Kulturelle Hybridisierung und Wirtschaftstransformation in China

In many analyses of the Chinese so-called economic miracle, cultural factors loom large. This paper offers a brief overview of recent economic approaches to culture and puts these into an analytical framework that highlights the dynamic and creative aspects of culture. I argue that China is a model case for the role of cultural hybridization in economic change. Culture is conceived as an arrangement of non-cultural elements into a meaningful pattern. With regard to this pattern, abstract categories can be defined which allow for the identification of stable cultural features in the longer run. The paper was prepared for a GTZ workshop on the impact of culture on economic development and institutional change (Kultur, institutioneller Wandel und Wachstum), held on January 28, 2009 at GTZ Eschborn.