A fascinating deep dive into the dynamic interplay between culture, economics, institutions, and human prosperity. In Drawing on research from various fields--including economics, evolutionary biology, psychology, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, anthropology, and political science--the author describes how cultural attributes such as trust, honesty, patience, preference for leisure, morality, individualism, and proclivity for violence shape economic outcomes and individual well-being. The book presents evidence on both intergenerational transmission of culture and horizontal transmission within the members of the same generation. It also describes how culture can be shaped and transformed, emphasizing the roles of media, education, laws and law enforcement, and role models. Finally, the book recommends that undesirable cultural attributes that are detrimental to our well-being, determined by scientific criteria, should be modified, and offers policy tools that can be deployed for cultural change.

Autorentext
Naci Mocan is the Ourso Distinguished Chair of Economics at Louisiana State University and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He has provided consulting to public and private institutions, including the U.S. Department of Justice, and has served on the Louisiana Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.