A World of Three Cultures

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).

Cite this

Miguel E. Basáñez, Ronald Inglehart (2016). A World of Three Cultures. Oxford University Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190270360.001.0001

@book{e2016a,
  title  = {A World of Three Cultures},
  author = {Basáñez, Miguel E. and Inglehart, Ronald},
  year   = {2016},
  publisher = {Oxford University Press eBooks},
  doi    = {10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190270360.001.0001}
}