IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/joevec/v27y2017i4d10.1007_s00191-017-0507-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The economics of utopia: a co-evolutionary model of ideas, citizenship and socio-political change

Author

Listed:
  • Isabel Almudi

    (University of Zaragoza)

  • Francisco Fatas-Villafranca

    (University of Zaragoza)

  • Luis R. Izquierdo

    (University of Burgos)

  • Jason Potts

    (RMIT University)

Abstract

We propose a new history-friendly approach to evolutionary socio-economic dynamics based around competition between five ‘utopias’ as central ideas about which to order society: capitalism, socialism, civil liberty, nature, and nationalism. In our model, citizens contribute economic resources to support their preferred utopia, and societal dynamics are explained as a co-evolutionary process between these competing utopias. We apply the model to analyze certain aspects of socio-economic and political change in the US from the 1960s–present. We carry out a history-friendly analysis inspired by such episodes as the outbreak of civil movements in the 1970s, the rise of neo-liberalism in the 1980s, and the channels through which America has engendered an ‘age of fracture’. Further applications for empirical and theoretical research are suggested.

Suggested Citation

  • Isabel Almudi & Francisco Fatas-Villafranca & Luis R. Izquierdo & Jason Potts, 2017. "The economics of utopia: a co-evolutionary model of ideas, citizenship and socio-political change," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 629-662, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joevec:v:27:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s00191-017-0507-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s00191-017-0507-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00191-017-0507-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s00191-017-0507-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Malerba,Franco & Nelson,Richard R. & Orsenigo,Luigi & Winter,Sidney G., 2016. "Innovation and the Evolution of Industries," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107641006, January.
    2. D. Acemoglu & J. Robinson, 2013. "Economics versus politics: pitfalls of policy advice," Voprosy Ekonomiki, NP Voprosy Ekonomiki, issue 12.
    3. Arthur T. Denzau & Douglass C. North, 1994. "Shared Mental Models: Ideologies and Institutions," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(1), pages 3-31, February.
    4. Dosi, Giovanni & Fagiolo, Giorgio & Roventini, Andrea, 2010. "Schumpeter meeting Keynes: A policy-friendly model of endogenous growth and business cycles," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 34(9), pages 1748-1767, September.
    5. Bruno S. Frey, 1997. "Not Just for the Money," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 1183.
    6. Oliver E. Williamson, 2000. "The New Institutional Economics: Taking Stock, Looking Ahead," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 38(3), pages 595-613, September.
    7. North, Douglass C. & Weingast, Barry R., 1989. "Constitutions and Commitment: The Evolution of Institutions Governing Public Choice in Seventeenth-Century England," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 49(4), pages 803-832, December.
    8. Francisco Fatas‐Villafranca & Dulce Saura & Francisco J. Vazquez, 2011. "A Dynamic Model of Public Opinion Formation," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 13(3), pages 417-441, June.
    9. Guilmi,Corrado Di & Gallegati,Mauro & Landini,Simone, 2017. "Interactive Macroeconomics," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107198944, November.
    10. Malerba, Franco & Nelson, Richard & Orsenigo, Luigi & Winter, Sidney, 2008. "Public policies and changing boundaries of firms in a "history-friendly" model of the co-evolution of the computer and semiconductor industries," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 355-380, August.
    11. Vega-Redondo, Fernando (ed.), 1996. "Evolution, Games, and Economic Behaviour," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198774723.
    12. Isabel Almudi & Francisco Fatas-Villafranca & Luis Izquierdo, 2013. "Industry dynamics, technological regimes and the role of demand," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 1073-1098, November.
    13. Malerba, Franco & Nelson, Richard & Orsenigo, Luigi & Winter, Sidney, 2001. "Competition and industrial policies in a 'history friendly' model of the evolution of the computer industry," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 635-664, April.
    14. Amartya Sen, 1999. "The Possibility of Social Choice," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(3), pages 349-378, June.
    15. Malerba, Franco, et al, 1999. "'History-Friendly' Models of Industry Evolution: The Computer Industry," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 8(1), pages 3-40, March.
    16. Francisco Fatás‐Villafranca & Dulce Saura & Francisco J. Vázquez, 2007. "Emulation, Prevention And Social Interaction In Consumption Dynamics," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(4), pages 582-608, November.
    17. Hodgson, Geoffrey M., 2015. "Conceptualizing Capitalism," University of Chicago Press Economics Books, University of Chicago Press, number 9780226168005, October.
    18. Dani Rodrik, 2014. "When Ideas Trump Interests: Preferences, Worldviews, and Policy Innovations," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(1), pages 189-208, Winter.
    19. George A. Akerlof & Rachel E. Kranton, 2000. "Economics and Identity," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 115(3), pages 715-753.
    20. Becker, Gary S, 1993. "Nobel Lecture: The Economic Way of Looking at Behavior," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 101(3), pages 385-409, June.
    21. Jason Potts, 2007. "Evolutionary Institutional Economics," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(2), pages 341-350, June.
    22. Anthony Downs, 1957. "An Economic Theory of Political Action in a Democracy," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 65(2), pages 135-135.
    23. Isabel Almudi & Francisco Fatas-Villafranca & Jason Potts, 2017. "Utopia competition: a new approach to the micro-foundations of sustainability transitions," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 165-185, April.
    24. Francisco Fatás-Villafranca & Dulce Saura & Francisco Vazquez, 2009. "Diversity, persistence and chaos in consumption patterns," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 43-63, April.
    25. Isabel Almudi & Francisco Fatas-Villafranca & Luis R. Izquierdo, 2012. "Innovation, catch-up, and leadership in science-based industries," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 21(2), pages 345-375, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Darcy W E Allen, 2020. "When Entrepreneurs Meet:The Collective Governance of New Ideas," World Scientific Books, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., number q0269, August.
