Reciprocity, Altruism and the Civil Society (Routledge Advances in Game Theory) (Hardcover)

by Luigino Bruni (Author)

Hardcover: 288 pages

Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (July 10, 2008)

Language: English

Product Description
Reciprocity is a term used in a number of conexts, from the ethic of reciprocity as expressed by philosophers such as Confucius and Jesus Christ via social psychology, international relations and cultural anthropology. This book is the first to examine it from an economics perspective. Luigino Bruni examines three forms of reciprocity: reciprocity without benevolence; philia-reciprocity; and unconditional reciprocity. Going back through the writings of thinkers such as Aristotle, Hume as well as modern neoclassical economists, the book represents a challenge to the way contemporary social sciences consider reciprocity. Furthermore, making use of simple evolutionary game theory the author challenges the contraposition between the market reciprocity based on contracts or repeated games and the genuine reciprocity typical of non-market relation based, instead, on gift and other-oriented behavior.

Contents
Acknowledgements viii
Introduction ix
1 The current debate on economics and reciprocity 1
2 Homo oeconomicus’ two hundred years of solitude 13
3 A first form of reciprocity: cooperation without benevolence 27
4 Reciprocity as philía 38
5 Unconditional reciprocity 46
6 Dynamics of reciprocity in a heterogeneous world 59
7 Three is better than two 68
8 In praise of heterogeneity 79
9 Reciprocity is one, but reciprocities are many 86
Appendices 98
Notes 124
Bibliography 149
Index 155