Economic theories usually cannot be confirmed or falsified by empirical or experimental data with obvious locality. Accordingly, the criterion of evaluating economic theories does not rely on predictive ability but on explanatory ability. Furthermore, internal validity embodies the explanatory ability of a theory, and reflects the behavioral logic in the real world. In order to get the behavioral logic in the real world, the situation design of economic experiments needs to introduce real factors gradually instead of focusing on the same factor at every time as well as setting the factors irrelevant to the reality. At the same time, it needs to use extraction and abduction methods as well as corresponding consilience thinking in order to draw out the real behavioral mechanism from isolated experimental conclusions and discoveries. Based on this thinking, on the one hand, it needs to make consilience between instinct and pro-sociality embedded in humanity; on the other hand, it needs to make combination between the basic purpose of human action and corresponding socialized methods. Thus, it can draw out the behavioral mechanism concerning " for oneself by benefiting others” from the daily life and behavioral experiments which is more close to the reality than economic man: achieving his own goals by the " altruism” cooperative means. According to this paper, the behavioral mechanism concerning " for oneself by benefiting others” can make a consistent explanation and prediction for the equilibrium results of basic game types: it not only effectively explains the widespread phenomena of social cooperation at different levels, but also helps to guide individual interaction to social cooperation. Thus, the behavioral mechanism concerning " for oneself by benefiting others” is also the basic behavioral mechanism of social coordination. At the same time, the behavioral mechanism concerning " for oneself by benefiting others” can be tested and confirmed by a large number of behavioral economics experiments: the subjects tend to care for others’ income as well as the fairness of income-distribution in experiments. As a result, the outcomes of cooperative equilibrium can be well predicted by this behavioral mechanism. Therefore, the behavioral mechanism concerning " for oneself by benefiting others” provides a better game thinking than the hypothesis of rational economic man. And it not only helps to analyze the interactive behaviors in the real world, but also reveals the mechanism of maximizing revenues in real behavioral interaction. Accordingly, it provides a basis of more reasonable behavioral logic for game theory, especially for cooperative game theory. And then, the behavioral mechanism concerning " for oneself by benefiting others” can explain not only the behaviors and phenomena that traditional economic theory can explain, but also the behaviors and phenomena that traditional economic theory cannot explain. Accordingly, it provides a solid micro-analysis framework for behavioral economics. Finally, the behavioral mechanism concerning " for oneself by benefiting others” comes from the consilience and extraction forms a series of experimental results, and some real factors are drawn into these experiments in different dimensions but these experiments do not stick to the mainstream " double-blind” program. Therefore, this paper not only makes a promotion and development of game theory and economic theories, but also gives a response to Mr. Du Ninghua’s critique.
/ Journals / Journal of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
Journal of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
LiuYuanchun, Editor-in-Chief
ZhengChunrong, Vice Executive Editor-in-Chief
GuoChanglin YanJinqiang WangWenbin WuWenfang, Vice Editor-in-Chief
Behavior Mechanism of Social Coordination and Relevant Experimental Evidence: A Response to Mr. Du Ninghua’s Critique
Journal of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Vol. 20, Issue 03, pp. 110 - 124 (2018) DOI:10.16538/j.cnki.jsufe.2018.03.008
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Zhu Fuqiang. Behavior Mechanism of Social Coordination and Relevant Experimental Evidence: A Response to Mr. Du Ninghua’s Critique[J]. Journal of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, 2018, 20(3): 110-124.
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