    2. Isabel Almudi & Francisco Fatas-Villafranca & Jason Potts, 2017. "Utopia competition: a new approach to the micro-foundations of sustainability transitions," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 165-185, April.
    3. Mikayla Novak, 2021. "Social innovation and Austrian economics: Exploring the gains from intellectual trade," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 34(1), pages 129-147, March.
    4. Brendan Markey-Towler, 2021. "Psychology of evolutionary economic behaviour," Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 361-383, September.
    5. Isabel Almudi & Francisco Fatas-Villafranca & John Foster & Jason Potts, 2024. "Coevolution and dynamic processes: an introduction to this issue and avenues for future research," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 399-423, October.
    6. Brendan Markey-Towler, 2018. "A formal psychological theory for evolutionary economics," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 691-725, September.
    7. Mikayla Novak, 2024. "Sociologically influenced coevolutionary dynamics," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 473-493, October.
    8. Vyacheslav V. Volchik & Maxim A. Koryttsev & Elena V. Maslyukova, 2019. "Institutions and ideology of managerialism in higher education and science," Upravlenets, Ural State University of Economics, vol. 10(6), pages 15-27, December.
    9. Apostolos Vetsikas & Yeoryios Stamboulis & Vasiliki Georgatzi, 2024. "Exploring the coevolution of heterogeneous actors in national innovation systems: a system dynamics analysis of Finland," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 581-610, October.
    10. Sophie Urmetzer & Michael P. Schlaile & Kristina B. Bogner & Matthias Mueller & Andreas Pyka, 2018. "Exploring the Dedicated Knowledge Base of a Transformation towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-22, May.
    11. Gianpaolo Abatecola & Alberto Surace, 2020. "Discussing the Use of Complexity Theory in Engineering Management: Implications for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-24, December.
    12. Abatecola, Gianpaolo & Breslin, Dermot & Kask, Johan, 2020. "Do organizations really co-evolve? Problematizing co-evolutionary change in management and organization studies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Schnellenbach, Jan & Schubert, Christian, 2015. "Behavioral political economy: A survey," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 40(PB), pages 395-417.
    2. Gianluca Capone & Franco Malerba & Richard R. Nelson & Luigi Orsenigo & Sidney G. Winter, 2019. "History friendly models: retrospective and future perspectives," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 9(1), pages 1-23, March.
    3. Coyne, Christopher J. & Mathers, Rachel L., 2011. "Rituals: An economic interpretation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 78(1), pages 74-84.
    4. Hans-Bernd Schaefer & Rok Spruk, 2024. "Islamic Law, Western European Law and the Roots of Middle East's Long Divergence: a Comparative Empirical Investigation (800-1600)," Papers 2401.14435, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2024.
    5. Ashok Chakravarti, 2012. "Institutions, Economic Performance and the Visible Hand," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14751.
    6. Trent J. MacDonald, 2019. "The Political Economy of Non-Territorial Exit," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 18871.
    7. Menyashev, Rinat & Natkhov, Timur & Polishchuk, Leonid & Syunyaev, Georgiy, 2011. "New Institutional Economics: A state-of-the-art review for economic sociologists," economic sociology. perspectives and conversations, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, vol. 13(1), pages 12-21.
    8. Darcy W E Allen, 2020. "When Entrepreneurs Meet:The Collective Governance of New Ideas," World Scientific Books, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., number q0269, August.
    9. Dosi, G. & Pereira, M.C. & Roventini, A. & Virgillito, M.E., 2022. "Technological paradigms, labour creation and destruction in a multi-sector agent-based model," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(10).
    10. Pranab Bardhan, 2016. "State and Development: The Need for a Reappraisal of the Current Literature," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 54(3), pages 862-892, September.
    11. Delli Gatti,Domenico & Fagiolo,Giorgio & Gallegati,Mauro & Richiardi,Matteo & Russo,Alberto (ed.), 2018. "Agent-Based Models in Economics," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781108400046, November.
    12. Garavaglia, Christian, 2010. "Modelling industrial dynamics with "History-friendly" simulations," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 258-275, November.
    13. Dosi, Giovanni & Palagi, Elisa & Roventini, Andrea & Russo, Emanuele, 2023. "Do patents really foster innovation in the pharmaceutical sector? Results from an evolutionary, agent-based model," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 564-589.
    14. Guilherme Fowler A. Monteiro & Bruno Varella Miranda, 2023. "Disentangling the role of the institutional environment in the ownership competence framework: A comment on Foss et al. (2021)," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(8), pages 1939-1954, August.
    15. Philip Jones, 2004. "‘All for One and One for All’: Transactions Cost and Collective Action," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 52(3), pages 450-468, October.
    16. Andrzej Pieczewski & Aliaksandra Sidarava, 2024. "Why Do Regimes Arise and Persist? Belarus and the Theory of Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 1, pages 19-33.
    17. Jeremy Spater, 2024. "Deficit aversion: Mercantilist ideas and individual trade preferences," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(3), pages 1763-1817, November.
    18. Safarzyńska, Karolina, 2013. "Evolutionary-economic policies for sustainable consumption," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 187-195.
    19. ., 2019. "Economic theory of non-territorial unbundling," Chapters, in: The Political Economy of Non-Territorial Exit, chapter 1, pages 14-38, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    20. Peili Yu & Junguo Shi & Bert M. Sadowski & Önder Nomaler, 2020. "Catching Up in the Face of Technological Discontinuity: Exploring the Role of Demand Structure and Technological Regimes in the Transition from 2G to 3G in China," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 30(3), pages 815-841, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:joevec:v:27:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s00191-017-0507-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.