Equilibrium Fictions : A Cognitive Approach to Societal Rigidity
This paper assesses the role of ideas in economic change, combining economic and historical analysis with insights from psychology, sociology and anthropology. Belief systems shape the system of categories ("pre-confirmatory bias") and pe...
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
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2012
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| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20100226083837 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3706 |
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okr-10986-37062021-04-23T14:02:12Z Equilibrium Fictions : A Cognitive Approach to Societal Rigidity Hoff, Karla Stiglitz, Joseph E. AFRICANS ANTHROPOLOGISTS ANTHROPOLOGY ANTIQUITY ATTENTION AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES BELIEF SYSTEMS BELIEFS BIOLOGICAL INEQUALITY BLACK BLACK MEN CHRISTIANITY CHRISTIANS CHURCH CIVIL RIGHTS CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST CIVILIZATION COGNITION COGNITIVE SCIENCE COLONIAL POWERS COLONIAL SOCIETY COLONIALISM COLONIES COLONISTS CONSTRUCTION OF RACE CREATION CULTURES DISCRIMINATION DISTRIBUTION OF POWER DOMINANT GROUP DRAMA ECONOMIC HISTORY GOD GODS HISTORICAL ANALYSIS IDEOLOGIES INDIVIDUALISM INFERIORITY IRRATIONAL BELIEFS LAND OWNERSHIP LEGISLATION LITERATURE MORALITY MORALS OPPRESSION PERCEPTION PERCEPTIONS PHILOSOPHY PREJUDICE PRINCIPLES PSYCHOLOGY RACE RACE THEORY RACES RACIAL CATEGORIES RACIAL DIFFERENCES RACIAL IDEOLOGY RACIAL INEQUALITY RACIAL SUPERIORITY RACISM RACIST RACIST SOCIETY READING RELIGIOUS IDEAS RITUALS SELF-CONFIDENCE SKIN COLOR SLAVE LABOR SLAVERY SLAVES SOCIAL CHANGE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS SOCIAL HIERARCHY SOCIAL IDENTITY SPEECH SPIRITS XENOPHOBIA This paper assesses the role of ideas in economic change, combining economic and historical analysis with insights from psychology, sociology and anthropology. Belief systems shape the system of categories ("pre-confirmatory bias") and perceptions (confirmatory bias), and are themselves constrained by fundamental values. The authors illustrate the model using the historical construction of racial categories. Given the post-Reformation fundamental belief that all men had rights, colonial powers after the 15th century constructed ideologies that the colonized groups they exploited were naturally inferior, and gave these beliefs precedence over other aspects of belief systems. Historical work finds that doctrines of race came into their own in the colonies that became the United States after, not before, slavery; that out of the "scandal of empire" in India emerged a "race theory that cast Britons and Indians in a relationship of absolute difference"; and that arguments used by the settlers in Australia to justify their policies toward the Aborigines entailed in effect the expulsion of the Aborigines from the human race. Racial ideology shaped categories and perceptions in ways that the authors show can give rise to equilibrium fictions. In the framework of this paper, technology, contacts with the outside world, and changes in power and wealth matter not just directly but because they can lead to changes in ideology. 2012-03-19T18:38:15Z 2012-03-19T18:38:15Z 2010-02-01 http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20100226083837 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3706 English Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5219 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper The World Region The World Region |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English |
| topic |
