The Microeconomics of Wellbeing and Sustainability: Recasting the Economic Process

Leonardo Becchetti · Luigino Bruni · Stefano Zamagni

Oct 2019 · Academic Press

About this ebook

The Microeconomics of Wellbeing and Sustainability: Recasting the Economic Process explores the civil economy tradition in economic thought. Gaining increasing consensus worldwide, this alternative—not heterodox—view of the economic process and agents explains how modern economics is placing increasing emphasis on the determinants of subjective wellbeing and environmental sustainability. With support from behavioral economics, this book makes a foundational contribution that will help users better understand and prepare for future economic challenges.

• Marries criticism of the neo-classical model with empirical work on the possibilities of alternative frameworks for action
• Links new ideas (homo reciprocans, happiness, relational goods) to established microeconomic concepts (the market, perfect and imperfect competition, utility maximization)
• Devotes specific attention to relevant elements in economic history, explaining how we evolved to the current paradigm and to its challenge

About the author

Leonardo Becchetti is professor of Economics and Director of the Master in Development Economics and International Cooperation at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata. He is among the first 100 authors in the RePEc world ranking for number of journal pages published and “betweenness, an indicator that measures the degree of proximity among registered authors in the world network. His main research topics are behavioural economics, social capital and social norms, economics of happiness, corporate social responsibility growth and economic wellbeing.

Luigino Bruni is Professor of Economics at University LUMSA in Rome and Professor of Civil Economy at the University Institute Sophia (Loppiano). He is Editor-in-Chief of the International Review of Economics and a member of the editorial board of the Review of Social Economy and the International Journal of Happiness and Development. His research concentrates on topics related to ethics and philosophy in economics and more generally rational choice, trust, social capital, and evolutionary game theory.

Stefano Zamagni is Vice Director for Italian Affairs for the School of Advanced International Studies Europe and a Senior Adjunct Professor of International Economics. He is also Professor of Economics and former dean of the economics faculty at the University of Bologna. Among his other appointments are Member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Vatican City; Presidente Onorario, Fondazione Italia per il Dono (Milano); member of the board of LUMSA Università, Rome; and member of the scientific board of the doctoral program in economics at the Catholic University of Argentina.