Calls for papers

International Journal of Happiness and Development

Special Issue on: "Trust and Gratuity in Economics"

Guest Editors:
Prof. Dr. Luigino Bruni, Università LUMSA, Italy
Prof. Dr. Pier Luigi Porta, Università degli studi di Milano-Bicocca, Italy

This special issue will focus on recent theoretical developments in trust, rationality, we-thinking and cooperation in a competitive market economy. It will include empirical studies and experimental research on the topic.

Economics has exerted an ‘imperialism’ of sorts among the social sciences for a long time, based on the use of the mechanism of rationality of the homo oeconomicus, i.e. of self-interested motives to action. The position of economics, however, is now changing under the influence of more research into human reason and rationality.

This is giving rise to entire new fields of research in terms of the logic of human interaction. Inquiries into trust, for example, lead to the unearthing of new forms of collective rationality. More generally, it turns out that gifts and gratuity are far from being the opposite of economically rational behaviour. Contrary to that, any economically productive action implies gift and gratuity.

This special issue is a pioneering endeavour to focus on and develop some of the more recent advances in the economics of interpersonal relations.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Economics of interpersonal relations
• Relational goods
• Reciprocity
• Paradoxes of trust
• We rationality
• Communitas vs immunitas
• Fraternity
• Gift and exchange
• Competition and cooperation
• Mutual assistance and exchange

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper has been completely re-written and if appropriate written permissions have been obtained from any copyright holders of the original paper).

All papers are refereed through a peer review process.

All papers must be submitted online. To submit a paper, please read our Submitting articles page.

Submission deadline: 8 June, 2014

Feedback to authors: 31 July, 2014

Final decisions: 31 August, 2014