THE ECONOMICS OF ALTRUISM

Hardback

THE ECONOMICS OF ALTRUISM

9781852789534 Edward Elgar Publishing
Edited by Stefano Zamagni, Professor of Economics, University of Bologna and Johns Hopkins University, Bologna Center, Italy
Publication Date: 1995 ISBN: 978 1 85278 953 4 Extent: 484 pp
This title appears exactly 20 years after the publication of Altruism, Morality and Economic Theory, an important volume edited by E.S. Phelps which contains the proceeding of a conference where social scientists and philosophers met to speculate on the roles that altruism and morality play in shaping human behaviour and economic institutions within our societies. Until recently this discipline was considered of minor importance – now there is clear evidence of its growing interest.

Copyright & permissions

Recommend to librarian

Your Details

Privacy Policy

Librarian Details

Download leaflet

Print page

More Information
Critical Acclaim
Contributors
Contents
More Information
This title appears exactly 20 years after the publication of Altruism, Morality and Economic Theory, an important volume edited by E.S. Phelps which contains the proceeding of a conference where social scientists and philosophers met to speculate on the roles that altruism and morality play in shaping human behaviour and economic institutions within our societies. Until recently this discipline was considered of minor importance – now there is clear evidence of its growing interest.

This an important volume contains the major articles on the economics of altruism published since 1975. The articles are grouped under 6 headings: the emergence of altruistic behaviour, varieties of altruism, the relevance of altruism and selfishness, altruism and allocation of resources, evolutionary dynamics of altruism, extended rationality and altruistic behaviour. The Economics of Altruism will be welcomed by all those with an interest in economics, philosophy, psychology and sociology.
Critical Acclaim
‘Professor Zamagni deserves high praise for his efforts bringing together a coherent critique of the conventional formulation of rationality in economics. . . . this volume will serve as a very useful introduction to the broad potential for future work in the economics of altruism.’
– Theodore Tsukahara Jr., Kyklos

‘The importance of bringing together such a span of ideas regarding one of the most problematic aspects of economic theory cannot be overstated.’
– Amos Witztum, The Economic Journal
Contributors
Contributors: G.S. Becker, T.C. Bergstrom, B.D. Bernheim, D. Collard, N. Eisenberg, R.H. Frank, F.T. Gilovich, P.A. Hammond, J. Hirshleifer, A.O. Hirschman, M.L. Hoffman, J. Hutson, P. Jones, E.L. Khalil, I. Kirzner, S.C. Kolm, D.L. Krebs, M. Kurz, A. Lindbeck, M.T. Lunati, D. Miller, P. Miller, D.C. Mueller, D.T. Regan, J.P. Rushton, P.A. Samuelson, T.C. Schelling, A. Sen, H. Simon, O. Stark, I. Steedman, R. Sugden
Contents
CONTENTS

PART I

THE EMERGENCE OF ALTRUISTIC BEHAVIOUR

1. Mordecai Kurz (1978), ‘Altruism as an Outcome of Social Interaction’
2. Martin L. Hoffman (1981), ‘Is Altruism Part of Human Nature?’
3. Dennis Krebs (1982), ‘Psychological Approaches to Altruism: An Evaluation’
4. Robert H. Frank (1987), ‘If Homo Economicus Could Choose His Own Utility Function, Would He Want One with a Conscience?’
5. Nancy Eisenberg and Paul A. Miller (1987), ‘Empathy, Sympathy, and Altruism: Empirical and Conceptual Links’

PART II

VARIETIES OF ALTRUISM

6. Amartya Sen (1985), ‘Goals, Commitment, and Identity’
7. Jack Hirshleifer (1977), ‘Shakespeare vs. Becker on Altruism: The Importance of Having the Last Word’
8. David Collard (1975), ‘Edgeworth’s Propositions on Altruism’
9. Ian Steedman (1989), ‘Rationality, economic man and altruism in P. H. Wicksteed’s Common Sense of Political Economy’
10. David Miller (1988), ‘Altruism and the Welfare State’
11. David Collard (1992), ‘Love is Not Enough’

PART III

THE RELEVANCE OF ALTRUISM AND SELFISHNESS

12. Thomas C. Schelling (1978), ‘Altruism, Meanness, and Other Potentially Strategic Behaviors’
13. Peter J. Hammond (1987), ‘Altruism’
14. Dennis C. Mueller (1986), ‘Rational egoism versus adaptive egoism as fundamental postulate for a descriptive theory of human behavior’
15. M. Teresa Lunati (1992), ‘On Altruism and Cooperation’
16. John Hudson and Philip Jones (1994), ‘The Importance of the “Ethical Voter”: An Estimate of “Altruism:”’

PART IV

ALTRUISM AND ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES

17. Gary S. Becker (1981), ‘Altruism in the Family and Selfishness in the Market Place’
18. Robert Sugden (1982), ‘On the Economics of Philanthropy’
19. David A. Collard (1983), ‘Economics of Philanthropy: A Comment’
20. Serge-Christophe Kolm (1983), ‘Altruism and Efficiency’
21. Assar Lindbeck and Jörgen W. Weibull (1988), ‘Altruism and Time Consistency: The Economics of Fait Accompli’
22. B. Douglas Bernheim and Oded Stark (1988), ‘Altruism Within the Family Reconsidered: Do Nice Guys Finish Last?’
23. Oded Stark (1989), ‘Altruism and the Quality of Life’

PART V

EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS OF ALTRUISM

24. Gary S. Becker (1976), ‘Altruism, Egoism, and Genetic Fitness: Economics and Sociobiology’
25. Paul A. Samuelson (1993), ‘Altruism as a Problem Involving Group versus Individual Selection in Economics and Biology’
26. Theodore C. Bergstrom and Oded Stark (1993), ‘How Altruism Can Prevail in an Evolutionary Environment’
27. Herbert A. Simon (1990), ‘A Mechanism for Social Selection and Successful Altruism’
28. Oded Stark (1993), ‘Nonmarket transfers and altruism’

PART VI

EXTENDED RATIONALITY AND ALTRUISTIC BEHAVIOUR

29. Albert O. Hirschman (1992), ‘Against Parsimony: Three Easy Ways of Complicating Some Categories of Economic Discourse’
30. J. Philippe Rushton (1982), ‘Altruism and Society: A Social Learning Perspective’
31. Elias L. Khalil (1990), ‘Beyond Self-Interest and Altruism, A Reconstruction of Adam Smith’s Theory of Human Conduct’
32. Israel M. Kirzner (1990), ‘Self-Interest and the New Bashing of Economics: A Fresh Opportunity in the Perennial Debate?’
33. Robert H. Frank, Thomas Gilovich, and Dennis T. Regan (1993), ‘Does Studying Economics Inhibit Cooperation?’
My Cart