The globalized Western culture of innovation, as propagated by major aid institutions, does not necessarily lead to empowerment or improvement of the well-being of the stakeholders. On the contrary, it often blocks viable indigenous innovation cultures. In African societies and African Diasporas...

Building on a new model of institutions proposed by Aoki and the systemic approach to economic civilizations outlined by Kuran, this paper attempts an analysis of the cultural foundations of recent Chinese economic development. I argue that the cultural impact needs to be conceived as a creative...

We provide evidence that a history of democracy at the local level is associated with contemporary democracy at the national level. Auxiliary estimates show that a tradition of local democracy is also associated with attitudes that favor democracy, with better quality institutions, and higher...

Building on a new model of institutions proposed by Aoki and the systemic approach to economic civilizations outlined by Kuran, this paper attempts an analysis of the cultural foundations of recent Chinese economic development. I argue that the cultural impact needs to be conceived as a creative...

We provide evidence that a history of democracy at the local level is associated with contemporary democracy at the national level. Auxiliary estimates show that a tradition of local democracy is also associated with attitudes that favor democracy, with better quality institutions, and higher...

In the late 1990s, as economists looked back the development period in Africa since 1970s, they put forward the notion “African growth tragedy” , meaning that Africa's poor growth and resulting low income is associated with low schooling, political instability, underdeveloped financial...

We empirically investigate how macroeconomic experiences shape individual attitudes towards risk and time in a developing country context with rapid and volatile economic change. To do so, we link a large longitudinal data set from Indonesia, containing repeat measurements of risk aversion and...

In June 2005, the major industrialized nations of the world, the G-8, agreed on a plan to relieve the debt of the worlds poorest and most indebted nations. Many of the nations which qualified for debt relief under this initiative were in Africa. The plan, supported by the World Bank,...

Creative work has enhanced human development since early times; similarly, the latter can expand the former. But the links are not automatic. Creative work can be rife with exploitation and gender bias. Writers can advance human welfare, yet illiterate people may not benefit. To expand the...