Papers by Carsten Herrmann-Pillath
Jahrbucher Fur Nationalokonomie Und Statistik, Apr 1, 2014
In recent extensions of the Darwinian paradigm into economics, the replicator-interactor duality ... more In recent extensions of the Darwinian paradigm into economics, the replicator-interactor duality looms large. I propose a strictly naturalistic approach to this duality in the context of the theory of institutions, which means that its use is seen as being always and necessarily dependent on identifying a physical realization. I introduce a general framework for the analysis of institutions, which synthesizes Searle's and Aoki's theories, especially with regard to the role of public representations (signs) in the coordination of actions, and the function of cognitive processes that underly rule-following as a behavioral disposition. This allows to conceive institutions as causal circuits that connect the population-level dynamics of interactions with cognitive phenomena on the individual level. Those cognitive phenomena ultimately root in neuronal structures. So, I draw on a critical restatement of the concept of the 'meme' by Aunger to propose a new conceptualization of the replicator in the context of institutions, namely, the replicator is a causal conjunction between signs and neuronal structures which undergirds the dispositions that generate rule-following actions. Signs, in turn, are outcomes of population-level interactions. I apply this framework on the case of money, analyzing the emotions that go along with the use of money, and presenting a stylized account of the emergence of money in terms of the naturalized Searle-Aoki model. In this view, money is a neuronally anchored metaphor for emotions relating with social exchange and reciprocity. Money as a meme is physically realized in a replicator which is a causal conjunction of money artefacts and money emotions.
Marktwirtschaft: Zu einer neuen Wirklichkeit
Marktwirtschaft: Zu einer neuen Wirklichkeit
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2019
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2014
The lecture reflects upon the nature of Chinese authoritarianism and argues that the core process... more The lecture reflects upon the nature of Chinese authoritarianism and argues that the core process of political and economic change in China is state-building in the longue duree. In particular, this involves the interaction between the central and the local state. The market is a means to shift political power to the center. Hence, marketization and growing centralization play together in China, resulting into the stabilization of authoritarianism. Political change will come along with the rapid urbanization process which triggers the growth of civil society in the local states.
Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics JITE, 2008
ABSTRACT
The China Quarterly
For decades, funeral reform has been a key concern for cultural governance in China as the state ... more For decades, funeral reform has been a key concern for cultural governance in China as the state has attempted to manage “feudal” and “superstitious” practices and economize resources such as land devoted to cemeteries. We analyse the status of funeral reforms in Shenzhen, combining general observations with a case study of an urban village. We show how the business of funeral service providers mediates between cultural governance and grassroots-level needs and demands, resulting in distinct forms of ritual hybridization. In the case of native villagers, we observe the bifurcation of rituals at the central municipal parlour and at the home of the deceased. For understanding the adaptability of death rituals under the regime of cultural governance, it is essential to distinguish between funeral rites and their modular structure on the one hand, and rites for the disposal of the body on the other.
Available from Bibliothek des Instituts fuer Weltwirtschaft, ZBW, Duesternbrook Weg 120, D-24105 ... more Available from Bibliothek des Instituts fuer Weltwirtschaft, ZBW, Duesternbrook Weg 120, D-24105 Kiel W 201 (187) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman
Available from Bibliothek des Instituts fuer Weltwirtschaft, ZBW, Duesternbrook Weg 120, D-24105 ... more Available from Bibliothek des Instituts fuer Weltwirtschaft, ZBW, Duesternbrook Weg 120, D-24105 Kiel W 788 (31) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman
Ritual and Economy in Metropolitan China, 2020
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2006
The transition from plan to market in China has been almost completed without any masterplan. The... more The transition from plan to market in China has been almost completed without any masterplan. The paper proposes to conceive this strategy of "crossing the river by touching the stones" as evolutionary process with a stepwise endogenization of political constraints of transition. A framework for analyzing evolutionary political economy is developed, which pays particular attention at cognitive models, political entrepreneurship and political communication. This allows to establish relations with existing paradigms in China studies, such as the "quasi-federalism" approach. I apply this conceptual framework on four case studies: decentralization of the fiscal system, land ownership, urban sosial structure and expectations, and ideology. I conclude that the Chinese case raises some fundamental methodological issues in the social sciences, especially with regard to the role of mediumlevel analytical constructs.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2011
... compares with the standard economic approach in terms of simplicity, consistency and empirica... more ... compares with the standard economic approach in terms of simplicity, consistency and empirical tractability. This deficiency also affects the applied fields of neuroeconomics, such as in marketing (eg Plassmann et al. 2007) or entrepreneurship research (eg ...
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2013
In international trade policy, leadership matters a lot, as it is most evident in the recent fail... more In international trade policy, leadership matters a lot, as it is most evident in the recent failure to complete the Doha round. However, there is a lack of efforts to update the theory of trade policy leadership, which mostly continues to be cast in the terms of Kindleberger’s classical theory of hegemonial leadership. This theory does not fit squarely with the new contexts of so-called ‘new trade policy issues’ (environment, standardization, intellectual property rights etc.). The paper develops a new approach based on recent advances in applying principles of Hegel’s philosophy on international relations. Reference to Hegel is a productive endeavour because many contributions to international trade law and institutions are grounded in Kantian views on international order and freedom. To render this philosophical perspective operational in economics, I relate it to Amartya Sen’s recent distinction between ‘transcendental institutionalism’ and ‘realization focused comparisons’ in institutional change, representing the Kantian and the Hegelian viewpoint, respectively; I argue that real-world trade policy is actually a process of ‘realization-focused comparisons’, for which I have coined the term ‘deliberative trade policy’. Then, Hegelian analytical categories such as ‘recognition’ and ‘civil society’ can be applied on analysing trade policy as a process of mutual exchange of market access rights embedded in a global civil society where governments are privileged, but not exclusively relevant actors. I describe the basic institutional structures and the resulting interaction patterns of deliberative trade policy. Against this background, I sketch the role of ‘ideational leadership’. My empirical workhorse is the recent trade policy controversies and unresolved issues in regulating international trade in genetically modified organisms and products in which issues of consumer concerns, radical uncertainty about future consequences of technological change, and regulatory externalities loom large.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2006
ABSTRACT
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2012
This paper explores the implications of the recent revival of Hegel studies for the philosophy of... more This paper explores the implications of the recent revival of Hegel studies for the philosophy of economics. We argue that Hegel's theory of Objective Spirit anticipates many elements of modern approaches in cognitive sciences and of the philosophy of mind, which adopt an externalist framework. In particular, Hegel preempts the theories of social and distributed cognition. The pivotal elements of Hegelian social ontology are the continuity thesis, the performativity thesis, and the recognition thesis, which, when taken together, imply that all mental processes are essentially dependent on externalizations, with the underlying pattern of actions being performative. In turn, performative action is impossible without mutual recognition in an intersubjective domain. We demonstrate the implications for economic theory in sketching an externalist approach to institutions and preferences.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2017
In China, many entrepreneurs activate and create cultural capital to organize business activities... more In China, many entrepreneurs activate and create cultural capital to organize business activities. We explore this phenomenon of ‘cultural entrepreneurship’ based on field interviews and secondary sources, including more than 60 single cases of individuals and companies. Our approach proceeds on a middle ground between cultural determinism and rational choice, highlighting cultural creativity and hybridization. We present a dozen cases in more detail, arranged in four topical fields, the activation of kinship relations in coordinating business, the role of religion, networking via associations, and corporate culture.
Uploads
Papers by Carsten Herrmann-Pillath