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The future of evolutionary economics: why the modalities of explanation matter

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  • WITT, ULRICH

Abstract

Far from inspiring that paradigmatic shift in economics that was envisioned by its early proponents, ‘evolutionary’ economics today represents a patchwork of unconnected theories and topics. In other disciplines, evolutionary thinking has induced a paradigm shift, resulting from the adoption of the Darwinian paradigm extended by hypotheses about cultural evolution. Concerning economics, however, even a preliminary discourse on the potential of this paradigm for future theorizing remains controversial. The present paper therefore focuses on the methodological implications of the paradigm. It is shown that hitherto unnoticed common ground can be identified underlying the diversity of approaches to evolutionary economics. It rests in the modalities of causal explanations germane to the Darwinian paradigm. Understanding these modalities also makes it possible to distinguish evolutionary from non-evolutionary research irrespective of the specific theories and topics concerned. The argument is illustrated for the exemplary case of institutional economics.

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  • Witt, Ulrich, 2014. "The future of evolutionary economics: why the modalities of explanation matter," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 10(4), pages 645-664, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jinsec:v:10:y:2014:i:04:p:645-664_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Claudius Graebner-Radkowitsch, 2022. "Elements of an evolutionary approach to comparative economic studies: complexity, systemism, and path dependent development," ICAE Working Papers 134, Johannes Kepler University, Institute for Comprehensive Analysis of the Economy.
    2. Claudius Graebner Radkowitsch & Jakob Kapeller, 2024. "Systemism," ICAE Working Papers 155, Johannes Kepler University, Institute for Comprehensive Analysis of the Economy.
    3. Michael Peneder, 2017. "Competitiveness and industrial policy: from rationalities of failure towards the ability to evolve," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 41(3), pages 829-858.
    4. Terence C. Burnham, 2016. "Economics and evolutionary mismatch: humans in novel settings do not maximize," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 195-209, October.
    5. Erkan Gurpinar & Altug Yalcintas, 2015. "One Long Argument in Economics: Explaining Intellectual Inertia in terms of Evolutionary Ontology," STOREPapers 2_2015, Associazione Italiana per la Storia dell'Economia Politica - StorEP.
    6. Frolov, Daniil, 2019. "The manifesto of post-institutionalism: institutional complexity research agenda," MPRA Paper 97662, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Angela Ambrosino & Magda Fontana & Anna Azzurra Gigante, 2018. "Shifting Boundaries In Economics: The Institutional Cognitive Strand And The Future Of Institutional Economics," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(3), pages 767-791, July.
    8. Claudius Gräbner & Birte Strunk, 2020. "Pluralism in economics: its critiques and their lessons," Journal of Economic Methodology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(4), pages 311-329, October.
    9. Olivier Brette & Nathalie Lazaric & Victor Vieira da Silva, 2017. "Habit, decision making, and rationality : comparing Veblen and early Herbert Simon," Post-Print halshs-01310305, HAL.
    10. Verónica Robert & Gabriel Yoguel & Octavio Lerena, 2017. "The ontology of complexity and the neo-Schumpeterian evolutionary theory of economic change," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 761-793, September.
    11. Frolov, Daniil, 2018. "Постинституционализм: За Пределами Институционального Мейнстрима [Post-institutionalism: Beyond the Institutional Mainstream]," MPRA Paper 90287, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Carina Altreiter & Claudius Graebner & Stephan Puehringer & Ana Rogojanu & Georg Wolfmayr, 2020. "Theorizing competition: an interdisciplinary framework," ICAE Working Papers 120, Johannes Kepler University, Institute for Comprehensive Analysis of the Economy.
    13. Alessandro Morselli, 2024. "Paolo Sylos-Labini’s Contribution to and Affinities for Institutional Economic Thought," Economic Thought journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 2, pages 222-240.
    14. Frolov, Daniil, 2019. "Постинституционализм: Программа Исследований За Пределами Институционального Мейнстрима [Post-institutionalism: research program beyond the institutional mainstream]," MPRA Paper 92328, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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