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The challenge of Evo-Devo: implications for evolutionary economists

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  • George Liagouras

    (University of the Aegean)

Abstract

Usually, evolutionary economists equate evolutionary theory with modern Darwinism. However, the rise of evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-Devo) puts into question the monopoly of Darwinism in evolutionary biology. The major divergences between the two paradigms in evolutionary biology are drawn in the analysis of three trade-offs: population vs. typological thinking, creative role of natural selection vs. internal (inherent) change, and microevolution vs. macroevolution. It is argued here that the Evo-Devo breakthrough helps us to understand better the limits to Darwinism in the social realm and outline the contours of an alternative paradigm in evolutionary economics that favors structural macroevolution and what Schumpeter called “change from within”.

Suggested Citation

  • George Liagouras, 2017. "The challenge of Evo-Devo: implications for evolutionary economists," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 795-823, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joevec:v:27:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s00191-017-0525-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s00191-017-0525-5
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    Cited by:

    1. Frolov, Daniil, 2019. "Present and future of evolutionary economics: post-institutionalist’s opinion," MPRA Paper 97659, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Foster, John, 2021. "In search of a suitable heuristic for evolutionary economics: from generalized Darwinism to economic self-organisation," MPRA Paper 106146, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Frolov, Daniil, 2018. "Эво-Дево: Парадигмальный Вызов Для Институционально-Эволюционного Анализа [Evo-Devo: Paradigmal Challenge for Institutional-Evolutionary Analysis]," MPRA Paper 90198, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 23 Nov 2018.
    4. Frolov, Daniil, 2018. "Эво-Дево: Парадигмальный Вызов Для Институционально-Эволюционного Анализа (Версия 2.0) [Evo-Devo: Paradigmal Challenge for Institutional-Evolutionary Analysis (version 2.0)]," MPRA Paper 90285, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Frolov, Daniil, 2019. "The manifesto of post-institutionalism: institutional complexity research agenda," MPRA Paper 97662, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Michalis E. Papazoglou, 2022. "Organizational knowledge actions and the evolution of knowledge environment: a micro-foundations perspective," Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 611-624, September.
    7. Frolov, Daniil, 2018. "Постинституционализм: За Пределами Институционального Мейнстрима [Post-institutionalism: Beyond the Institutional Mainstream]," MPRA Paper 90287, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Jürgen Essletzbichler & Manuel Scholz-Wäckerle & Lena Gerdes & Hans-Peter Wieland & Christian Dorninger, 2023. "Geographical evolutionary political economy: linking local evolution with uneven and combined development," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 16(3), pages 543-560.
    9. Christophe Feder & Beniamino Callegari & David Collste, 2024. "The system dynamics approach for a global evolutionary analysis of sustainable development," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 351-374, April.
    10. 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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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Evolutionary economics; Evo-devo; Darwinism; Macroevolution; Structural explanations;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology
    • B - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology
    • A12 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines
    • E11 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Marxian; Sraffian; Kaleckian

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