I agree that social dilemmata are not, by and large, solved through individuals spontaneously acting differently in isolation.
I think a fairer title of the piece could have been “economics needs more progress studies and more social science” given the vast differences in how well societies across time and space are solving coordination problems mediated (if not explained) by differences in institutions, norms, laws, etc.
The basic functioning of society—the most important coordination problem of all—varies widely across locales with the same technology.
Thanks Vasco!
I agree that social dilemmata are not, by and large, solved through individuals spontaneously acting differently in isolation.
I think a fairer title of the piece could have been “economics needs more progress studies and more social science” given the vast differences in how well societies across time and space are solving coordination problems mediated (if not explained) by differences in institutions, norms, laws, etc.
The basic functioning of society—the most important coordination problem of all—varies widely across locales with the same technology.
Agreed!