Proxyeconomics, a theory and model of proxy-based competition and cultural evolution.

ABSTRACT: Competitive societal systems by necessity rely on imperfect proxy measures. For instance, profit is used to measure value to consumers, patient volumes to measure hospital performance, or the journal impact factor to measure scientific value. While there are numerous reasons why proxies will deviate from the underlying societal goals, they will nevertheless determine the selection of cultural practices and guide individual decisions. These considerations suggest that the study of proxy-based competition requires the integration of cultural evolution theory and economics or decision theory. Here, we attempt such an integration in two ways. First, we describe an agent-based simulation model, combining methods and insights from these disciplines. The model suggests that an individual intrinsi

SUBMITTER: Braganza O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8864350 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature