Cultural evolution and economic growth: a theoretical hypothesis with some empirical evidence

This paper begins with a review of the literature on culture and development and finds that a “questionable” controversy divides the field: on one side are supporters of the ‘achievement motivation’, while on the other side are supporters of the ‘trust syndrome’, both in search of the ultimate attitude promoting economic development.This controversy is analysed through the lens of a broader conceptual framework, and a solution is proposed to settle the debate. The theoretical hypothesis asserts that economic culture, as any other aspect of culture, passes through stages of development. In the early stages, economic culture dwells on the problem of wealth distribution and, only later, does it focus on the core question of its growth. Using empirical data extracted from the World Values Survey Archives, we verify that during this latter stage both achievement motivation and trust syndrome are needed to promote economic growth.