University / Organisation : University of Vigo

Paper or project ? paper

Title : DESPOTIC INSTITUTIONS, CULTURE, AND COUNTRIES’ DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES

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Abstract : Cultural traits of conformity and impersonal prosociality are increasingly linked to innovation, institutional quality, or economic growth, therefore strengthening the idea that countries’ developmental trajectories are determined by “deep rooted” factors. However, our understanding about why these cultural traits are so different across and within societies remains limited. This paper traces back the evolution of conformity and impersonal prosociality to the existence of pre-modern despotic institutions. Leveraging historical data on ancestral ethnic groups and major European, West Asian, and North African cities, I show that societies where rulers historically faced limited constraints to the exercise of power show stronger social conformity and weaker impersonal prosociality today. Moreover, by showing that these cultural traits mediate the effect of despotic institutions on innovation rates, institutional quality, and economic development, I provide empirical evidence on how this cultural evolutionary process has shaped countries’ developmental trajectories.