Jeffrey P. Powell
| Date of PhD defense: | 20 December 2010 |
| Title of thesis: | The Limits of Economic Self-interest: The Case of Open Source Software |
| ISBN: | 978 90 5668 265 1 |
| Promotores: | Prof.dr. Jean-Francois Hennart |
Abstract:
Economic man is often portrayed as non-ethical and as pursuing aims which are
narrowly focused on a very select set of interests. But why have economists
saddled themselves with such a narrow and mean view of human nature?
Answering that question involves determining the limits of self-interest in
economic reasoning, the subject which is addressed in this book. The contention
herein supported is that such a limited view of motivation causes economists to
misidentify important economic phenomena. Economics is often identified as the
study of self-interest and rationality. The focus herein is on the role of self-interest
in economic theory and determining precisely what it means to be economically
self-interested. What self-interest entails is a fundamental question in many
disciplines, particularly in ethics; therefore, the approach adopted in this thesis has
been to analyze economic interpretations of self-interest through the theoretical
lens of ethics.
Global / English