Citation:
Yun WANG and Yunbin ZHANG. Social Preference Theory: Controversy and Future Development[J]. Academic Monthly, 2021, 53(6): 72-86.
Social Preference Theory: Controversy and Future Development
-
Abstract
Social preference theory has been developed since the 1990s to explain people’s non-selfish behavior observed in economic experiments. The theory extends the conventional utility-maximization framework by incorporating people’s other-regarding concerns such as fairness, reciprocity, altruism, and inequality aversion. In recent years, existing social preference models have been challenged by the interdisciplinary research from psychology, sociology, management and other behavioral sciences. The latest literature includes factors such as group identity, heterogeneity in culture and social background, biological and psychological characteristics into the analytical framework. Meanwhile, the Santa Fe institute researchers discuss the prevalent pro-social behavior from an evolutionary biological perspective. Altruism, cooperation and reciprocity, which sustain the survival and development of ethnic groups, are essential for the long-term evolution process, from which social norms emerge and stable institutions become possible. In the past decade, the progress of social preference theory also had significant impacts on empirical studies in labor economics, finance, macroeconomics and political economics. The theory provides practical tools for researchers in these fields to better interpret empirical data, to uncover the underlying behavioral mechanisms, and to improve policy design.
-
-
References
-
Access
-
-
[1]
WEN Jun
. From Technical Tokens to Social Tokens: the Ontological Construction of Token Sociology. Academic Monthly,
2026, 58(8): 145-156.
-
[2]
YANG Dian
, DONG Shuhao
. The Social Construction of Economic Value——Evidence from Financial Markets, with a Discussion on Building a Valuation System with Chinese Characteristics. Academic Monthly,
2026, 58(1): 131-146.
-
[3]
ZHOU Mujun
. Between Theory and Empirical Facts: Habermas and the Sociological Debate on the Public Sphere. Academic Monthly,
2026, 58(8): 157-170.
-
[4]
YU Jianxing
, LIU Yuxuan
. Beyond the Outside Observer: Repositioning the Social Sciences in the Era of Large Language Models. Academic Monthly,
2026, 58(7): 77-89.
-
[5]
ZANG Leizhen
, LI Wei
. Bringing Context Back in——The Root Metaphor of the “Bringing Back” Approach in Social Science Research. Academic Monthly,
2026, 58(1): 84-93.
-
[6]
ZHANG Jun
, FANG Hongsheng
. Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations and Economic Growth. Academic Monthly,
2026, 58(8): 70-90.
-
[7]
SHEN Yifei
. Theoretical Genealogies of the Emotional Economy and the Chinese Context. Academic Monthly,
2026, 58(7): 129-142.
-
[8]
DING Huiping
. Invisible Governance and the Rebuilding of Local Social Order: A Historical Sociology Analysis of Qi Biaojia's Famine Relief Action in Late Ming Dynasty. Academic Monthly,
2026, 58(3): 143-154.
-
[9]
MA Xuejun
. The Echoes of Yan Fu's Thought among Republican-Era Sociologists——Based on the Writings of Tao Menghe,Pan Guangdan,Lin Yaohua,and Fei Xiaotong. Academic Monthly,
2026, 58(3): 132-142.
-
[10]
LIU Wei
. Several Important Theoretical Issues Needing Further Clarification for the Growth and Expansion of the Private Economy. Academic Monthly,
2026, 58(7): 41-53.
-
[11]
WANG Gang
. Viewing the Cultural Intent of the “Xueheng School” from Hu Xiansu's Teachers and Friends's Group. Academic Monthly,
2026, 58(7): 206-216.
-
[12]
FENG Yurong
. “Illuminating Ancient Learning,Introducing New Knowledge”: Xin Yizong Bidu and the Shift in the Construction of Modern Traditional Chinese Medicine Knowledge. Academic Monthly,
2026, 58(6): 180-190.
-
[13]
GE Yonghai
, PAN Juqiang
. Why Regional Literary History in China Becomes a Discipline——Academic Origins,Historical Evolution,and Theoretical Construction. Academic Monthly,
2026, 58(5): 159-173.
-
-
沪公网安备 31010102003103号
DownLoad: