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Why Culture Matters Most David C. Rose (Professor of Economics, Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, University of Missouri-St. Louis)

Why Culture Matters Most By David C. Rose (Professor of Economics, Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, University of Missouri-St. Louis)

Summary

This book explains why culture - not genes, geography, institutions, or policies - is the key to achieving mass flourishing. Culture therefore best explains the differential success of societies. Unlike anything else, culture overcomes the most fundamental obstacle to having a thriving free market democracy: rational self-interest undermining the common good.

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Why Culture Matters Most Summary

Why Culture Matters Most by David C. Rose (Professor of Economics, Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, University of Missouri-St. Louis)

The key to achieving mass flourishing is culture - not genes, geography, institutions, or policies. In this thought-provoking book, David C. Rose argues that societal success depends on overcoming the challenge posed by rational self-interest undermining the common good. General prosperity requires large group cooperation, which requires trust, and yet as societies grow larger it becomes more difficult to sustain a high trust society. Culture uniquely addresses this problem by aligning individual interests with the common good, thereby addressing the empathy problem and the greater good rationalization problem. Culturally transmitted moral beliefs can sustain large group trust are akin to commonly owned asset by members of society and like any commons are subject to problems of abuse and neglect. These problems are apparent in all societies, and Rose highlights a dilemma: while human flourishing requires the general prosperity that comes from a free market system and it requires freedom that depends upon democratic institutions, there is a danger of redistributive and regulatory favoritism that undermines trust in the system generally. This can lead to political tribalism that is shown to reduce trust in the democratic system. This tension has implications for social, political, and economic development. Cultural beliefs - specifically moral beliefs - are more important than cultural practices or institutions for building a high trust society because when trust producing moral beliefs are well ensconced, trust producing institutions and practices naturally follow. Culture also matters instrumentally because childhood instruction, a hallmark of culture, helps overcome the irrationality of adult individuals choosing to have moral beliefs that they know will limit their ability to promote their own welfare at the expense of the common good in the future. The analysis has surprising implications for the family, religion, government, and the stability of western free market democracies.

Why Culture Matters Most Reviews

The book is well-written in clear and lively prose with a minimum of technical jargon. Though the argument is rendered in economic analysis, readers do not need a background in economics, mathematics, or statistics. In combination with economic analysis, Rose makes use of evolutionary theory and history for his anthropology. These are actually as important to the argument as is economic theory. * J. Daniel Hammond, The University Bookman *

About David C. Rose (Professor of Economics, Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, University of Missouri-St. Louis)

David C. Rose is Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Virginia. He has published scholarly articles on a wide range of topics in economics, including behavioral economics, economic ethics, the theory of cooperation, and the theory of the firm. He has also published in the popular press on a wide variety of policy issues. He has also published an Oxford University Press book titled The Moral Foundation of Economic Behavior.

Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. The Cultural Commons 3. Culture as Moral Beliefs 4. Culture as Instrument 5. The Rise of Flourishing Societies 6. The Free Market Democracy Dilemma 7. The Fall of Flourishing Societies 8. Family, Religion, Government, and Civilization 9. Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

Additional information

CIN0199330727G
9780199330720
0199330727
Why Culture Matters Most by David C. Rose (Professor of Economics, Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, University of Missouri-St. Louis)
Used - Good
Hardback
Oxford University Press Inc
20181220
216
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Why Culture Matters Most