[PDF] On The Trail Of Homo Economicus eBook

Author : Gordon Brady
Publisher : Univ Publ Assn
Page : 257 pages
File Size : 47,74 MB
Release : 1994-08-26
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 1461723760

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This collection of previously unpublished expository writings by Gordon Tullock on themes ranging from game theory, externalities, public choice, rent-seeking, law and economics, and economic progress is representative of the breadth of Tullock's career. As co-founder of Public Choice, Tullock has been a major contributor to our understanding of the logic of collective choice and the politics of collective action. Tullock's insights have helped establish the unambiguous message that political, social, and economic institutions affect individual behavior whether in economics or political markets. Tullock's hypotheses, proposed laws, and paradoxes have shaped the development of public choice, as well as charting new areas in law, economics, and sociobiology. In sorting through Tullock's personal papers, the editors learned and here present the many dimensions of the man and the breadth of his interests. From the papers, we can piece together much of Tullock's personal history. For example, there are myths surrounding Gordon Tullock that can be laid to rest: his birthplace, the lack of a baccalaureate degree, the "one" course that marks his formal training in economics, and his career prior to his academic emergence in the mid-1950s.

Author : Gordon Tullock
Publisher : University Press of America
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 22,51 MB
Release : 1994
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN :

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"This book contains 15 unpublished papers on topics ranging from game theory, externalities, public choice, rent-seeking, law and economics, and economic progress"--Page vii. Includes bibliographical references.

Author : Daniel Cohen
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 132 pages
File Size : 39,85 MB
Release : 2014-06-13
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0745685323

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The West has long defined the pursuit of happiness in economic terms but now, in the wake of the 2007-8 financial crisis, it is time to think again about what constitutes our happiness. In this wide-ranging new book, the leading economist Daniel Cohen traces our current malaise back to the rise of homo economicus: for the last 200 years, the modern world has defined happiness in terms of material gain. Homo economicus has cast aside its rivals, homo ethicus and homo empathicus, and spread its neo-Darwinian logic far and wide. Yet, instead of bringing happiness, homo economicus traps human beings in a world devoid of any ideals. We are left feeling empty and dissatisfied. Today more and more people are beginning to recognize that competition and material gain are not the only things that matter in life. The central paradox of our era is that we look to the economy to give direction to our world at the very time when social needs are migrating toward sectors that are hard to place within the scope of market logic. Health, education, scientific research, and the world of the Internet form the heart of our post-industrial societies, but none of these belong to the traditional economic mould. While human creativity is higher than ever, homo economicus imposes himself like a sad prophet, a killjoy of the new age. Drawing on a rich array of examples, Cohen explores the new digital and genetic revolutions and examines the limitations of homo economicus in our rapidly transforming world. As human beings have an extraordinary ability to adapt, he argues that we need to rebalance the relation between competition and cooperation in favour of the latter. This thought-provoking analysis of our contemporary predicament will be of great value to anyone interested in the relationship between what happens in our economies and our personal happiness.

Author : Yannis Papadogiannis
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 18,63 MB
Release : 2014-08-05
Category : Economic man
ISBN : 9781499646672

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For financial journalist Yannis Papadogiannis, the problem with the economic science that failed to predict the financial crisis that began unfolding in 2007 is clear. While modern economic theory relies on rational humans, The Rise and Fall of Homo Economicus busts the myth of the rational human wide open, demonstrating how, in the real world, Homo sapiens are far from fully rational creatures. Papadogiannis walks readers through the history of modern economics and reveals a consistent pattern of certainty and the illusion of control among economists leading into every crisis since the seventeenth century. He presents findings from disciplines such as neuroscience, psychology, and sociology that overturn the economist's idealized view of human nature, revealing that rationality is but one quality ruling behavior. In terms that anyone can understand, and drawing from a vast bibliography of well-known references, the book contrasts the imaginary universe of modern economics with the complex, dynamic, chaotic reality that more accurately describes our existence. A stinging indictment of economic science for its role in creating the crisis of 2007, The Rise and Fall of Homo Economicus is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding how our society functions or exploring ways to make economic science better serve us.

Author : Peter Fleming
Publisher : Pluto Press (UK)
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 16,78 MB
Release : 2017
Category : Capitalism
ISBN : 9780745399423

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In today's workplaces we work harder and longer, labouring under the illusion that this will bring us more wealth. As this myth becomes increasingly preposterous, it's time to understand why we believe in it, and where it came from.The Death of Homo Economicus explores the origin of this oppressive myth, in order to destroy it. The story begins with the creation of a fake persona labelled the 'dollar-hunting man', invented by economists Adam Smith and Friedrich Hayek. Today, this persona, driven by competition and ego, is used by politicians and managers to draw a veil over the terrible reality of work under capitalism.Creeping into all aspects of life, the desire to constantly compete and accumulate must be resisted if we are to create a better way of life for all.

Author : Joseph Murphy
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 297 pages
File Size : 20,41 MB
Release : 2014-02-04
Category : Education
ISBN : 1628739347

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This revealing and balanced portrait of homeschooling today provides a full history of the movement, demographic insights, and extensive research on how homeschooled children fare in the United States. Delving into a movement that impacts more students nationwide than the entire charter school movement, this book explores: • The history of homeschooling in America • How this movement has grown in credibility and enrollment exponentially • The current state of homeschooling, including questions about who gets homeschooled, why, and what is the success—academically and in life—of students who are homeschooled • The impact of homeschooling on the student and on American society In 2010, more than two million students were homeschooled. In the most extensive survey and analysis of research on homeschooling, spanning the birth of the movement in the 1970s to today, Homeschooling in America shines a light on one of the most important yet least understood social movements of the last forty years and explores what it means for education today.

