From: BMSDGATH <BMSDGATH@livjm.ac.uk>
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Subject: evolutionary economics
Date: Thu, 26 Nov 1998 15:17:16 -0500 (EST)
Further to Hans-Cees's post (it looks a very good site, although I
haven't downloaded any of the articles yet), I've got a few other
references. They are from Tom R Burns and Thomas Dietz (1992)
Cultural evolution: social rule systems, selection and human
agency. International Sociology 7, 259-283. This is well worth a
read in its own right as they make a good case for parallel
selection _on_ 'social rules' and selection _by_ social rules on
behaviours. These are termed p and s-selection respectively.
This, I think, is exactly the situation in sports where the rules
constrain and provide challenges for variable behaviour
(s-selection), but where the rules themselves are also subject to
change in response to various pressures (p-selection), one of
which may be unexpected behaviour within or outwith the rules
(thus creating a loop in a cultural analogue of Van Valen's 'Red
Queen' model).
The evolutionary economics refs. are;
Alchian AA (1950 - yes) Uncertainty, evolution and economic
theory. Journal of Political Economy 58, 211-221
Nelson RR and Winter SG (1982) "An Evolutionary Theory of
Economic Change." Harvard UP.
Hannan MT and Freeman J (1989) "Organizational Ecology." Harvard
UP
Hodgson GM (1992) "Economics and Evolution." Polity Press-
Cambridge.
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