September 1999

I will be teaching a Ph.D. seminar next April, which I have tentatively titled “Evolutionary Theories of Organization.” In preparation for the seminar, I started to look for a place on the web that collects information about Evolutionary Theories in the Social Sciences. Because I could not find a comprehensive web site, I decided that it would be beneficial to create such a resource in time for my seminar in March 2000. The outline of the web site is now in place, allowing you to imagine what the site can look like when it is done. Much of the “data” still needs to be filled in. I invite you to make suggestions about the design of this site and, above all, to send me information and links that should be part of the web site. My e-mail address is: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Let’s make this a very useful tool for everyone who is interested in evolutionary thought in the social sciences.

June 27, 1999

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An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change

This is a classic in evolutionary economics. Nelson and Winter "argue that the emphasis in theorizing about ('modelling')competition should be on the analysis of evolutionary and revolutionary change (the 'perennial gale of creative destruction,' as Schumpeter put it), ratherthan on the conditions for general or partial equilibrium; that motivation should be Simon's 'satisficing' as 'bounded rationality' within an enormously complex world, rather than the maxima/minima calculation emphasized by orthodox micro theory of the past 40 years." (Choice) Bibliography.

May 27, 1999

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Science as a Process

Johann Peter Murmann: Thomas Kuhn's "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" is the most widely read and cited book in the philosophy and sociology of science. If you want an philosophical foundation for an evolutionary view, this is the book you should read and not Kuhn. Hull delivers not only a philosophical foundation for evolutionary theories in the social sciences, but he also provides a wonderful case study of how a school of thought in the world of biological taxonomy won the competition among alternative approaches.
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May 1999

Variations in Organization Science: In Honor of Donald T. Campbell

If you are interested in evolutionary theories of organizations, this is a new collection of essays that you want to take a look at. Click on the cover for a table of contents. Joel Baum and Bill Mckelvy have pulled togehter some excellent essays that take stock of Campbell’s contributions to the study of management. See also the bibliography of etss.net to find the most important essays of Campbell on evolutionary theory.

March 27, 1999

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At Home in the Universe

Synopsis Kaufman, a MacArthur Fellow and visionary pioneer of the science of complexity, offers a brilliant account of a new scientifc revolution that rivals Darwin's theory of importance. The book illuminates this new paradigm as it weaves together the excitement of discovery and a fertile mix of ideas. Provides stunning insights into the origin of life, the development of embryos and more. This book examines the question: "why is there order in nature? . . . Mr Kauffman argues {that} much order in the natural world arises spontaneously." (Economist) Index.

February 27, 1999

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Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

In this "artful, informative, and delightful" (William H. McNeill, New York Review of Books) book, Jared Diamond convincingly argues that geographical and environmental factors shaped the modern world. Societies that had had a head start in food production advanced beyond the hunter-gatherer stage, and then developed religion --as well as nasty germs and potent weapons of war --and adventured on sea and land to conquer and decimate preliterate cultures. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
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Important Book

Evolutionary Innovations: The Business of Biotechnology by Maureen D. McKelvey

This book examines the initial commercial uses of genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is one of the most modern, controversial and dynamic of the science based technologies. It is not an object but a set of techniques or way of doing things. The development of these techniques from the 1970s onwards illustrates the changing relationships between universities and firms and between basic science and research oriented towards commercial uses. The main focus of the book is on two firms - Genentech in the United States and Kabi in Sweden and their activities and ‘knowledge-seeking’ behavior in the development of human growth hormone and how those ran in parallel with university science. As well as providing a remarkably clear account of these developments (the book includes a chapter on the basics of biotechnology for the lay person), McKelvey also provides a fresh contribution to our understanding of innovation processes by using the evolutionary metaphor to interpret patterns of change where novelty, transmission, and selection are important elements, and where the knowledge-seeking behavior of firms and other agents are critical for survival and development. The book will be of considerable interest to a wide audience concerned to understand the complexities of innovation processes in the ‘knowledge society’ - management and organization researchers, economists, policy advisers, managers and strategies responsible for turning knowledge into product and profit.

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