Appeal to Join the Association for Evolutionary Economics

  ― New Approach for a Paradigm Change ―

                           March 1996

Organizing Committee

   Some say that the collapse of the cold war constellation validated the advantage of capitalism, and that the whole world is converging toward a similar institution. This is an old view of the traditional paradigm that prevailed till recently. The contesting views of capitalism vs. socialism corresponded to the age of pax Russo-Americana. However, after the demise of the cold war, a new vision has come to the forefront that recognizes the variety of institutions and focuses on their unique development despite mutual influence. It is the coexistence of a variety of institutions that provides  human race with rich possibilities of vital development. This is clear from the fact that the development of the market economy takes diversified forms, differing from country to country and region to region. The structure and mode of market competition changes by the day due to successive innovations.  The emergence of venture business incorporating new technologies in new organizational forms is exemplary in this context. Thus, we need to view the modern world from a new paradigm, that is, from DETERMINISM to PLURALISM.

All the present institutions, socio-economic systems, knowledge and technology, and forms and rules of organizations are the results of formations proceeding on the path of the past to the present. The uniqueness and capabilities of the present world are features that emerged through a historical process, and the future possibilities are grounded on them. The science of the spirit of PLURALISM must have an intellectual framework investigating endogenous evolution, allowing for random emergence of mutation. Evolutionary economics is the attempt to investigate the mechanism of evolution in social systems, organizations, and technology, and thus to contribute to innovation in economic theory.

Researches in this direction have been made since the 1980s, particularly in fields such as microeconomics, macroeconomics, game theory, economics of firm, institutional economics, political economy, theory of international trade, industrial organization, and technology innovation. They integrate the conditions that were so far considered given in their analyses, to obtain fresh results in each field. Evolutionary economics exploring the mechanism of endogenous evolution of social systems, organizations, and technology enable the scientific analysis of the process that was so far only postulated in the preceding mechanistic theory of economic dynamics. It helps recognize that the coexistence and competition of diversified systems, organizations, and technology can produce rich development and hopefully show a new direction of progress for the global economic society.

In natural sciences too, the investigation into the endogenous formation of systems has attracted the interest of researchers, as shown by the progress in explorations into nonlinearity, self-organization, complexities, and so on.  We believe that in economic studies also we are in the age of quest for new general insights and directions based on scientific explorations into the systems, organizations, and technology. We should form a forum of researchers in those new areas, the Association for Evolutionary Economics.  We welcome not only researchers in economics and management science, but also those interested in exploration into the endogenous change of systems and institutions in areas of law, education, culture, history, and sociology.  We expect much participation of those who are directly involved in the evolution of systems, organizations, and technology, such as natural scientists, researchers in charge of R&D in business firms, and managers of venture business based on innovative technology and organization. We wish that the newborn interdisciplinary association becomes an exemplary case for the evolution of scientific knowledge. We invite all of you to join this project.