• Esben Sloth Andersen, IKE, Aalborg (coordinator);
• Giovanni Dosi, IIASA, Vienna, and "La Sapienza", Rome;
• Patrick Llerena, BETA, Strasbourg
  
• Gerald Silverberg, MERIT, Maastricht;
• Murat Yildizoglu, BETA, Strasbourg.
  

This course gives the research student an understanding concepts, methods and results of evolutionary modelling of technical change and economic dynamics.

The approach of the course is double. On the one hand, different traditions of evolutionary modelling are presented, so that the student can avoid a premature lock-in to a particular tradition. On the other hand, the tendency within the field that each tradition and even each researcher creates an idiosyncratic "artificial economic world" is criticised; instead the advantages of some degree of cumulativeness in evolutionary economic modelling is emphasised in different ways.

At the most general level, cumulativeness may be obtained in the understanding of the general tools of designing and analysing evolutionary models - including the basic elements of evolutionary explanation (mechanisms of transmission, variety-creation and selection), the step-wise refinement of evolutionary models from verbal visions via flow-charts to formal models and computer programs.

At a more concrete level, the cumulativeness and inner dynamics of a few research traditions are dissussed at some length so that the research student can obtain an understanding of the open-ended character of well-known models. Special emphasis is put on a critical analysis of the Nelson and Winter tradition, but we also deal with e.g. the development of traditions in more abstract dynamical systems (replicator dynamics).

Monday , October 12th

9.15-11.15 : Lecture 8 : Nelson and Winter-like models of industrial dynamics as a starting point, Esben Sloth Andersen

Break

11.30-12.45 : PhD presentation n°8 : Alessandro Nuvolari (Junior discussant : Katherina Warta - Senior discussant : Esben Sloth Andersen)

Lunch

14.00-16.15 : Lecture 9 : Dynamical systems and evolutionary economics - 1, Gerald Silverberg

16.30-17.45 : PhD presentation n°9 : Alessandro Politano (Junior discussant : Alessandro Nuvolari - Senior discussant : Gerald Silverberg)
 

Tuesday , October 13th

Break

11.15-12.30 : PhD presentation n°10 : Johannes Schiller (Junior discussant: Alessandro Politano - Senior discussant : Gerald Silverberg)

Lunch

14.00-16.00 : Lecture 11 : Dynamical systems and evolutionary economics - 3, Gerald Silverberg

Break

16.15-18.15 : Lecture 12 : Modelling tools for and extensions of the Nelson and Winter tradition Esben Sloth Andersen
 

Wednesday , October 14th

Reading list : check Murat Yildizoglu web page

Break

Lunch

14.00-15.30 : Lecture 14 : Diversity 2 : diversity and technological regimes, Patrick Llerena

Break

16.00-17.30 : PhD presentation n°12 : Daniela Meier (Junior discussant : Stéphane Robin - Senior discussant : Patrick Llerena)
 

Thursday , October 15th

Break

10.30-12.30 : Lecture 15 : From Nelson and Winter to a full-blown evolutionary research programme, Giovanni Dosi

Lunch

14.00-15.30 : Panel discussion on problems and main results of evolutionary modelling (all lecturers)

Break

15.45.15-16.45 : Discussion on the course and the session in general, and of possible improvements (led by Patrick LLERENA)
 

Note that several papers are available on the web. These papers are formatted as Adobe Acrobat PDF files. To print or read them, you need a copy of Acrobat reader, which is available free from Adobe: [http://www.adobe.co m/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html].

Introduction and background

Dosi, G., and Nelson, R.R. (1994), "An Introduction to Evolutionary Theories in Economics", Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Vol. 4, pp. 153-172.

Dosi, G., Freeman, C., Nelson, R.R., Silverberg, G., and Soete, L. (eds.) (1988), Technical Change and Economic Theory, Pinter, London, especially chs. 2, 6, 7, 24, 25, 26.

Silverberg, G. (1994), "Formal Models of Economic Evolution", in Hodgson, G.M., Samuels, W.J., and Tool, M.R. (eds.), The Elgar Companion to Institutional and Evolutionary Economics, Elgar, Aldershot, pp. 213-218. (Ultra-short survey.)

Dosi, G. (1988), "Sources, Procedures and Microeconomic Effects of Innovation", Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 26, pp 1120-1171. (Modelling seen in relation to the broader field of evolutionary economics.)

Nelson, R.R. (1995), "Recent Evolutionary Theorizing about Economic Change", Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 33, pp. 48-90. (Modelling seen in relation to the broader field of evolutionary economics.)

Andersen, E.S. (1996), Evolutionary Economics: Post-Schumpeterian Contributions, paperback reprint, Pinter, London, especially ch. 1. Extract of the introduction to evolutionary economics is available. Download in PDF format

The Nelson and Winter tradition

Nelson, R.R., and Winter, S.G. (1982), An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change, Belknap Press, Cambridge, Mass. and London.
Andersen, E.S. (1996), Evolutionary Economics: Post-Schumpeterian Contributions, paperback reprint, Pinter, London, ch. 4. An extract on Nelson and Winter models is available. Download PDF file

Silverberg, G. and Verspagen, B. (1994), Economic dynamics and behavioral adaptation: An application to an evolutionary endogenous growth model, MERIT Research Memoranda, 2/94-024. Download PDF file

Silverberg, G. and Verspagen, B. (1995), Evolutionary Theorizing on Economic Growth. MERIT Research Memoranda, 2/95-017. Download PDF file

Verspagen, Bart (1993), Uneven Growth Between Interdependent Economies: An Evolutionary View on Technology Gaps, Trade and Growth, Avebury, Aldershot.

Programming and simulation in relation to Nelson and Winter models [to be extended]

Andersen, E.S. (1996), Maple V.4 for Evolutionary Modelling

Yildizoglu, M. (1997), Nelson and Winter Model in Java

Dynamic systems with special respect to replicator dynamics and artificial life

Silverberg, G. (1988), "Modelling Economic Dynamics and Technical Change: Mathematical Approaches to Self-Organization and Evolution", in Dosi, G., Freeman, C., Nelson, R., Silverberg, G., and Soete, L. (eds.) (1988), Technical Change and Economic Theory, Pinter, London, pp. 531-559.

Lane, D.A. (1993), "Artificial Worlds and Economics", Part I", Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Vol. 3, pp. 89-107.

Lane, D.A. (1993), "Artificial Worlds and Economics", Part II", Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Vol. 3, pp. 177-197.

Tesfatsion, L. (1998), Syllabus of Readings for Complex Adaptive Systems and Agent-Based Computational Economics

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