AFRICANS ANTHROPOLOGISTS ANTHROPOLOGY ANTIQUITY ATTENTION AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES BELIEF SYSTEMS BELIEFS BIOLOGICAL INEQUALITY BLACK BLACK MEN CHRISTIANITY CHRISTIANS CHURCH CIVIL RIGHTS CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST CIVILIZATION COGNITION COGNITIVE SCIENCE COLONIAL POWERS COLONIAL SOCIETY COLONIALISM COLONIES COLONISTS CONSTRUCTION OF RACE CREATION CULTURES DISCRIMINATION DISTRIBUTION OF POWER DOMINANT GROUP DRAMA ECONOMIC HISTORY GOD GODS HISTORICAL ANALYSIS IDEOLOGIES INDIVIDUALISM INFERIORITY IRRATIONAL BELIEFS LAND OWNERSHIP LEGISLATION LITERATURE MORALITY MORALS OPPRESSION PERCEPTION PERCEPTIONS PHILOSOPHY PREJUDICE PRINCIPLES PSYCHOLOGY RACE RACE THEORY RACES RACIAL CATEGORIES RACIAL DIFFERENCES RACIAL IDEOLOGY RACIAL INEQUALITY RACIAL SUPERIORITY RACISM RACIST RACIST SOCIETY READING RELIGIOUS IDEAS RITUALS SELF-CONFIDENCE SKIN COLOR SLAVE LABOR SLAVERY SLAVES SOCIAL CHANGE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS SOCIAL HIERARCHY SOCIAL IDENTITY SPEECH SPIRITS XENOPHOBIA |
| spellingShingle |
AFRICANS ANTHROPOLOGISTS ANTHROPOLOGY ANTIQUITY ATTENTION AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES BELIEF SYSTEMS BELIEFS BIOLOGICAL INEQUALITY BLACK BLACK MEN CHRISTIANITY CHRISTIANS CHURCH CIVIL RIGHTS CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST CIVILIZATION COGNITION COGNITIVE SCIENCE COLONIAL POWERS COLONIAL SOCIETY COLONIALISM COLONIES COLONISTS CONSTRUCTION OF RACE CREATION CULTURES DISCRIMINATION DISTRIBUTION OF POWER DOMINANT GROUP DRAMA ECONOMIC HISTORY GOD GODS HISTORICAL ANALYSIS IDEOLOGIES INDIVIDUALISM INFERIORITY IRRATIONAL BELIEFS LAND OWNERSHIP LEGISLATION LITERATURE MORALITY MORALS OPPRESSION PERCEPTION PERCEPTIONS PHILOSOPHY PREJUDICE PRINCIPLES PSYCHOLOGY RACE RACE THEORY RACES RACIAL CATEGORIES RACIAL DIFFERENCES RACIAL IDEOLOGY RACIAL INEQUALITY RACIAL SUPERIORITY RACISM RACIST RACIST SOCIETY READING RELIGIOUS IDEAS RITUALS SELF-CONFIDENCE SKIN COLOR SLAVE LABOR SLAVERY SLAVES SOCIAL CHANGE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS SOCIAL HIERARCHY SOCIAL IDENTITY SPEECH SPIRITS XENOPHOBIA Hoff, Karla Stiglitz, Joseph E. Equilibrium Fictions : A Cognitive Approach to Societal Rigidity |
| geographic_facet |
The World Region The World Region |
| relation |
Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5219 |
| description |
This paper assesses the role of ideas in
economic change, combining economic and historical analysis
with insights from psychology, sociology and anthropology.
Belief systems shape the system of categories
("pre-confirmatory bias") and perceptions
(confirmatory bias), and are themselves constrained by
fundamental values. The authors illustrate the model using
the historical construction of racial categories. Given the
post-Reformation fundamental belief that all men had rights,
colonial powers after the 15th century constructed
ideologies that the colonized groups they exploited were
naturally inferior, and gave these beliefs precedence over
other aspects of belief systems. Historical work finds that
doctrines of race came into their own in the colonies that
became the United States after, not before, slavery; that
out of the "scandal of empire" in India emerged a
"race theory that cast Britons and Indians in a
relationship of absolute difference"; and that
arguments used by the settlers in Australia to justify their
policies toward the Aborigines entailed in effect the
expulsion of the Aborigines from the human race. Racial
ideology shaped categories and perceptions in ways that the
authors show can give rise to equilibrium fictions. In the
framework of this paper, technology, contacts with the
outside world, and changes in power and wealth matter not
just directly but because they can lead to changes in ideology. |
| format |
Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper |
| author |
Hoff, Karla Stiglitz, Joseph E. |
| author_facet |
Hoff, Karla Stiglitz, Joseph E. |
| author_sort |
Hoff, Karla |
| title |
Equilibrium Fictions : A Cognitive Approach to Societal Rigidity |
| title_short |
Equilibrium Fictions : A Cognitive Approach to Societal Rigidity |
| title_full |
Equilibrium Fictions : A Cognitive Approach to Societal Rigidity |
| title_fullStr |
Equilibrium Fictions : A Cognitive Approach to Societal Rigidity |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Equilibrium Fictions : A Cognitive Approach to Societal Rigidity |
| title_sort |
equilibrium fictions : a cognitive approach to societal rigidity |
| publishDate |
2012 |
| url |
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20100226083837 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3706 |
| _version_ |
1764387914131701760 |