Homo cooperativus

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Homo cooperativus (also: Homo heterogenus) is the image of man in the so-called sustainable economy . This was anchored and disseminated as a fixed term by the leading representative of the sustainable economy, Holger Rogall , for the first time in 2002 in his book Neue Umweltökonomie - Ökologische Ökonomie . Since then, the model of Homo cooperativus (also: Homo heterogenus) has been used and widely discussed by several well-known economists.

properties

It is assumed that a type of human being has evolved that has heterogeneous characteristics. He therefore has the potential for self-serving, cooperative and idealistic behavior and action, as well as short and long-term orientation. These human abilities have different sources:

  • Empathy : People's disposition to feel empathy enables them to put themselves in the shoes of other beings and to want to do something for others (idealistically).
  • Love : Through the need to do something for a person without immediately wanting to increase self-interest, love represents an extremely important force of attachment. A distinction is made between romantic, kinship and friendship.
  • Cooperation : According to Klaus Meyer-Abich , humans can only survive in groups. As a lone egoist he would have died out. The ability to act cooperatively is based on people's experience that they are happiest and safest in groups. In addition, the appropriate division of labor in communities contributes to the common good and is more efficient for all parties involved.

It is further assumed that humans have the following characteristics:

  • Unequal starting conditions: people have unequal starting positions (skills, qualities, information, etc.)
  • Various factors determine behavior: People make their decisions (e.g. their consumer behavior) based on various, often contradicting, influencing factors. These include:
    • Economic / rational factors (income, prices of products)
    • Social-cultural influences (lifestyles based on social class, appreciation of quality), image of the products as well as acquired values ​​and social norms
    • psychological factors as well as inherited and natural predispositions (drives, expectations, hopes, fears, wishes to improve image and reputation)
    • idealistic goals (e.g. environmental awareness, ethical goals)

The studies of behavioral economics show that humans usually do not make decisions on the basis of rational, but complicated arithmetical considerations, but rather use simplification heuristics. These are based u. a. on intuition and upbringing .

  • Heterogeneous characteristics: Homo cooperativus is essentially a creature in which selfishness ( egoism ) plays an important role. But people are also capable of helpfulness, cooperation , fairness , assuming responsibility, etc.
  • Development of cooperation and responsibility competence: According to the studies of behavioral economics, the homo cooperativus usually behaves according to a kind of minimum fairness principle. He is willing to cooperate to a certain extent, and under certain conditions can even act unselfishly, but fends off if trust is abused.
  • Manipulability, cruelty and irrational willingness to take risks : Since humans are social beings that need confirmation and attention from other people, they can also be manipulated and influenced by socio-economic factors (influenced by advertising and fashion trends). In extreme cases, this also means that cultural developments and ideologies can lead him to inhumane acts. In addition, many people take irrational risks that go beyond their means ( gambling , investing in financial assets with loans, etc.).

Scientific background

The basis of the human image of the homo heterogenus / cooperativus are the studies of behavioral economics and game theory . According to this, people usually do not make their decisions rationally, but are subject to a variety of non-rational influencing factors. The studies of Nobel Prize winners Reinhard Selten (1993), Daniel Kahneman (1986) and Joseph E. Stiglitz (2011) as well as the work of Axel Ockenfels (1999) and Armin Falk (2001) can be summarized as follows. People behave i. d. Usually not purposeful, this has different causes:

  • Multifactorial decisions: Social norms , fundamental beliefs, expectations and the image of goods often influence human decisions more than rational factors. This also applies to various different factors of the subconscious and feelings such as wishes and dislikes. The studies of neuroeconomics show how dominant the subconscious is in human decision-making processes. Most of the time, the subconscious makes decisions much faster than the conscious mind and then reasons are sought why one decided this way and not otherwise.
  • Minimum fairness and reciprocity instead of rationality: people behave i. d. Usually according to a kind of minimum fairness principle (see characteristics Homo cooperativus), even if they suffer a loss of benefit as a result (see ultimatum game ). They behave reciprocally, i.e. In other words, they reward fair behavior and punish unfair behavior, even if this is associated with costs for them. Falk therefore speaks of Homo Reciprocans.
  • New information instead of weighing up: You assign - completely unrationally - new information a higher priority than old knowledge. d. R. overestimated (this irrational decision-making structure can be traced particularly clearly with speculators and politicians).
  • Own experience: People do not weigh decisions with the help of rational factors, but usually decide according to rules of thumb. For example, people i. d. Usually that which corresponds to their own experiences (“so far everything has always gone well”) or what proves their own position to be right, regardless of the meaning of the information, often causes them to misjudge situations.

