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The cultural foundations of economic failure: A conceptual toolkit

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  • Collier, Paul
Abstract
This paper proposes a framework for integrating mental constructs into economic analysis. It considers three types of belief: identities, narratives and norms. Identities influence preferences; narratives influence how causal relationships are (mis)understood; norms determine self-imposed constraints. The beliefs are acquired pre-rationally, through participation in social networks which are initial endowments; subsequent choice of network participation is path dependent. Actors rationally maximize their utility subject to these beliefs, but the beliefs themselves are contaminated by these endowments of irrationality. In equilibrium, beliefs and networks are locally stable and constitute a ‘culture’: the culture can be that of an organization, an entire society, or a family. Local stability is achieved partly through interactions between the three types of belief, and partly through the interaction of beliefs and networks. A dysfunctional culture generates behaviour that yields bad outcomes. If these forces are strong, Bayesian updating from mistakes can be frustrated: dysfunctional cultures can be traps. Principals can use various control variables to improve (or preserve) outcomes by targeting beliefs. The framework enables a systematic approach to dysfunctional cultures.

Suggested Citation

  • Collier, Paul, 2016. "The cultural foundations of economic failure: A conceptual toolkit," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 126(PB), pages 5-24.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:126:y:2016:i:pb:p:5-24
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2015.10.017
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Bellanca, Nicolò, 2023. "Place identities and narratives in local development," OSF Preprints jpce6, Center for Open Science.
    2. Antoci, A. & Bellanca, N. & Galdi, G., 2018. "At the relational crossroads: Narrative Selection, Contamination, Biodiversity in Trans-Local Contexts," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 98-113.
    3. Menta, Giorgia & Lepinteur, Anthony, 2021. "Boys don’t cry (or do the dishes): Family size and the housework gender gap," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 164-188.
    4. Sharun Mukand & Dani Rodrik, 2018. "The Political Economy of Ideas: On Ideas Versus Interests in Policymaking," NBER Working Papers 24467, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Azmat, Saad & Kabir Hassan, M. & Ali, Haiqa & Sohel Azad, A.S.M., 2021. "Religiosity, neglected risk and asset returns: Theory and evidence from Islamic finance industry," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    6. Leonie Hodel & Yann Polain de Waroux & Rachael D. Garrett, 2024. "Characterizing culture’s influence in land systems," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 7(8), pages 973-982, August.
    7. Christian Cordes, 2019. "The promises of a naturalistic approach: how cultural evolution theory can inform (evolutionary) economics," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 29(4), pages 1241-1262, September.
    8. Vyacheslav V. VOLCHIK & Maxim A. KORYTSEV & Elena V. MASLYUKOVA, 2018. "Institutional traps and New Public Management in education and science," Upravlenets, Ural State University of Economics, vol. 9(6), pages 17-29, December.
    9. Mikołaj Biesaga & Anna Domaradzka & Magdalena Roszczyńska-Kurasińska & Szymon Talaga & Andrzej Nowak, 2023. "The effect of the pandemic on European narratives on smart cities and surveillance," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 60(10), pages 1894-1914, August.
    10. Mukand, Sharun W. & Rodrik, Dani, 2018. "The Political Economy of Ideas," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 370, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    11. Vyacheslav V. Volchik & Elena V. Maslyukova & Sophia A. Panteeva, 2022. "Innovation indicators in the context of narrative economics," Journal of New Economy, Ural State University of Economics, vol. 22(4), pages 24-44, January.
    12. Elliott Ash & Sharun Mukand & Dani Rodrik, 2021. "Economic Interests, Worldviews and Identities: Theory and Evidence on Ideational Politics," CESifo Working Paper Series 9501, CESifo.
    13. Tobias Steindl, 2021. "Cultural rule orientation, legal institutions, and the credibility of corporate social responsibility reports," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 310-332, January.
    14. Mukand, Sharun W. & Rodrik, Dani, 2018. "The Political Economy of Ideas," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1163, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    15. Jonathan F. Schulz, 2016. "The Churches’ Bans on Consanguineous Marriages, Kin-networks and Democracy," Discussion Papers 2016-16, The Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics, School of Economics, University of Nottingham.
    16. Paul Collier & Anthony J. Venables, 2017. "Urbanization in developing economies: the assessment," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 33(3), pages 355-372.
    17. Angelo Antoci & Guido Ferilli & Paolo Russu & Pier Luigi Sacco, 2020. "Rational populists: the social consequences of shared narratives," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 30(2), pages 479-506, April.
    18. Akerlof, Robert, 2017. "Value Formation: The Role of Esteem," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 1-19.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Culture; Beliefs; Social networks; Cultural change;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B41 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - Economic Methodology
    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • D87 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Neuroeconomics
    • O35 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Social Innovation

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