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Interests versus culture in the theory of institutional change?

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  • ZWEYNERT, JOACHIM

Abstract

In Douglass C. North's works on institutional change, his focus shifted from formal institutions and highly rational actors to the links between culture, cognition, and the evolution of institutions. This has led to a corresponding shift in his basic explanation of institutional change: In his earlier works, institutional change is mainly caused by actions of highly rational utility-maximizing political actors. In his later works, the evolution of a society's institutions is above all a function of changes in the dominant belief system. The paper tries to contribute to the obvious task of bringing these two explanations of institutional change together. My synthetic approach rests basically on a Northian framework supplemented with three further elements: firstly, with the idea of the transfer of institutions; secondly, with the concept of functional differentiation; and, thirdly, and decisively, with an understanding of culture as a toolkit, leaving room for interest, choice, and strategic action.

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  • Zweynert, Joachim, 2009. "Interests versus culture in the theory of institutional change?," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 5(3), pages 339-360, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:cup:jinsec:v:5:y:2009:i:03:p:339-360_99
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    Cited by:

    1. Henrekson, Magnus & Johansson, Dan, 2010. "Firm Growth, Institutions and Structural Transformation," Working Paper Series 820, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    2. Alessandro Morselli, 2022. "An Institutionalist-Conventionalist Approach to the Process of Economic Change," Economic Thought journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 4, pages 411-428.
    3. You, Heyuan & Zhang, Jinrong & Song, Yan, 2022. "Assessing conflict of farmland institutions using credibility theory: Implications for socially acceptable land use," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    4. Stefan Kolev, 2020. "Besieged by the left and the right: The order of liberal globalism," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 33(4), pages 521-533, December.
    5. Marletto, Gerardo, 2012. "Which conceptual foundations for environmental policies? An institutional and evolutionary framework of economic change," MPRA Paper 36441, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Valentin Seidler, 2017. "Institutional Copying in the 20th Century: The Role of 14,000 British Colonial Officers," Journal of Contextual Economics (JCE) – Schmollers Jahrbuch, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin, vol. 137(1-2), pages 93-119.
    7. Herrmann-Pillath, Carsten & Feng, Xingyuan & Guo, Man, 2019. "Entrepreneurs and ritual in China's economic culture," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15(5), pages 775-789, October.
    8. Seidler, Valentin, 2018. "Copying informal institutions: the role of British colonial officers during the decolonization of British Africa," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(2), pages 289-312, April.
    9. Gerardo Marletto, 2012. "Which Conceptual Foundations For Environmental Policies? An Institutional And Evolutionary Framework Of Economic Change," Working Papers 0112, CREI Università degli Studi Roma Tre, revised 2012.
    10. William F. Shughart II & Laura Razzolini & Michael Reksulak (ed.), 2013. "The Elgar Companion to Public Choice, Second Edition," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14039.
    11. Marwil J. Dávila-Fernández & Serena Sordi, 2019. "From open economies to attitudes towards change. Growth and institutions in Latin America and Asia," Department of Economics University of Siena 809, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    12. Dávila-Fernández, Marwil J. & Sordi, Serena, 2020. "Structural change in a growing open economy: Attitudes and institutions in Latin America and Asia," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 358-385.
    13. Marletto, Gerardo, 2011. "Structure, agency and change in the car regime. A review of the literature," European Transport \ Trasporti Europei, ISTIEE, Institute for the Study of Transport within the European Economic Integration, issue 47, pages 71-88.
    14. Couyoumdjian, Juan Pablo, 2012. "Are institutional transplants viable? An examination in light of the proposals by Jeremy Bentham," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(4), pages 489-509, December.
    15. Pál Czeglédi, 2017. "Productivity, institutions, and market beliefs: three entrepreneurial interpretations," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 6(2), pages 164-180, August.
    16. Libman, Alexander & Kozlov, Vladimir, 2012. "Региональные Вариации Гражданского Общества И Судопроизводство В России [Regional Variations of Civil Society and Judiciary in Russia]," MPRA Paper 53564, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Joachim Zweynert, 2015. "The concept of Ordnungspolitik through the lens of the theory of limited and open access orders," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 4-18, March.
    18. Ambrosino, Angela & Fiori, Stefano, 2017. "How Can Formal Norms Change Informal Norms? Douglass North’s Approach to Ideologies and Institutional Change," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201707, University of Turin.
    19. Seidler, Valentin, 2014. "When do institutional transfers work? The relation between institutions, culture and the transplant effect: the case of Borno in north-eastern Nigeria," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 10(3), pages 371-397, September.
    20. Franky Varah & Mirinchonme Mahongnao & Deep Jyoti Francis & Tuisem Shimrah, 2020. "Measuring environmental attitudes and behaviors: a study of undergraduate students in Delhi," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 103(1), pages 1291-1306, August.

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