Evolutionary Economics:Framework for Analysis

Abstract

What is evolutionary economics? What are its paradigmatic-ontological foundations, and what would an evolutionary research program for economics look like? How do evolutionary ideas fit in with existing research programs and teaching curricula? Questions like these need to be considered by economists given the increasing number of publications which employ an evolutionary approach and the establishment of new scientific societies and journals which carry the label “evolutionary”. The present volume brings together ten papers by economists who have made outstanding contributions to various fields of evolutionary economics.

This introduction includes only references thet relate that relate to the work of the contributors or to the literature mentioned there. I acknowledge gratefully valuable suggestions and comments by Felicia Fai, John Gowdy, Bryan Loasby, Matthias Klaes, Jason Potts, Klaus Rathe, Rolf Steppacher, Jack Vromen and Ulrich Witt. A token of gratitude goes also to Pascal van Griethuysen, Lukas Hagen and Silva Brändli for their editorial assistance, and to Juli IrvingLessmann for her substantial assistance with regard to my English prose. All blame for the work as it stands should go to my address.