Two main structural features of actors can explain economic behavior – in so far as it depends on actors: what they know and are capable of doing (knowledge and competence) and what they want (their preferences and interests). These two elements substantiate the identity of an actor – the response to the questions: Who am I? What can I do? What do I wish to do? – whether the actor is individual or collective. In this perspective, an entity can be treated as an actor if it perceives itself as, or acts as if it were, on a certain matter, a unit of preference and knowledge.1 Figure 1.1 outlines the conceptual structure of the chapter.