Economics, Behavioral Biology, and Law

This article compares the relevance to law of two unexpectedly similar fields: economics and behavioral biology. It first examines the assumptions, core concepts, methodological tenets, and emphases of the two fields. It then compares the interdisciplinary fields of law and economics, on one hand, w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Supreme Court economic review 2011, Vol.19 (1), p.103-141
Main Authors: Jones, Owen D., O’Connor, Erin O’Hara, Stake, Jeffrey Evans
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavioral economics
Biological evolution
Biology
Economic analysis
Economic theory
Elasticity of demand
Evolutionary economics
Family law
Human behavior
Humans
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Summary:This article compares the relevance to law of two unexpectedly similar fields: economics and behavioral biology. It first examines the assumptions, core concepts, methodological tenets, and emphases of the two fields. It then compares the interdisciplinary fields of law and economics, on one hand, with law and behavioral biology, on the other—highlighting not only important similarities but also important differences. The article subsequently explores ways that biological perspectives on human behavior may, among other things, improve economic models and the behavioral insights they generate. The article concludes that although there are important differences between the two fields, the overlaps between economics and biology warrant even greater congress between these two disciplines, and expanded exchange between the legal thinkers interested in each of them.
ISSN:0736-9921
2156-6208
DOI:10.1086/664564