Compared to Homo oeconomicus

The Homo oeconomicus is described by economists as a purely rational (economically) thinking person who acts in an unrestricted manner to maximize self-interest. Due to the features listed above, however, it is clear that this model does not exist in reality. Limitation of information processing, accidental, drive-controlled, influenced action is the rule in decision-making processes of an individual. In addition, due to his self-interest orientation, the homo oeconomicus is at most willing to take measures that have an effect during his lifetime. The Homo cooperativus / heterogenus, on the other hand, is able to incorporate the interests of his fellow human beings and long-term developments into his decisions. With the Homo oeconomicus model, there is no responsibility for those around him or for future generations. Nature is treated as an object and input factor of the economy and subordinated to the economic system. Absolute limits of resilience are not accepted.

literature

  • Armin Falk : Homo Economicus Versus Homo Reciprocans: Approaches for a New Economic Policy Model? Working Paper No. 79, Institute for Empirial Research in Economicus University of Zurich
  • UJ Heuser: Öknommie des Glücks. In: FES (ed.): New society. Frankfurt issue No. 11/2010
  • Daniel Kahneman : Fairness as a Constraint to Profit Seeking: Entitlements in the Market. In: American Economic Review. 76
  • Holger Rogall : Economics for Social Scientists: Introduction to Sustainable Economics. 2nd, revised and greatly expanded edition. Springer Verlag, Wiesbaden 2013, ISBN 978-3-658-01979-2 .
  • Holger Rogall: Sustainable Economy: Economic Theory and Practice of Sustainability. 2nd, revised and greatly expanded edition. Metropolis, Marburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-89518-865-7 .
  • Holger Rogall: New environmental economy: ecological economy, economic and ethical foundations of sustainability, instruments for their implementation. Leske + Budrich, Opladen 2002, ISBN 3-8100-3500-9 .
  • Olaf Schräder: Where do we want to go ?: homo oeconomicus and homo cooperativus - sustainable concepts for the future? AG SPAK, 2008, ISBN 978-3-930830-97-8 .
  • Reinhard Selten : In Search for a Better Understanding of Economic Behavior. In: Heertje (Ed.): Makers of modern Economics. New York.
  • Joseph E. Stiglitz : In free fall. Munich. (Original: Freefall, America, Free Markets and the Sinking of the Worls Economy, New York)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Rogall, Holger: New environmental economy - ecological economy Economic and ethical foundations of sustainability, instruments for its implementation . Leske + Budrich, Opladen, ISBN 978-3-8100-3500-4 , p. 113 .
  2. ↑ Holger Rogall: Sustainable Economy: Economic Theory and Practice of Sustainability. 2nd, revised and greatly expanded edition. Metropolis, Marburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-89518-865-7 , pp. 185ff.
  3. ↑ Gapp / Rogall: Homo heterogenus - the new image of man in the economy . In: Dierksmeier, Hemel, Manemann (ed.): Wirtschaftsanthropologie . Nomos, Baden-Baden 2015, ISBN 978-3-8487-1806-1 , p. 99-115 .
  4. ^ K. Meyer-Abich: Lecture in front of the Renner Institute. In: HP Aubauer: Basics of an environmental ethic - Why we need them. In: G. Pretzmann: Environment Ethics. Graz / Stuttgart 2001.
  5. ^ H. Rogall: Economics for Social Scientists. Wiesbaden 2013, chap. 8th.
  6. ↑ K. Ruckriegel: Behavioral Economics - Findings and Consequences. In: WISU. Volume 40, 2011, pp. 832-842.
  7. ^ R. Wilkinson, K. Pickett: Equality is happiness. Why Just Societies Are Better For All. Berlin 2009.
  8. ↑ H. Rogall: 2013, p. 116ff.
  9. ↑ Holger Rogall: Sustainable Economy: Economic Theory and Practice of Sustainability. 2nd, revised and greatly expanded edition. Metropolis, Marburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-89518-865-7 . P. 187ff.
  10. ^ R. Selten: In Search for a Better Understanding of Economic Behavior. In: A. Heertje (Ed.): Makers of Modern Economics. New York 1993.
  11. ↑ D. Kahneman et al. a .: Fairness as a Constraint to Profit Seeking: Entitlements in the Market. In: America Economic Review. No. 76/1986, pp. 728-741.
  12. ↑ J. Stiglitz: In free fall - From the failure of the markets to the reorganization of the world economy. Munich 2011.
  13. ^ A. Ockenfels: Fairness, reciprocity and selfishness, economic theory and experimental evidence. Tübingen 1999.
  14. ↑ A. Falk: Homo Economicus versus Homo Reciprocans, Approaches for a New Economic Policy Model? 2001, Working Paper No. 79.
  15. ↑ JE Stiglitz: 2011, p. 211.
  16. ↑ A. Falk: 2001/07
  17. ↑ UJ Heuser: 2010, p. 49.
  18. ↑ H. Rogall: 2013, p. 116ff.
  19. ↑ Günter Wöhe, Ulrich Döring: Introduction to General Business Administration. 25th edition. Munich 2013, p. 5 ff.