Non-Modernization: Power–Culture Trajectories and the Dynamics of Political Institutions
Name
annurev-polisci-051120-103913.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
497.49 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
c084a12a8f183d1d29cd397e5631de10
Author(s)
Acemoglu, K. Daron
Robinson, James
Date Issued
2022
Journal
Annual Review of Political Science
Publisher
Annual Reviews
Citation
Acemoglu, Daron and Robinson, James. 2022. "Non-Modernization: Power–Culture Trajectories and the Dynamics of Political Institutions." Annual Review of Political Science, 25 (1).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Modernization theory is a cornerstone of much of political science, despite the mounting evidence against its predictions. We outline a theory in which the distribution of political power critically combines with political culture. We call the basic components of culture “attributes” and argue that these can be combined into larger cultural configurations. These configurations interact with the distribution of power and lead to three distinct self-reinforcing paths of political development, with very different state–society relations, institutions, and economic structures. These are paths to Despotic, Absent, and Shackled Leviathans. The role of cultural configurations is critical in legitimizing the social arrangements in each path. None of the three different paths we highlight support modernization theory. We discuss how political equilibria can change in ways critically dependent on cultural and political entrepreneurship in order to formulate and popularize new cultural configurations and institutionalize political changes.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Economics
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1146/ANNUREV-POLISCI-051120-103913
