The parable of the Good Samaritan is not only part of the spiritual, ethical, and artistic heritage of the West; this biblical passage has also been used in economics. Some leading economists, J. Buchanan and A. Sen, in particular, have devoted special attention to this old story. This paper, in...

chapter 1 The current debate on economics and reciprocity -- chapter 2 Homo oeconomicus two hundred years of solitude -- chapter 3 A rst form of reciprocity: cooperation without benevolence -- chapter 4 Reciprocity as phil�a -- chapter 5 Unconditional reciprocity -- chapter 6 Dynamics of...