title: Beyond maximizing: some remarks on optimality and efficiency in the social sciences.
abstract: The author is dealing with the concept of homo oeconomicus and its relationships to maximizing, satisficing and optimizing practices, from the viewpoint of social sciences. Whereas in physics extremality-principles hold sway, in human affairs the "best" goals and courses of action usually lie between minima and maxima. In this context, attention is given to the fact that the exploding costs of the health system in western welfare states make it necessary to consider more thoroughly the double-maximization of the measures and of the goals of care. Nevertheless, the ideal typification of homo oeconomicus is useful to the classification and, sometimes, even to the explanation of those goal-oriented activities, where only limited resources are at hand.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Soziologie, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Acham
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics; D004526:Efficiency; D006801:Humans; D012942:Social Sciences