particulièrement, je montre que les neuroéconomistes ont été plus conflictuels dans leur rapport aux sciences économiques, plus actifs dans la production de contributions programmatiques que théoriques, et plus tournés vers le dialogue avec les neurosciences qu'avec les sciences économiques.
    Keywords: interdisciplinarity, neuroeconomics, behavioral economics, psychology, neuroscience, interdisciplinarité, neuroéconomie, économie comportementale, psychologie, neurosciences
    Date: 2023–06–01
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04719266

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