Homo Oeconomicus: The Economic Model of Behaviour and Its Applications in Economics and Other Social Sciences (The European Heritage in Economics and the Social Sciences (6))

The economic model of behaviour is fundamental not only in economic theory, but also in modern approaches of other social sciences, above all in political science and law. This book provides a comprehensive treatise of the general model, its philosophical and methodological foundations and its applications in different fields. In addition to the basic model, extensions to its assumptions are examined to account for complex applications like low-cost situations with moral behaviour. Finally, the book takes a broader perspective by evaluating the impact of the model on economic policy and on the development of the field of social science as a whole, such as the competition between individualistic and collectivist approaches. Front Matter....Pages 1-9 Introduction: Economics as a Positive Science....Pages 1-10 The Economic Model of Behaviour....Pages 11-58 Homo Oeconomicus in Economics....Pages 59-86 Applications of the Economic Model of Behaviour in Other Social Sciences....Pages 87-138 Low-Cost Situations and Moral Behaviour....Pages 139-184 Limits to and Problems of the Application of the Economic Model of Behaviour....Pages 185-218 Some ‘Normative’ Considerations....Pages 219-240 Homo Oeconomicus and the Unity of the (Social) Sciences....Pages 241-267 Concluding Remarks: Economic versus Sociological Approaches in the Social Sciences....Pages 269-275 Back Matter....Pages 1-80