An original account of the role of ethical dispositions in the development of prosperous commercial societies In Solving Social Dilemmas, Roger Congleton provides an explanation for the rise of prosperous commercial societies. Congleton argues that an endless series of social, economic, and political dilemmas have to be solved or ameliorated to sustain social and economic progress and suggests that the most plausible solutions involve internalized rules of conduct. Previous foundational texts suggest that institutions often emerge to address social dilemmas, but Congleton focuses on a solution that is arguably prior to formal institutions: the internalization of principles and rules of conduct that directly affect individual behavior and thereby group outcomes. Supported by an intellectual and analytical history of the emergence of commercial societies in the West, the book uses elementary game theory to review a few dozen social, economic, and political dilemmas that need to be solved if prosperous societies are to emerge. It shows that ethical dispositions are likely to play important roles in solutions to all the problems examined-and arguably many more. Congleton does not claim that commercial networks result from ethical as opposed to unethical behavior, but that some ethical systems include rules that support the development of extended market networks, specialization, and innovation. As evidence the book traces how the increasing support of commerce in ethical theories in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries helped launch "the great acceleration" and the emergence of the first truly commercial societies. By combining substantive theoretical work with analysis of centuries of ethical writings, Solving Social Dilemmas reveals that commercial societies have moral foundations.

About the Author
Roger D. Congleton is the BB&T Professor of Economics at West Virginia University. He joined the Department of Economics at West Virginia University in 2011, after a long association with the Department of Economics and Center for Study of Public Choice at George Mason University. He is currently co-editor of Constitutional Political Economy, a past president of the Public Choice Society, and a past director of the Center for Study of Public Choice. He has published and lectured widely on the political economy of public policy, constitutional history, and constitutional theory.

Reviews
This book is refreshing in its approach and structure, which use analytical narratives rather than mathematical proofs. Social dilemmas require thinking and logic to provide solutions; hence, analytical narratives are helpful. Combining economics with ethics, Congleton provides an intriguing perspective on the rise of commercial societies. * Choice *
The book is a remarkable work of scholarship and a pleasure to read. The methodical choice of topics, comprehensive arguments and cohesive synthesis will appeal to the scholarly community. The analytical framework of carefully introducing simple game theory and extensions of the payoff matrices of the games to account for the benefits of virtue and the costs of guilt is an expert exposition that will be appreciated by researchers with an inquiring mind. * George Tridimas, Constitutional Political Economy *
The book makes a persuasive case, backed by extensive examples and careful analysis, for the claim that some systems of rules, and the associated set of moral intuitions and ethical dispositions thereby implied, are much more supportive of commercial society, and therefore of prosperity, than others. * Michael C. Munger, The Independent Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780197642788
Author Roger D. Congleton
Format Hardback
Page Count 480
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 839g
Dimensions(mm) 163mm * 237mm * 34mm