Occupational choice and the spirit of capitalism

• 成果类型: Review
• 署名作者: Doepke, Matthias; Zilibotti, Fabrizio
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California Los Angeles; University of Zurich
• 刊物名称: QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0033-5533
• DOI: 10.1162/qjec.2008.123.2.747
• 发表日期: 2008
• 页码: 747-793
• 关键词: cultural transmission; WEALTH; GROWTH; income; population; TRANSITION; selection; religion; decline; rates

摘要

The British Industrial Revolution triggered a socioeconomic transformation whereby the landowning aristocracy was replaced by industrial capitalists rising from the middle classes as the economically dominant group. We propose a theory of preference formation under financial market imperfections that can account for this pattern. Parents shape their children's preferences in response to economic incentives. Middle-class families in occupations requiring effort, skill, and experience develop patience and a work ethic, whereas upper-class families relying on rental income cultivate a refined taste for leisure. These class-specific attitudes, which are rooted in the nature of preindustrial professions, become key determinants of success once industrialization transforms the economic landscape.