An Economic Theory of Greed, Love, Groups, and Networks

A groundbreaking work which presents a unified theory of human behaviour, grounded in economic thought.

Paul Frijters (Author), Gigi Foster (With)

9781107026278, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 7 March 2013

450 pages, 9 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.5 cm, 0.83 kg

'In the grand tradition of Gary Becker, Paul Frijters offers a unified theory of human behavior …This impressive book seems to explore every nook and cranny of human behavior, and beautifully articulate[s] economic matters on every page.' Jeffrey G. Williamson, Laird Bell Professor of Economics Emeritus, Harvard University, and Honorary Fellow in Economics, University of Wisconsin

Why are people loyal? How do groups form and how do they create incentives for their members to abide by group norms? Until now, economics has only been able to partially answer these questions. In this groundbreaking work, Paul Frijters presents a new unified theory of human behaviour. To do so, he incorporates comprehensive yet tractable definitions of love and power, and the dynamics of groups and networks, into the traditional mainstream economic view. The result is an enhanced view of human societies that nevertheless retains the pursuit of self-interest at its core. This book provides a digestible but comprehensive theory of our socioeconomic system, which condenses its immense complexity into simplified representations. The result both illuminates humanity's history and suggests ways forward for policies today, in areas as diverse as poverty reduction and tax compliance.

Part I. Greed and Love: 1. Individual materialism, organizations, and power
2. Love: the missing building block
Part II. Groups, Power and the Development of Institutions: 3. Groups and power
4. Networks and markets
Part III. Implications and Examples: 5. The aggregate view
6. Theoretical appendix.

Subject Areas: Economics [KC], Social, group or collective psychology [JMH]