The evolution of preferences and competition: a rationalization of Veblen's theory of invidious comparisons

B. Curtis Eaton () and Mukesh Eswaran ()

Canadian Journal of Economics, 2003, vol. 36, issue 4, pages 832-859

Abstract: We examine how preferences evolve by natural selection in a competitive environment similar to that characterizing much of our evolutionary past. We find that the evolutionarily stable preferences in this context exhibit a concern not only for absolute payoffs but also for relative payoffs, and that this intensifies the degree of competition relative to what obtains when players consider only absolute payoffs. We argue that this has consequences for the equilibrium population size. We argue that the premise of this analysis is consistent with the available anthropological evidence, and that the prediction is broadly consistent with the findings of experimental game theory.

JEL-codes: C70 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2003
View citations in EconPapers

Downloads: (external link)
http://economics.ca/cgi/xms?jab=v36n4/03.pdf Full text (application/pdf)
Available to subscribers only. Alternative access through JSTOR and Ingenta.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cje:issued:v:36:y:2003:i:4:p:832-859

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://economics.ca/en/membership.php

Access Statistics for this article

Canadian Journal of Economics is edited by David Green

More articles in Canadian Journal of Economics from Canadian Economics Association
Address: Canadian Economics Association Prof. Steven Ambler, Secretary-Treasurer c/o Olivier Lebert, CEA/CJE/CPP Office C.P. 35006, 1221 Fleury Est Montréal, Québec, Canada H2C 3K4
Contact information at EDIRC.
Series data maintained by Prof. Werner Antweiler ().