Evolutionary Theory as a Framework for Change

Klaus Solberg Söilen ()
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Klaus Solberg Söilen: Halmstad University

Chapter 2 in Applied Evolutionary Economics, 2025, pp 35-56 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter provides a conceptual foundation for understanding change through the lens of evolutionary theory. It challenges the notion of universal behavioral models in economics and instead emphasizes context-dependent adaptation shaped by both biological and cultural evolutions. The discussion draws on key thinkers including Darwin, Veblen, Schumpeter, and Georgescu-Roegen to build a theoretical framework for evolutionary economics. Through a classification of different types of societal change, the chapter highlights how innovations, human-caused transformations, and worldviews interact to shape economic systems. It further explores how key concepts from biology—such as selection, drift, speciation, and inclusive fitness—can be mapped to economic behavior, offering a more dynamic and empirically grounded approach to theory development and policy analysis. This chapter serves as a bridge between foundational ideas and the applied modeling strategies developed in later parts of the book.

Keywords: Evolutionary theory; Evolutionary economics; Economic adaptation; Innovation; Cultural evolution; Weltanschauung; Natural selection; Inclusive fitness; Punctuated equilibrium; Schumpeter; Georgescu-Roegen; Evolutionary psychology; Institutional change; Complexity economics; Historical economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:mgmchp:978-3-032-03683-4_2

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-03683-4_2

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