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The deep historical roots of modern culture: A comparative perspective

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  • Roland, Gerard
Abstract
This paper presents evidence showing that there have been since antiquity two opposed types of institutional systems: one resembling central planning and present in ancient China, ancient Egypt, the Inca Empire and other territorial states, and another one with strong market institutions, protection of property rights present mostly in city-states, not just in the Mediterranean but throughout the world. Evidence is presented that these institutional differences dating back to the antiquity are shaped by special geographical conditions. These institutional differences can be seen to be at the root of the two cultural systems in today's world: individualism and collectivism. These cultural differences have effects on economic performance and institutions in today's world.

Suggested Citation

  • Roland, Gerard, 2020. "The deep historical roots of modern culture: A comparative perspective," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 483-508.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcecon:v:48:y:2020:i:3:p:483-508
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jce.2020.02.001
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    Cited by:

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    2. Joel Mokyr & Guido Tabellini, 2024. "Social organizations and political institutions: why China and Europe diverged," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 91(362), pages 347-382, April.
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    5. Gilles Le Garrec, 2023. "Accounting for the long-term stability of the welfare-state regimes in a model with distributive preferences and social norms," Working Papers hal-03954024, HAL.
    6. Roland, Gérard & Jia, Ruixue & Xie, Yang, 2021. "A Theory of Power Structure and Institutional Compatibility: China vs. Europe Revisited," CEPR Discussion Papers 15700, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Cooke, Fang Lee & Wang, Jingtian & Wood, Geoffrey, 2022. "A vulnerable victim or a tacit participant? Extending the field of multinationals and corruption research," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(1).
    8. Anastasia Atabekova, 2021. "Heritage Module within Legal Translation and Interpreting Studies: Didactic Contribution to University Students’ Sustainable Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-32, April.
    9. Gilles Le Garrec, 2023. "Accounting for the long-term stability of the welfare-state regimes in a model with distributive preferences and social norms," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03954024, HAL.
    10. Pál Czeglédi, 2022. "Why does the confidence in companies, but not the confidence in the government, affect the demand for regulation differently across countries?," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 193(3), pages 211-231, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Comparative economics; Comparative history; Institutions in ancient times; Culture; Individualism; Collectivism;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N00 - Economic History - - General - - - General
    • P40 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - General
    • P50 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Comparative Economic Systems - - - General

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