Contents
Contributors vii
Preface ix
1 Modern evolutionary economic perspectives: an overview 1
John Foster and J. Stanley Metcalfe
PART I THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
2 The coevolution of technology and institutions as the driver of
economic growth 19
Richard R. Nelson
Commentary: institutions, macroevolution and economic
selection 31
John M. Gowdy
3 From evolution to language and learning 41
Bart Nooteboom
Commentary: from evolution to language and learning 70
Paolo Ramazzotti
4 Theorizing complexity 80
Robert Delorme
Commentary: simplicity in theories of complexity – defining,
knowing and doing 109
Drew Wollin
5 Self-organizing and Darwinian selection in economic and
biological evolutions: an enquiry into the sources of organizing
information 121
Pavel Pelikan
Commentary: the origins of successful economic organizations
– a Darwinian explanation with room for self-organizing 152
Bryan Morgan
6 History-friendly theories in economics: reconciling universality
and context in evolutionary analysis 160
Kurt Dopfer
Commentary: history-friendly theories in economics –
reconciling universality and context in evolutionary analysis 188
Jason Potts
PART II EMPIRICAL PERSPECTIVES
7 Considerations about a production system with qualitative
change 197
Paolo Saviotti
8 Heterogeneity and evolutionary change: empirical conception,
findings and unresolved issues 228
Uwe Cantner and Horst Hanusch
Commentary: heterogeneity and evolutionary change –
empirical conception, findings and unresolved issues 270
John Nightingale
9 Measuring complexity: puzzles and tentative solutions 278
Francisco Louçã
Commentary 307
Steve Keen
10 Knowledge, ignorance and the evolution of complex systems 313
Peter M. Allen
Commentary: knowledge, ignorance and the evolution of
complex systems 351
Kevin Bryant
11 Promoting innovation: an overview of the application of
evolutionary economics and systems approaches to policy issues 361
Kevin Bryant
Index 385