Conformity, non-conformity, and economic institutions: exploring interdisciplinarity

• Grant number: 10/18068-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: July 01, 2011
• End date: June 30, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Economics - Economic Theory
• Principal Investigator: David Dequech Filho
• Grantee: David Dequech Filho
• Host Investigator: Masahiko Aoki
• Host Institution: Instituto de Economia (IE). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Stanford University, United States

Abstract

The proposed research explores interdisciplinarity in the study of institutions, attempting to move forward on two fronts: first, to contribute to a theory of the interactions between economic behavior and institutions, emphasizing cognitive aspects; second, to develop the initial part of a comprehensive investigation of the importance and ubiquity of institutions in economic life. It aims at a better understanding of conformity with existing institutions, incorporating the profound cognitive and motivational influence of institutions on economic agents and leaving adequate room for non-conformity. It also analyses non-conformity, especially in the form of Schumpeterian entrepreneurship and institutional entrepreneurship. Finally, it makes a first approximation to the relations between institutions in economics (highlighting shared mental models) and institutions in the economy. (AU)