1st Edition

Culture and Economic Explanation Economics in the US and Japan

By Donald W. Katzner Copyright 2008
200 Pages 3 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

198 Pages 3 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

208 Pages 3 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

There is a common view among many economists that one model is capable of explaining a specific type of behaviour in all cultural environments. It is only necessary to make appropriate adjustments to bring the model in line with prevailing cultural conditions. This book argues that such an approach can lead to error, in particular to incorrect explanation and understanding of the phenomenon in... Read more

1. Introduction: Culture, Economics and Economic Behavior  2. Western Economics and the Economy of Japan  3. 'What are the Questions?'  4. An Analytical Vision of the Workings of the United States Economy  5. The Workings of the Japanese Economy  6. Explaining the Japanese Economic Miracle  7. The Role of Optimization in Economics  8. Economics and the Principle of Uniformity  9. Cultural Variation and the Theory of the Firm  10. Culture and the Explanation of Choice Behaviour

Biography

Donald W. Katzner is Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts / Amherst, USA.

'In this volume of essays Donald Katzner probes the cultural foundations of western economic theory. He argues that the predictive power of standard economic models depends on the relevance of behavioural assumptions that are culturally quite specific and, taking the case of Japan, he shows that where the culture is different, standard models fail badly. As always, his work is both thought-provoking and challenging.' -Charles Perrings, Arizona State University, USA

 

"This book is thought-provoking and wide-ranging in its approach to this important topic." -- CHOICE December 2008 Vol. 46 (M. Veseth, University of Puget Sound)