Synopses & Reviews
The world at the beginning of the twenty-first century is more divided than ever between the rich and the poor, between those living in freedom and those under oppression. Even in prosperous democracies, troubling gaps in well-being persist. As the credibility of traditional explanations--colonialism, dependency, racism--declines, many now believe that the principal reason why some countries and ethnic groups are better off than others lies in the cultural values that powerfully shape nations and people's political, economic, and social performance. Many of the distinguished contributors to Culture Matters believe that value and attitude change is indispensable to progress for those who are lagging.Among the prominent scholars and journalists contributing to the volume are Francis Fukuyama, Nathan Glazer, David Landes, Seymour Martin Lipset, Orlando Patterson, Michael Porter, Jeffrey Sachs, and Richard Shweder.
Synopsis
Prominent scholars and journalists ask: Why are some countries able to accomplish political freedom and a decent standard of living--and others not?
Synopsis
"The world at the beginning of the twenty-first century is more divided than ever between the rich and the poor, between those living in freedom and those under oppression. Even in prosperous democraci"
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [309]-328) and index.
Table of Contents
Culture makes almost all the difference / David Landes -- Attitudes, values, beliefs, and the microeconomics of prosperity / Michael E. Porter -- Notes on a new sociology of economic development / Jeffrey Sachs -- A cultural typology of economic development / Mariano Grondona -- Culture and the behavior of elites in Latin America / Carlos Alberto Montaner -- Does Africa need a cultural adjustment program? / Daniel Etounga-Manguelle -- Culture and democracy / Ronald Inglehart -- Social capital / Francis Fukuyama -- Corruption, culture, and markets / Seymour Martin Lipset and Gabriel Salman Lenz -- Traditional beliefs and practices: Are some better than others? / Robert B. Edgerton -- Culture, childhood, and progress in Sub-Saharan Africa / Thomas S. Weisner -- Moral maps, "first world" conceits, and the new evangelists / Richard A. Shweder -- Culture, gender, and human rights / Barbara Crossette -- Culture, institutions, and gender inequality in Latin America / Mala Htun -- Taking culture seriously: a framework and an Afro-American illustration / Orlando Patterson -- Disaggregating culture / Nathan Glazer -- Law, family ties, and the East Asian way of business / Dwight H. Perkins -- "Asian values": from dynamos to dominoes? / Lucian W. Pye -- Multiple modernities: a preliminary inquiry into the implications of East Asian modernity / Tu Wei-ming -- Changing the mind of a nation: elements in a process for creating prosperity / Michael Fairbanks -- Culture, mental models, and national prosperity / Stace Lindsay -- Promoting progressive cultural change / Lawrence E. Harrison.