Overview

"An original account of the role of ethical dispositions in the development of prosperous commercial societies In Solving Social Dilemmas, Roger Congleton provides an explanation for the rise of prosperous commercial societies. Congleton argues that an endless series of social, economic, and political dilemmas have to be solved or ameliorated to sustain social and economic progress and suggests that the most plausible solutions involve internalized rules of conduct. Previous foundational texts suggest that institutions often emerge to address social dilemmas, but Congleton focuses on a solution that is arguably prior to formal institutions: the internalization of principles and rules of conduct that directly affect individual behavior and thereby group outcomes. Supported by an intellectual and analytical history of the emergence of commercial societies in the West, the book uses elementary game theory to review a few dozen social, economic, and political dilemmas that need to be solved if prosperous societies are to emerge. It shows that ethical dispositions are likely to play important roles in solutions to all the problems examined-and arguably many more. Congleton does not claim that commercial networks result from ethical as opposed to unethical behavior, but that some ethical systems include rules that support the development of extended market networks, specialization, and innovation. As evidence the book traces how the increasing support of commerce in ethical theories in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries helped launch ""the great acceleration"" and the emergence of the first truly commercial societies. By combining substantive theoretical work with analysis of centuries of ethical writings, Solving Social Dilemmas reveals that commercial societies have moral foundations."

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9780197642788

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This book is refreshing in its approach and structure, which use analytical narratives rather than mathematical proofs. Social dilemmas require thinking and logic to provide solutions; hence, analytical narratives are helpful. Combining economics with ethics, Congleton provides an intriguing perspective on the rise of commercial societies. * Choice * The book is a remarkable work of scholarship and a pleasure to read. The methodical choice of topics, comprehensive arguments and cohesive synthesis will appeal to the scholarly community. The analytical framework of carefully introducing simple game theory and extensions of the payoff matrices of the games to account for the benefits of virtue and the costs of guilt is an expert exposition that will be appreciated by researchers with an inquiring mind. * George Tridimas, Constitutional Political Economy *

This book is refreshing in its approach and structure, which use analytical narratives rather than mathematical proofs. Social dilemmas require thinking and logic to provide solutions; hence, analytical narratives are helpful. Combining economics with ethics, Congleton provides an intriguing perspective on the rise of commercial societies. * Choice *

Author Information

Roger D. Congleton is the BB&T Professor of Economics at West Virginia University. He joined the Department of Economics at West Virginia University in 2011, after a long association with the Department of Economics and Center for Study of Public Choice at George Mason University. He is currently co-editor of Constitutional Political Economy, a past president of the Public Choice Society, and a past director of the Center for Study of Public Choice. He has published and lectured widely on the political economy of public policy, constitutional history, and constitutional theory.

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