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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.

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  • 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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    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.
    3. Ruixue Jia & Gérard Roland & Yang Xie, 2021. "A Theory of Power Structure and Institutional Compatibility: China vs. Europe Revisited," NBER Working Papers 28403, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. 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.
    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. Amore, Mario Daniele & Epure, Mircea, 2021. "Riding out of a financial crisis: The joint effect of trust and corporate ownership," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 92-109.
    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. Dasgupta, Aparajita & Majid, Farhan & Orman, Wafa Hakim, 2023. "The nutritional cost of beef bans in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    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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