ABSTRACT

Most economists are aware that homo economicus is not a ‘conception of man,’ but only a useful assumption. Still, homo economicus is usually interpreted as an assumption about individual agents. It is individuals who are assumed to be perfectly informed and rational. Homo economicus, however, should not be understood as an assumption about individuals as such. The assumption is only applicable where human action takes place under certain institutional preconditions. It can be applied usefully when we are dealing with legally separate individuals who interact in a monetized market economy where the production process is guided by capital-based enterprises. In short, the institutions characterizing capitalism are also those that allow for the application of the homo economicus assumption. It is necessary to make these institutional preconditions explicit because they are not natural constants and, depending on their design, some of them have ambiguous effects on the market process.

摘要

大多数经济学家都知道，同质经济不是“人的观念”，而只是一个有用的假设。仍然，经济人通常被解释为关于个体行为者的假设。被认为是完全有见识和理性的人。然而，经济人不应被理解为对个人的假设。该假设仅适用于在某些制度前提下发生人为行动的情况。当我们与合法独立的个体打交道时，当在以货币为基础的企业指导生产过程的货币化市场经济中互动时，该方法将非常有用。简而言之，表征资本主义的制度也是允许应用同质经济假设的制度。