Microeconomics : Behavior, Institutions, and Evolution
In this novel introduction to modern microeconomic theory, Samuel Bowles returns to the classical economists' interest in the wealth and poverty of nations and people, the workings of the institutions of capitalist economies, and the coevolution of individual preferences and the structures of markets, firms, and other institutions. Using recent advances in evolutionary game theory, contract theory, behavioral experiments, and the modeling of dynamic processes, he develops a theory of how economic institutions shape individual behavior, and how institutions evolve due to individual actions, te
1 online resource (599 pages).
9781400829316, 1400829313
1058206116
Cover; Title; Copyright; Contents; Preface; Prologue: Economics and the Wealth of Nations and People; Part I: Coordination and Conflict: Generic Social Interactions; Chapter One: Social Interactions and Institutional Design; Chapter Two: Spontaneous Order: The Self-organization of Economic Life; Chapter Three: Preferences and Behavior; Chapter Four: Coordination Failures and Institutional Responses; Chapter Five: Dividing the Gains to Cooperation: Bargaining and Rent Seeking; Part II: Competition and Cooperation: The Institutions of Capitalism. Chapter Six: Utopian Capitalism: Decentralized CoordinationChapter Seven: Exchange: Contracts, Norms, and Power; Chapter Eight: Employment, Unemployment, and Wages; Chapter Nine: Credit Markets, Wealth Constraints, and Allocative Inefficiency; Chapter Ten: The Institutions of a Capitalist Economy; Part III: Change: The Coevolution of Institutions and Preferences; Chapter Eleven: Institutional and Individual Evolution; Chapter Twelve: Chance, Collective Action, and Institutional Innovation; Chapter Thirteen: The Coevolution of Institutions and Preferences; Part IV: Conclusion. Chapter Fourteen: Economic Governance: Markets, States, and CommunitiesProblem Sets; Additional Readings; Works Cited; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; Y; Z; Index; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; Y; Z