OSTACOLI ALLO SVILUPPO? VARIAZIONI SU UN TEMA DI ALBERT HIRSCHMAN (Ostacles to Development?)

Nicolò Bellanca ()

Working Papers Series from Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche

Abstract: The fundamental theme underlying Hirshman’s thought regards the nature of the process of the economic choice. He argues that the search of “appropriateness” between too much and too little, expresses our aspiration to well-being, better than the idea of an objective concerning pleasure maximization. Besides this is due to the fact that the most relevant among our choices don’t allow us to characterize an optimal solution, but press for the “appropriate” alternation of different criteria. Once the choice has been carried out, we usually aim, trough a mechanism of reduction of the cognitive dissonance, to weaken disappointment and regret for the criteria we have discarded. It is on the very base of these theses that Hirschman discusses which “strategies” could better enhance our economic choices.

Keywords: Economic development; cognitive dissonance; tragic choices (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O10 O29 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hpe
Date: Written
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