Culture and fairness in the development of institutions in the California gold fields

• 成果类型: Review
• 署名作者: University of Washington; University of Washington Seattle; University of Washington; University of Washington Seattle; Carleton University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC HISTORY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-0507
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022050701025062
• 发表日期: 2001
• 页码: 114-143
• 关键词: red-winged blackbirds; PROPERTY-RIGHTS; territoriality; NORMS; LAW; Entitlements; EVOLUTION; dominance; JUSTICE; west

摘要

Earlier accounts of the creation of property rights in the California gold fields ignored culture and are incomplete. We argue that culture matters in solving collective-action problems. Such problems in the California gold fields were solved through reliance on cultural focal points. Focal points included individualism, equality, respect for property, and rewards commensurate to work. Cultural concepts of fairness served to create norms and institutions that miner; were willing to defend, which included majority rule, election of officials, trial by jury, allocation of a first-come, first-served basis and rules for working claims.