Scientific (Empirical) Evidence for Metaeconomics
and Dual Interest Theory

What is Metaeconomics?

Metaeconomics is an empathy-based, science- and humanities-grounded alternative to mainstream Microeconomics. Instead of assuming only ego-based self-interest as in Single Interest Theory (SIT) in Microeconomics, Metaeconomics uses Dual Interest Theory (DIT), which explicitly includes empathy-based shared other-interest as an internal part of human behavior.

What is Dual Interest Theory (DIT)?

Dual Interest Theory (DIT) holds that human behavior arises from two interacting motivations: ego-based self-interest (relating to Incentive) and empathy-based shared other-interest (holding the Ethic). Economic stability depends on balancing ego and empathy, self and other(shared)-interest, incentive and ethic—rather than privileging one over the other.

How does Dual Interest Theory (DIT) in Metaeconomics relate to Adam Smith?

Adam Smith emphasized that moral sentiments—the Ethic—must temper self-interest. Metaeconomics formalizes Smith’s insight using modern behavioral science, treating Smith’s two major works as one integrated argument: Wealth and Sentiment, Self and Other(shared)-interest, Incentive and Ethic. The Ethic is essential for tempering the Incentive, and therefore for economic efficiency and market viability.

Writing convention?

In Metaeconomics, the symbol “&” is used deliberately to emphasize that paired terms are joint, interdependent, and nonseparable, not merely additive. Expressions such as ego & empathy, self & other(shared)-interest, wealth & sentiment, and incentive & ethic denote co-arising drivers of human behavior and economic outcomes, consistent with Dual Interest Theory (DIT). Where “and” appears, it carries this same strong meaning; the use of “&” simply makes the jointness more explicit.

(for further evidence, see the many empirical studies cited in these papers from a broad array of behavioral and social science research)

Lynne, G. D., J. Walter Milon, and Michael E. Wilson. “Identifying and Measuring Potential Conflict in Water Institutions.” Wat. Resour. Bul. 26,4 (Aug. 1990): 669-676.

Lynne, G. D. and J. Burkhardt. “The Evolution of Water Institutions in Florida: A Neoinstitutionalist Perspective.” J. Econ. Issues 24,4 (Dec. 1990): 1059-1077.

Lynne, G. D., J. S. Shonkwiler, and Michael E. Wilson. “Water Permitting Behavior Under the 1972 Florida Water Resources Act.” Land Economics 67,3 (August 1991): 340-351.

Lynne, G. D. and C. F. Casey. “Regulatory Control of Technology Adoption by Individuals Pursuing Multiple Utility.” J. Socio-Economics 27, 6 (1998): 701-719.

Lynne, G. D. “Divided Self Models of the Socioeconomic Person: The Metaeconomics Approach.” J. Socio-Economics 28, 3 (1999): 267-288.

Casey, F. and G. D. Lynne. “Adoption of Water Conserving Technologies in Agriculture: The Role of Expected Profits and the Public Interest.” In F. Casey, A. Schmitz, S. Swinton and D. Zilberman (Editors). Flexible Incentives for the Adoption of Environmental Technologies in Agriculture. Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999, 229-247.

Siles, M., L. Robison, B. Johnson, G. Lynne, and D. Beveridge. “Farmland Exchanges: Selection of Trading Partners, Terms of Trade, and Social Capital.” J. Amer. Soc. Farm Managers and Rur. Appraisers (2000): 127-140.

Cutforth, L.B., C.A. Francis, G.D. Lynne, D.A. Mortensen, and K.M. Eskridge. “Factors Affecting Farmers' Diversity Approach.” Amer. J. Altern. Agri. 16, 4 (2001): 168-176.

Lynne, G.D. “Agricultural Industrialization: A Metaeconomics Look at the Metaphors by Which We Live.” Rev. Agri. Econ. 24,2 (2002): 410-427.

Hayes, W.M. and G. D. Lynne. “Towards a Centerpiece for Ecological Economics.” Ecol. Econ. 49,3 (July, 2004): 287-301.

Kalinowski, C.M., Lynne, G.D. and Johnson, B. “Recycling as a Reflection of Balanced Self-Interest: A Test of the Metaeconomics Approach.” Environment and Behavior 38,3 (May, 2006): 333-355.

Lynne, G.D. “On the Economics of Subselves: Toward a Metaeconomics.” Chp. 6 In Altman, Morris. Handbook of Contemporary Behavioral Economics. New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2006, pp. 99-122.

Lynne, G.D. “Toward a Dual Motive Metaeconomic Theory.” Journal of Socioeconomics 35 (2006): 634-651.

