Economics, Evolution and the State: The Governance of Complexity

This book focuses on the emerging field of evolutionary economic policy, highlighting the interface between the state, markets, and the evolutionary complexity of modern economies.

The contributors explore the possibilities and limitations of governance, and provide a unique platform for the advancement of modern evolutionary economic theory. Decision-making is discussed, with particular reference to:

• economic evolution as an open process
• self-organization and networks
• the political economy of complexity.

Issues of evolutionary economic governance at various levels of aggregation are also examined. Inspired by evolutionary thinking, a range of models emerge from the study, illustrating the variety and complexity of evolutionary governance of economic systems.

Exploring the little investigated aspects of an evolutionary economic policy, this collection of original papers goes beyond the traditional confines of positive theory, making a long overdue contribution to the field of evolutionary economics. It will therefore be invaluable to a wide ranging audience including evolutionary and institutional economists, governmental scientists, management scientists and scholars following an interdisciplinary approach in the social and cognitive sciences.

Edited by Kurt Dopfer, Professor of Economics, University of St Gallen, Switzerland