Culture, Institutions, and the Wealth of Nations

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Gorodnichenko, Yuriy; Roland, Gerard
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California Berkeley; National Bureau of Economic Research; Center for Economic & Policy Research (CEPR)
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6535
• DOI: 10.1162/REST_a_00599
• 发表日期: 2017-07
• 页码: 402-416
• 关键词: colonial origins; individualism; collectivism; PREVALENCE; geography; regions

摘要

We argue that a more individualist culture leads to more innovation and to higher growth because of the social status rewards associated with innovation in that culture. We use data on the frequency of particular genes associated with collectivist cultures, as well as a measure of distance in terms of frequencies of blood types, and historic prevalence of pathogens to instrument individualism scores. The relationship between individualism and innovation/growth remains strong even after controlling for institutions and other potentially confounding factors. We also provide evidence consistent with two-way causality between culture and institutions.