Summary contents

1. Approaching economic evolution, p. 1.

2. Schemes of punctuated evolution and jerky innovation, p. 26.

3. Density-dependent diffusion and innovation, p. 63.

4. Exploring the process of 'Schumpeterian competition', p. 95.

5. The evolution of strategies of transaction: an algorithmic story, p. 143.

6. Research horizons, p. 198.

[Postscript for the Japanese edition]

Appendix: Algorithmic notation and the programming of Nelson-and-Winter models, p. 185.

References, p. 220.

Index, p. 232.

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Description and reviews

• The book "Evolutionary Economics: Post-Schumpeterian Contributions" presents major tools and results of new evolutionary economics in a dialogue with the works of Schumpeter. The book starts by demonstrating how parts of Schumpeter's "magnificent dynamics" can be translated into the evolutionary framework of a rule-based behaviour that is changed by selection and innovation. On this background, the book explores three major approaches of modern evolutionary economics: models with logistic diffusion of technology, models of industrial dynamics with innovators and imitators, and models of the evolution of cooperation in conflict-oriented games. These approaches are characterised by researchers such as Goodwin, Nelson and Winter, Arthur and Axelrod. The book emphasises the algorithms underlying the different approaches and the importance of simulation models in evolutionary economics.

• Drawing on the author's eclectic background in economics, biology and computer science, the volume will be of interest to economic theorists and planners who wish to come to grips with the new evolutionary modes of thinking about economic change.

• From reviews of the hardback:
  "This work is designed to introduce the type of evolutionary modelling that is of increasing prominence in our discipline. ... The literature is reviewed in a readable and accessible manner, making this book one of the best and most useful expositions of the work in this genre. For anyone working in this area this technical detail is invaluable."
  Economic Journal (1995, pp. 221-223)

  "The author has written the book to help researchers new to evolutionary economics to explore the field without an immediate lock-in to a specific modelling trajectory. Thus the book is well suited for graduate courses which aim at introducing Ph.D. students to an area of economics with research potential."
  Journal of Evolutionary Economics (1996, pp. 117-119)

• Brunner, H.-P. (1996), Review of E. S. Andersen: Evolutionary Economics - post-Schumpeterian Contributions, Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Vol. 6, pp. 117-119.
• Hodgson, G. (1995), Evolutionary Economics: Post-Schumpeterian Contributions, Economic Journal, Vol. 105, pp. 221-223.
• Niman, N. B. (1997), Evolutionary Economics: Post-Schumpeterian Contributions, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Vol. 32, pp. 324-326.
• Smith, Stephen (1994), Evolutionary Economics: Post-Schumpeterian Contributions, The Manchester School of Economic and Social Studies, Vol. 62, p. 327.

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