There are lots of things that are important for a good life and a prosperous, well-functioning society, including family and community. But something else that belongs on the list, at least if you want more growth, is individualism.
Here’s an excerpt from a new study by two scholars at the University of California at Berkeley.
The model shows that individualism has a dynamic advantage leading to a higher economic growth rate… We provided empirical evidence of a causal effect of individualism on measures of long run growth (output per capita, productivity) and innovation by instrumenting individualism scores with the frequency of blood types which are neutral genetic markers and plausibly satisfy the exclusion restriction. Parents transmit their culture as well as their genes to their children so that genetic data can serve as proxies for vertical cultural transmission and it is unlikely that there is a direct feedback from e.g. output per capita to genes. Since that research shows a powerful effect of culture on long run growth, the key question is what dimensions of culture other than individualism/collectivism matter for long run growth. In this paper, we look at the main existing cross-country measures of culture and analyze their effect on output per capita. We find essentially that only individualism has a robust effect. …We conclude from this exercise that the individualism-collectivism dimension is the central cultural variable that matters for long run growth.
(h/t: Garett Jones)
[…] societies generate much more prosperity than collectivism-based societies, at least according to research from scholars at the University of California at […]
[…] societies generate much more prosperity than collectivism-based societies, at least according to research from scholars at the University of California at […]
[…] Keep in mind, by the way, that societies with a greater preference for individualism generate much more prosperity. […]
[…] Keep in mind, by the way, that societies with a greater preference for individualism generate much more prosperity. […]
As a disciple of Jesus christ, I value liberty, freedom, lack of government interferance, and the right to be different than other people more than any other quality in a government. Government represents the world, and therefore is separate from the body of christ, therefore I don’t want a christian government or co
untry, I just want to be left alone to lead a quiet and peacable life in all godliness and fear.
Your article is right on, except for the X factor. The government has been dumbing down the the American people for over 30-yrs now. The governments intent is to have a non thinking nation, which is a non confrontational society that totally believes the bobble heads main street media without question. Your last article rregarding what the government should do to correct the unemployment and the reduction of the national debt was right on…THANKS!