Human Terrain & Anthropology (merged thread)

[Shek]

Guten Tag Marc!

Interesting post. What are you recommending for references/examples/reading about the two crowds and their methodologies/successes/failures?

Regards,

Steve

Steve,

While not readings that will point out methodologies/successes/failures, these are good readings to understand the role that culture and acculturation plays in economics.

This first one looks at how different cultures play the standard "ultimatum" game: http://www.santafe.edu/~bowles/InSea...omicus2001.pdf (a longer version that spells out the cultural linkages to outcomes can be found here: http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/anthro/fa...esBBSFinal.pdf). There's also a book edited by the same primary author that goes into much greater depth.

This second one is written by James Surowiecki and shows how it took many, many moons for Western society to develop the trust outside of their traditional contacts (family and their immediate community) to make a broad market economy possible.

Lastly, this book, http://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philos.../dp/068486214X, spells out how economics as a discipline is relatively a newcomer to the field - Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations", published in 1776, is often used as the beginning of modern economics (which really was the study of political economy until just over a century ago when it began to focus much more on the positive science and ignoring/de-emphasizing much of the normative). It's first two chapters talks about how broad market economics is a relatively new phenomenom, with command and family/tribe/community economics being the two existing options prior to the development of the broad market economy.

[Rex Brynen]

This first one looks at how different cultures play the standard "ultimatum" game:

One of my favourite findings from the ultimatum game is that only economists act as economists predict--that is, that economics students are much more self-interested, rational, utility-mazimizers than are non-economics students, and hence make stingier offers in the game.

J.R. CARTER and M. IRONS (1991), Are Economists Different, and If So, Why?, Journal of Economic Perspectives 5/2 (1991), pp. 171 – 177.

Article here if you have JSTOR access.

I have never seen the study done with military personnel (although I haven't really looked)--it would be interesting, actually, to see whether they to deviate in significant ways from the general population in their perceptions of profit, loss, altruism, etc--and if so, in which directions..

[Shek]

One of my favourite findings from the ultimatum game is that only economists act as economists predict--that is, that economics students are much more self-interested, rational, utility-mazimizers than are non-economics students, and hence make stingier offers in the game.

J.R. CARTER and M. IRONS (1991), Are Economists Different, and If So, Why?, Journal of Economic Perspectives 5/2 (1991), pp. 171 – 177.

Article here if you have JSTOR access.

Rex,

Chimpanzees behave rationally as well. Guess that doesn't say much about me

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1005104104.htm

I have never seen the study done with military personnel (although I haven't really looked)--it would be interesting, actually, to see whether they to deviate in significant ways from the general population in their perceptions of profit, loss, altruism, etc--and if so, in which directions..

I'm going to play the ultimatum game on the first day of my comparative economic systems class in the fall to illustrate how culture plays a role in your economic system and will let you know. I suspect that the "cooperate and graduate" mantra will amplify the general result that you see equitable offers in capitalistic societies.

[Rex Brynen]

I'm going to play the ultimatum game on the first day of my comparative economic systems class in the fall to illustrate how culture plays a role in your economic system and will let you know. I suspect that the "cooperate and graduate" mantra will amplify the general result that you see equitable offers in capitalistic societies.

I use it in class every year, in my peacebuilding/post conflict course, to highlight how the behaviour of parties in negotiation is shaped not only by relative power differentials and utility-maximization, but also by perceptions of "fairness" (justice, etc).