Restraining the Genuine Homo Economicus: Why the Economy Cannot Be Divorced from Its Governance

The homo economicus of traditional economics is far from being completely self-interested, rational, or as individualistic as he is purported to be; he will haggle to death over price but will not beat, cheat, or steal. Implicitly, he is assumed to behave ruthlessly within a well-de...ned bubble of sainthood. Based on a simple model, I ...rst examine what occurs when this assumption is relaxed and genuine, amoral homo economici interact. Typically, productivity is inversely related to compensation; a longer shadow of the future can intensify con‡ict; and, more competition among providers of protection reduces welfare. The patently ine¢cient outcomes that follow call for restraining self-interest, for ...nding ways to govern markets. I then review some of the di¤erent ways of creating restraints, from the traditional social contract, to the hierarchical domination of kings and lords, to modern forms of governance. Checks and balances, wider representation, the bureaucratic form of organization, and other ingredients of modern governance can partly be thought of as providing restraints to the dark side of self interest. Though highly imperfect, these restraints are better than the alternative, which typically involves autocratic, amateurish, and corrupt rule. Then, thinking of most economics problems in terms of a ...rst-best economic model is practically and scienti...cally misguided.