Author : William Shughart II
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 647 pages
File Size : 39,32 MB
Release : 2018-04-24
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 1351291580

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Taxing behavior deemed "politically incorrect" has long been a convenient way for politicians to fund programs benefiting special interest groups, to the public's disadvantage. Government policy toward various goods - drugs, tobacco and alcohol, for example - has been locked into a regulatory cycle of tax and taboo. Support for legalizing other substances is buttressed by the revenue-generating power of so-called "sin" taxesi And the products subjected to excise taxation have varied from soft drinks, fishing gear and margarine to airline tickets, telephone calls and gasoline. Taxing Choice thoroughly addresses the costs and benefits of these predatory public policies.Shughart notes that the record of such punitive selective taxation has been anything but successful, hindering economic progress and failing to deliver the promised social benefits. In addition, the costs of selective taxes fall disproportionately on lower-income people, while more politically powerful interest groups benefit. At the same time, such policies are a poor way to raise funding for public services, and foster political corruption and self-serving bureaucracies accountable to no one. Indeed, policies discriminating against certain products may represent ominous trends easily extended into virtually every facet of people's lives. One can envision policies proscribing foods, sun bathing, obesity, and even books, films, and political and religious beliefs deemed "dangerous."Part I is devoted to the political economy of selective taxation. Contributors trace the history and politics of selective excise taxes in the United States, discussing the range of products that have been subject to such taxation from the founding period to the present. Part II explains how these taxes emerge in a political marketplace with opposing pressure groups scrambling for wealth transfers in their own favor. Part III looks at taxes on specific products as well as such banning policies as Prohibition and the war on drugs. Constitutional, economic, and civil liberty issues, including civil asset forfeiture and product liability, are discussed in Part IV. With the accelerating national debate over tax reform and the downsizing of government, Taxing Choice is a timely and far-reaching contribution to a debate of great interest to economists, policymakers, historians, sociologists, and taxpayers in general.

Author : Bruno S. Frey
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
Page : 246 pages
File Size : 27,39 MB
Release : 2002-01-01
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 1843767120

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I highly recommend this book to all economists. It is well written, informative and a pleasure to read. The first chapter, in particular, "Inspiring, Dismal or Boring Economics?" should be made required reading for all graduate students in economics, and even more so for their professors, especially at leading universities in the United States. Yew-Kwang Ng, Journal of Economic Literature Instead of ignoring the challenge to rational behaviour posed by several anomalies in behaviour, or abandoning rationality in the face of this challenge, Bruno Frey s Inspiring Economics provides a valuable extension of rational behaviour to incorporate these anomalies. This is an exhilarating study that I strongly recommend to everyone, including those like myself, who believe that the importance of these anomalies are sometimes exaggerated. Gary S. Becker, Stanford University, US Bruno Frey is one of a number of modern economists who believe (as I do) that economics should be importing rather than exporting ideas from elsewhere in the social sciences. In these sparkling essays, he shows that rational choice theory is enriched and sometimes revised by taking account of non-monetary rewards and incentives. With Frey, economics once again becomes an inspiring behavioural science. Mark Blaug, University of London and University of Buckingham, UK Economics can be inspiring often taking a stand against convention, achieving challenging results, discussing unorthodox viewpoints and suggesting new policies. Bruno S. Frey illustrates what he perceives to be the inspirational quality of economics and how this differs from the type of economics studied in many academic institutions. He introduces insights into economics from a psychological perspective, dealing with issues such as transformation of anomalies, identification in democracy and crowding effects, and focuses on intrinsic motivation and how it is undermined. Inspiring Economics also looks at the integration of economics and politics, covering topics including popular initiatives and referenda, authoritarian nations and foreign aid, and the way in which the cost of war is reflected on the capital market. This groundbreaking empirical study of human motivation and behaviour will be a fascinating read for those interested in economics and economic theory.

Author : Roger D. Congleton
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 834 pages
File Size : 35,97 MB
Release : 2008-08-01
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9783540791850

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The last survey of the rent-seeking literature took place more than a decade ago. Since that time a great deal of new research has been published in a wide variety of journals, covering a wide variety of topics. The scope of that research is such that very few researchers will be familiar with more than a small part of contemporary research, and very few libraries will be able to provide access to the full breadth of that research. This two-volume collection provides an extensive overview of 40 years of rent-seeking research. The volumes include the foundational papers, many of which have not been in print for two decades. They include recent game-theoretic analyses of rent-seeking contests and also appUcations of the rent-seeking concepts and methodology to economic regulation, international trade policy, economic history, poUtical com petition, and other social phenomena. The new collection is more than twice as large as any previous collection and both updates and extends the earUer surveys. Volume I contains previously pubhshed research on the theory of rent-seeking contests, which is an important strand of contemporary game theory. Volume II contains previously published research that uses the theory of rent-seeking to an alyze a broad range of public policy and social science topics. The editors spent more than a year assembling possible papers and, although the selections fill two large volumes, many more papers could have been included.