The Quality of Society

Chapter 1. IntroductionChapter 2. The Unified Theory of Capitalism: An OverviewThe facts to be explainedSeeking scientific explanationsUnified theory of capitalism: FoundationsThe evolutionary modelQuality of societyScience-based public policiesComparisons with standard economics
Chapter 3. Science is EpistemologyThe alpha-beta methodCausality in mechanical processesCausality in the evolutionary processOn alternatives to the alpha-beta methodAgainst deductivism and inductivismThe complexity of accepting/rejecting economic theoriesConclusionsChapter 4. Path Dependence and the Economic ProcessSome analytical distinctionsEconomic theory of colonialism: An outlineColonial legacy in the unified theory of capitalismEndurance of colonial institutions under capitalismExplaining the origin of Western economic supremacyPath dependence and institutionsConclusionsChapter 5. Population and the Quality of SocietyA dynamic model with exogenous populationDynamic model with endogenous populationEconomic growth as entropic processPopulation density effectConclusionsChapter 6. Unified Theory of Capitalism and Bio-EconomicsFoundations of bio-economicsCapitalist model of bio-economicsThe workings of the modelBeta propositionsComparing the unified theory of capitalism and bio-economicsConclusionsChapter 7. Individualism in the Anthropocene AgeThe nature of economic growth under capitalismHuman behavior evolutionThe myth of competitionThe freedom discourseIndividual freedom and social responsibilityCorporate social responsibility (CSR)Crime responsibilityIndividualism question in the Anthropocene AgeIndividualism and quality of societyConclusionsChapter 8. Science-Based Public PoliciesPositive and normative propositionsThe case of neoclassical economicsThe case of unified theory of capitalismPoverty vs inequalityIncome redistribution effect vs economic growth effectConclusionsChapter 9. Redistribution through Labor MarketsA short run sigma model of the labor marketIntroducing legal

Adolfo Figueroa is Professor Emeritus of Economics at Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. He is the author of three previous books with Palgrave Macmillan: Growth, Employment, Inequality, and the Environment (2015); Rules for Scientific Research in Economics (2016); and Economics of the Anthropocene Age (2017).