Culture and Economic Explanation: Economics in the US and Japan
Culture and Economic Explanation: Economics in the US and Japan
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文化与经济解释：美国和日本的经济
DOI：
10.4324/9780203931059
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发表时间：
2008
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Donald W. Katzner
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Donald W. Katzner
许多经济学家普遍认为，一个模型能够解释所有文化环境中特定类型的行为。只需要作出适当的调整，使这种模式符合普遍的文化条件。本书认为，这种方法可能导致错误，特别是对问题现象的不正确解释和理解，因此可能导致不适当的政策建议。卡兹纳的这本引人入胜的书比较了日本和美国的两种文化，并提供了对两国经济运作和差异的见解。他指出，了解一个国家的文化，对于发展适当的该国经济主体经济行为模型至关重要，而不了解文化差异会削弱经济模型的预测（和规定）能力。(a)思维过程严重依赖于文化环境；(b)由于不同社会的文化差异很大，解释一个社会的经济行为可能需要一个与另一个社会的经济行为结构完全不同的模型。这本书运用这一论点阐明了经济理论化的某些特点，并解释了所谓的日本经济奇迹。
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 question, and therefore may result in inappropriate policy recommendations.Katzner’s fascinating book compares the two cultures of Japan and USA and provides insights into the economic workings and differences between the two nations. He shows that an understanding of the culture of a country is essential to the development of appropriate models of economic behaviour of economic agents in that country, and that the failure to understand cultural differences weakens the predictive (and prescriptive) power of economic models. The argument is made in a collection of essays supporting the following: (a) Thought processes are heavily dependent on cultural environments and (b) Because cultures vary widely from society to society, to explain economic behaviour in one society may require a model with a completely different structure from that in another. The book applies this argument to elucidate certain features of economic theorizing and to explain the so-called Japanese economic miracle.