Explaining the economic trajectories of civilizations: The systemic approach
A civilization constitutes a durable social system of complementary traits. Some of the complementarities of any given civilization are between elements of "material" life and ones commonly treated as integral to "culture." Identifying the mechanisms responsible for a civilization's observed trajectory involves, therefore, causal relationships that cross the often-postulated "cultural-material" divide. Complementarities make it difficult to transplant institutions across civilizations on a piecemeal basis. They imply that reforms designed to jump-start an economy will fail unless they are comprehensive. Civilizational analysis can benefit, therefore, from attention to institutional complementarities, including ones involving both cultural and material variables. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Related Subject Headings
- Economics
- 3801 Applied economics
- 3502 Banking, finance and investment
- 1403 Econometrics
- 1402 Applied Economics
- 1401 Economic Theory
Citation
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- Economics
- 3801 Applied economics
- 3502 Banking, finance and investment
- 1403 Econometrics
- 1402 Applied Economics
- 1401 Economic Theory