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Alger, Ingela
, Lehmann, Laurent and Weibull, Jörgen W.
(2018)
Evolution of preferences in group-structured populations: genes, guns, and culture.
TSE Working Paper, n. 18-888, Toulouse
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Abstract
Humans have evolved in populations structured in groups that extended beyond the nuclear family. Individuals interacted with each other within these groups and there was limited migration and sometimes contacts between these groups. Suppose that during this evolution, individuals transmitted their behaviors or preferences to their (genetic or cultural) offspring, and that material outcomes resulting from the interaction determined which parents were more successful than others in producing (genetic or cultural) offspring. Should one then expect pure material self-interest to prevail? Some degree of altruism, spite, inequity aversion or morality? By building on established models in population biology we analyze the role that different aspects of population structures such as group size, migration rates, probability of group contacts, cultural loyalty towards parents’ play in shaping behaviors and preferences which, once established, cannot be displaced by any other preference. In particular, we establish that uninvadable preferences under limited migration between groups will consist of a materially self-interested, a moral, and an other-regarding component, and we show how the strength of each component depends on population structure.
| Item Type: | Monograph (Working Paper) |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Date: | February 2018 |
| Place of Publication: | Toulouse |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Strategic interactions, Preference evolution, Evolution by natural selection, Cultural transmission, Pro-sociality, Altruism, Morality, Spite |
| JEL Classification: | A12 - Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines A13 - Relation of Economics to Social Values B52 - Institutional; Evolutionary C73 - Stochastic and Dynamic Games; Evolutionary Games; Repeated Games D01 - Microeconomic Behavior - Underlying Principles D63 - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement D64 - Altruism D91 - Intertemporal Consumer Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving |
| Subjects: | B- ECONOMIE ET FINANCE |
| Divisions: | TSE-R (Toulouse) |
| Institution: | Université Toulouse 1 Capitole |
| Site: | UT1 |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Apr 2018 09:28 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Jun 2023 07:40 |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:tse-fr.eu:32436 |
| URI: | https://publications.ut-capitole.fr/id/eprint/25835 |
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- Evolution of preferences in group-structured populations: genes, guns, and culture. (deposited 24 Apr 2018 09:28) [Currently Displayed]
