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Lawrence E. Harrison
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Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress Paperback – April 5, 2001

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 85 ratings
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Prominent scholars and journalists ponder the question of why, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, the world is more divided than ever between the rich and the poor, between those living in freedom and those under oppression.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 5, 2001
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.96 x 8.25 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    9780465031764
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0465031764
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fascinating book." -- Lance Morrow Time

"In exposing the tangle of causality and processes that link culture and economics, these essays put the debate on a constructive path." -- Foreign Affairs

"Offers hope of an important countercurrent to today's received wisdom about poverty and the fate of ethnic minorities." -- Tamar Jacoby Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Lawrence E. Harrison is a senior fellow at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies and the author of Who Prospers? and The Pan-American Dream.

Samuel P. Huntington is the Albert J. Weatherhead III University Professor of Government at Harvard University and the author of The Clash of Civilizations and The Remaking of the World Order.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0465031765
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books (April 5, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780465031764
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0465031764
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.96 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 85 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
85 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Donald Steiny
5.0 out of 5 stars Addresses issues of culture relativism
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2000
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The book is a collection of essays on "culture." I am not giving away the book if I tell you that the punch line:is "do you know how many anthropologists it takes to get a pound of brains?" -- This old joke (usually about lawyers) is rehashed in an article by Richard Shweder that takes an opposing view to most of the articles in the book. Though most of the essays start with the premise that it is better to be rich and healthy than it is to be sick and poor, Richard Shweder represents a huge segment of people who oppose change in any form. Having an essay such as this in the book gives it depth, because his view is a common one that cannot be ignored.
Most of the other authors look for ways that we can emperically evaluate and define our intuitions about culture. They dare to ask the question: is it possible that some cultural choices could lead to groups of people being mired in poverty, while others lead to greater health and happiness?
Most of them address the subjectivity of what they are studying, but they often come up with very satisfying discussions.
The book has wonderful discussions of Africa, Latin America, the role of women in various societies and other sociological information. It addresses foursquare the questions of post-modernist cultural relativism, including, as I mentioned, both sides of the discussion.
22 people found this helpful
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Denis Benchimol Minev
5.0 out of 5 stars GOOD COMPILATION OF OF ARTICLES ON THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2003
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This book is a very good compilation of article on the role of culture in development. The compilation includes articles by a large number of premier authors on the subject, including the editors, Michael Porter, David Landes, Jeffrey Sachs, Francis Fukuyama, among others.
The articles deal with many different topics, though the common theme is how culture affect the success of a certain aspect of society, such as health, education, institutions, justice, etc. It does focus on blaming certain cultures for lack of success, but rather it tries to understand the themes that allow certain cultures to outperform others. The lessons do not blame a culture, but rather suggests somewhat modest (and often drastic) change that is necessary to permit a well functioning capitalist economy to exist.
As an economist, I found this book extremely useful in demonstrating the "transaction costs" that a culture may impose on a country, hence reducing its opporutnities for growth. In economics, this is usually studied in theory, but this book provides lively examples of how this is truly the case. However, I do believe that this book would be useful for practitioners in other disciplines.
14 people found this helpful
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Walter Stechel
4.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking essays of uneven quality
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2013
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This collection of essays resulting from a 2000 (?) symposium at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University is still relevant and well worth reading. It is a healthy antidote against the belief that "appropriate economic policy effectively implemented will produce the same results without reference to culture." (Lawrence Harrison). The authors contend that "culture is the mother; institutions are the children." (Again Lawrence Harrison as an appropriate answer to Acemoglu/Robinson " Why Nations Fail".) Stace Lindsay writes: "...culture shapes individuals' thoughts about risks, reward, and opportunity." But it is difficult to determine causalities. Orlando Patterson therefore points out: " I think culture does make a difference. But it is very hard to determine, what in culture makes the difference..." There is much food for thought and it will not come as a surprise that the quality of the essays varies. I found Richard Shweder's essay particularly interesting. Just two quotes: "I believe that all the good things in life can't be simultaneously maximized. I believe that when it comes to implementing true values there are always trade-offs, which is why there are different traditions of values (i.e., cultures) and why no one cultural tradition has ever been able to honor everything that is good." and "If it should turn out as an empirical generalization that economic growth can be pulled off relying only on the shallow or thin aspects of Western society (e.g., weapons, information technology, Visa cards), then cultures won't converge, even as they get rich. If economic growth is contingent on accepting the deep or thick aspects of Western culture (e.g., individualism, ideals of femininity, egalitarianism, the Bill of Rights), then cultures will not converge and will not develop economically because their sense of identity will supersede their desire for material wealth." Read yourself and form your own opinion - it's worth it!
12 people found this helpful
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Diego Zlotogora
5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling essays
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2002
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Culture Matters consists on a series of essays written by well-known scientists and journalists from all over the world. Each of them describes the causes of underdevelopment based on many theories, but mainly through sociological explanations, like culture, values and attitudes.
As a Latin American I can say I finally found a book that brings light into such a controversial issue as the failure of our contries. I was particularly impressed by Carlos Montaner's account of the role of the elites in our societies, and how their corrupt practices have destroyed our economies.
The book fortunately goes beyond the common and naif conclussions of the so called anti-imperialists and intellectuals from the left by succeeding in showing the real factors that bring prosperity and progress into communities. It also enriches Weber's work by adding new and interesting aspects that positively contribute to create wealth and welfare for people.
I highly recommend this book for everyone who is interested in finding explanations for the underachievment of countries instead of blaming "the forces of evil" and economics.
12 people found this helpful
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Juan Carlos Gómez
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent compendium of different opinions on the influence of culture on development
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2013
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I was pleasantly surprised by the opinions of the different participants. It has helped me in a book that I'm preparing about the real causes of underdevelopment in Latin America where I live. I always suspected that our attitudes toward work, savings, life, were the possible culprits. This work has put clearly those factors in evidence.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Esther
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 15, 2016
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