Evolution, Immigration and Trade

Abstract:     
This is an op-ed from the May 7, 2007 Washingtonpost.com. I argue that our evolved attitudes and preferences have influences on public policy. I use the example of the international economy - including immigration and trade - to illustrate this argument. Our evolved intuition is for a zero-sum world and when we apply this intuition to these issues counterproductive policies result. We can learn about positive sum interactions, but this must be taught; it is not intuitive. The op-ed is based on my book Darwinian Politics: The Evolutionary Origin of Freedom (Rutgers, 2002) and my paper "Folk Economics" (Southern Economic Journal, 2003).

Number of Pages in PDF File: 4

Keywords: evolution, trade, immigration, folk economics

working papers series