Deep-rooted determinants of democracy;
Rice suitability;
Wheat suitability;
Culture;
ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT;
STATE CAPACITY;
INSTITUTIONS;
ORIGINS;
HISTORY;
INDIVIDUALISM;
COLLECTIVISM;
DETERMINANTS;
POPULATION;
INEQUALITY;
D O I:
10.1016/j.euroecorev.2021.103778
中图分类号:
F [经济];
学科分类号:
02 ;
摘要:
This paper proposes that societies with a rice farming legacy tend to be less democratic today than societies with a wheat farming legacy. We argue that rice cultivation is associated with the adoption of a collectivist culture, which in turn fosters greater conformity pressures on political norms and deters democratization. Conversely, a wheat farming legacy leads to the development of individualism, which in turn promotes democracy. Using the rice-wheat suitability ratio for a sample of 146 countries as an exogenous variable for rice farming culture, we find that the rice-wheat suitability ratio is a deep-rooted determinant for the formation of democratic institutions through a culture of collectivism vs. individualism. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.