This research exploits novel evidence on current and historical inequality dynamics, as well as an instrumental variable (IV) strategy (founded on historical settler mortality à la Acemoglu et al.), to document the fundamental role of income redistribution through taxes and transfers in...

Strong future-time reference (FTR) languages require speakers to grammatically mark future events, while weak-FTR languages do not. Using data from 33 countries, we find that firms in countries where strong-FTR languages are spoken are less likely to engage in innovative activities than those in...

Despite the continued popularity of cross national culture research across social sciences, the use of multidimensional value based models is not without discussion. A key issue concerns the observation that value diversity within countries may be larger than between countries, giving rise to a...

Everyday exchanges of ideas, goods, and time made by people are fundamental for life. This article explores exchange relationships of different kinds and maintains that they are an essential and common component of economic activity and of Judeo-Christian morality. Although risks and costs must...

Generalized morality reflects ethical norms in society about the inappropriateness of behaviors that can cause harm to others. Generalized morality may be an important factor affecting the economic performance of countries. An indicator of generalized morality is constructed from data from the...

Recent economic literature emphasizes the importance of moral considerations to explain compliance behavior with respect to underground activities such as tax evasion. A considerable amount of research aims to identify factors that affect the intrinsic motivation to comply. However, the causal...

Generalized morality reflects ethical norms in society about the inappropriateness of behaviors that can cause harm to others. Generalized morality may be an important factor affecting the economic performance of countries. A measure of generalized morality is constructed from data from the...

Over the last couple of decades, it has become a commonplace to claim that institutions matterʺ for economic development. Yet, institutions are not exogenous but the result of hu-man action. It is argued here that the values and norms held by substantial parts of society’s members are an...

This paper investigates the role played by the cultural norms of particularism and universalism for collusive bribery. In our theoretical framework, the act of proposing or demanding a bribe violates a commonly held social norm, thus producing a psychological cost. By lowering this psychological...

ABSTRACT: This article offers the first comprehensive review of the interdisciplinary state of knowledge regarding anti-corruption policies, with a particular focus on reducing corruption among civil servants. Drawing on the work of economists, political scientists, sociologists, and...