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A World of Three Cultures: Honor, Achievement and Joy

Online ISBN:
9780190270407
Print ISBN:
9780190270360
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

A World of Three Cultures: Honor, Achievement and Joy

Miguel E. Basáñez
Miguel E. Basáñez

Adjunct Professor and Director, Judiciary Reform Program, The Fletcher School

Adjunct Professor and Director, Judiciary Reform Program, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
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Published:
1 January 2016
Online ISBN:
9780190270407
Print ISBN:
9780190270360
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

Political scientists have recognized the importance of human values in development for hundreds of years, going back at least as far as Max Weber and Alexis de Tocqueville, but the field is still controversial. Modern survey research methods have given increasing scientific rigor to the study of cultures and values. This work utilizes quantitative survey data to delineate three cultural hyperclusters: cultures of honor, which prioritize political authority; cultures of achievement, which emphasize economic advancement; and cultures of joy, which focus on social interactions. A country’s developmental path is profoundly influenced by its people’s values and culture, as crystallized through its formal and informal governing institutions. Culture is passed down over generations through families, schools, the media, religious institutions, leadership, and the law. Although culture and values are in a permanent state of evolution, leaders and policymakers can also push cultural change in order to promote desirable goals such as economic growth, democratization, and equality. This work also introduces two new measures of development: the Objective Development Index (which blends rubrics such as health, education, income, gender equality, political rights and civil liberties, and economic inequality) and the Subjective Development Index (which uses responses to the World Values Survey to classify countries according to their values).

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