Nature of Regulation
The regulation of large-scale human social interactions is arguably the most important public policy issue of our time. Current regulatory systems are not working, in part because of inadequacies in the economic theories upon which they are based. Experimental and behavioral economists are already drawing upon the fields of psychology and (increasingly) neurobiology to remedy the limitations of classical economic theory. Evolutionary theory expands the view by including, but also going beyond, the study of proximate psychological and neurobiological mechanisms. Additional relevant areas include:
- living systems as highly regulated molecular interactions;
- the evolution of higher-level units (such as multicellular organisms and social insect colonies) as highly regulated societies of lower-level units;
- the genetic evolution of human groups as highly regulated small-scale societies; and
- the cultural evolution of regulatory mechanisms at increasingly large scales throughout human history.
NESCent and the EI will convene a diverse group of scientists and public policy experts to create a new interdisciplinary foundation for the study and practice of large-scale human regulatory systems.
In partnership with the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent), the EI will convene a diverse group of scientists and public policy experts to create a new interdisciplinary foundation for the study and practice of large-scale human regulatory systems. NESCent is the largest evolution-related center funded by the National Science Foundation and the conference will be held at their headquarters in Durham, North Carolina, on November 13-15, 2009.
For a more detailed description of this project, please read the attached document titled The Nature of Regulation: How Evolutionary Theory Can Inform the Regulation of Large-Scale Human Social Interactions (PDF).
For all of our projects, we intend to create a large “community of interest” in addition to the participants who attend the workshop. Contact the directors if you wish to become a member of this community and receive periodic updates.
