The Biological Bases of Economic Behaviour A Concise Introduction
Human genetics has changed little over the past 20,000 years, but human economic behaviour has changed a lot. These changes are probably due to human cultural evolution. But studies of human hunter-gatherers, and of a variety of other animal species, show
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The Biological Bases of Economic Behaviour
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The Biological Bases of Economic Behaviour A Concise Introduction David McFarland Emeritus Fellow, Balliol College, University of Oxford, UK
© David McFarland 2016 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2016 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-137-56808-3 ISBN 978-1-137-56806-9 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-137-56806-9 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McFarland, David, author. The biological bases of economic behaviour : a concise introduction / David McFarland. pages cm Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978–1–137–56808–3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Animal behavior—Economic aspects. 2. Decision making in animals. 3. Evolution (Biology) 4. Economics—Psychological aspects. 5. Economic anthropology. 6. Psychology, Comparative. I. Title. QL785.M455 2016 591.5—dc23 2015025772
Contents
List of Figures
vii
Preface
viii
1 The Evolution of Economic Behaviour Evolution by natural selection Life history strategy Kith and kin Reciprocal altruism Cultural evolution Tool use and intelligence Human evolution Recent genetic changes Human cultural evolution The Neolithic revolution Forms of exchange Points to remember
1 1 2 3 5 6 9 12 13 16 17 21 24
2 The Economic Behaviour of the Individual A biological approach The animal as an economic consumer The supermarket analogy Time and energy budgets in animals Animal and human economics Problems with microeconomics Specific hungers Points to remember
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