Ovchinnikova (now Czap), N., Czap, H., Lynne, G. D. and Larimer, C. “‘I don’t want to be selling my soul’: Two Experiments in Environmental Economics.” Journal of Socio-Economics 38,2 (March 2009): 221-229.

Sautter, J., Ovchinnikova, N., Kruse, C., and Lynne, G. “Farmers’ Decisions Regarding Carbon Sequestration: A Metaeconomic View.” Society and Natural Resources: An International Journal 1521-0723, 24 (2) (published online, November, 2010; print publication, January, 2011): 133-147.

Sheeder, R.J. and G.D. Lynne. “Empathy Conditioned Conservation: ‘Walking-in-the-Shoes-of-Others’ as a Conservation Farmer.” Land Economics 87, 3 (August 2011): 433-452.

Czap, N.V., Czap, H.J., Khatchaturyan, M., Lynne, G.D., and Burbach, M.E. “Walking in the Shoes of Others: Experimental Testing of Dual-Interest and Empathy in Environmental Choice.” Journal of Socio-Economics 41, 5 (October 2012): 642-653.

Hayes, W.M. and G.D. Lynne. “The Evolution of Ego 'n' Empathy: Progress in Forming the Centerpiece for Ecological Economic Theory,” In, Richardson, Robert B. (ed.), Building a Green Economy: Perspectives from Ecological Economics. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 2013, pp. 101-118.

Czap, N.V., Czap, H.J., Khachaturyan, M., Burbach, M.E., and Lynne, G.D. “Smiley or Frowney: The Effect of Emotions and Empathy Framing in a Downstream Water Pollution Game.” International Journal of Economics and Finance 5, 3 (2013): 9-23 (also published on-line Feb. 22: see http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijef/issue/view/736 ).

Reimer, A., Thompson, A., Prokopy, L.S., Arbuckle, J.G., Genskow, K., Jackson-Smith, D.J., Lynne, G., McCann, L., Wright Morton, L., and Nowak, P. “People, Place, Behavior, and Context: A Research Agenda for Expanding Our Understanding of What Motivates Farmers’ Conservation Behaviors.” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 69, 2 (March/April, 2014): 57A-61A.

Czap, N.V., Czap, H.J., Burbach, M.E., and Lynne, G.D. “Gender in Environmental Context: An Effect of Property Rights, Fines, Empathy Nudging.” International Journal of Economics and Finance 6, 7 (2014): 11-23.

Czap, N.V., Czap, H.J., Lynne, G.D., and Burbach, M.E. “Walk in My Shoes: Nudging for Empathy Conservation.” Ecological Economics 118 (2015): 147-158.

Lynne, G.D., Czap, N.V., Czap, H.J., and Burback, M.E. “ Theoretical Foundation for Empathy Conservation: Toward Avoiding the Tragedy of the Commons.” Review of Behavioral Economics 3 (2016): 245 – 279.

Czap, H.J., Czap, N.V., Burbach, M.E., Lynne, G.D. "Farm Bill 2014: An experimental investigation of conservation compliance." Journal of Sustainable Development, 9, 3 (2016): 23-38.

Zhang, Zhenu and Lynne, G. 2016. Is Social Capital Motivated by Self-interest Only? A Case Study on a Well-developed U.S. Rural Community. Universal Journal of Agricultural Research 4,1 (2016): 25-31.

Czap, H.J., Czap, N.V., Burbach, M.E., and Lynne, G.D. “Does Might Make Right? An Experiment on Assigning Property Rights.” Ecological Economics 150 (2018): 229-240.

Czap, N.V., Czap, H.J., Khachaturyan, M., Burbach, M.E., and Lynne, G.D. “Experiments on Empathy Conservation: Implications for Environmental Policy.” Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy 2,2 (2019):71-77.

Lynne, G.D Metaeconomics: Tempering Excessive Greed. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2020.

Lynne, Gary D. and Saarinen, Phyllis P. “Metaeconomic Solutions to Dysfunctional Water Markets.” In Altman, Morris (Ed.) Constructing a More Scientific Economics: John Tomer’s Pluralistic and Humanistic Economics. Palgrave Advances in Behavioral Economics. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, Chapter 15, 2022, pp. 309-329.

Lynne, G. D. and Czap, N. V. “Towards Dual Interest Theory in Metaeconomics.” Journal of Interdisciplinary Economics (July 2023):1-19.

Lynne, Gary D. “Cargo-Cult Economics to Metaeconomics: Toward a Humanomics with a Theory.” Review of Behavioral Economics 12, 3 (May 2025): 257-289.

Related Metaeconomics Concepts