Who Prospers: How Cultural Values Shape Economic and Political Success

by Lawrence E. Harrison

Book Overview

What lies behind America's economic and social decline? Can racism explain the ghetto tragedy if two-thirds of America's blacks have made it into the middle class? Why have Chinese, Japanese, and Korean immigrants done so much better than Mexicans? According to Lawrence E. Harrison, the key to answering these and other questions is culture--the values of a people with respect to work, education, frugality, community, fair play, and progress.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465016340
• ISBN13: 9780465016341
• Release Date: August 1992
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Wow

This is a brilliant book that explains everyday confusions about the world. I highly recommend it. And I would like to counter the couple of comments below that suggest that this is a pro-white-Protestant polemic. It does not praise JUST western Protestant thought...there is PLENTY of praising of Eastern thought, such as Chinese Confucianism, and Japanese social attitudes, and of the the Jamaican blacks. These are obviously not white Protestant groups! So to suggest this book is some rash polemic is dead wrong. It's a real eye-opener and quite educational.

Solid

This is a brilliant book, that shows that what happens around you affects you. Anyone who doesn't think President Clinton's chronic infidelity, and cronyism, and draft dodging, and all his other scandals, won't result in corruption in other parts of society, should read this book. Corruption spreads like a cancer. When Peter sees Paul get away with something, Peter will try to get away with it, too. This will be an uncomfortable book for some, but should be read.

Good

This is a refreshing book. It's politically incorrect, so the knee-jerk liberals (like those here who gave it one star) won't like it. Reality is reality, whether you like it or not. And this book presents the reality of what works and what doesn't. I would recommend reading Eric Fromm's "ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM," too, because some points that are incorrect in this book, you can see corrected in that book. But most of the points made in this book are correct. Just as a child's parents can make or break his life emotionally, so can culture make or break a country's economic and political life. Harrison is dead wrong in some of the details, but his overall point is dead right, and it's refreshing to see someone make it. This book shows the importance of self-discipline, and, personally, inspired me to become more self-disciplined.

Character and culture do lead to wealth or poverty.

An excellent discussion of the influence of culture on a nation's economic performance. It should be no surprise to learn that beliefs lead to acts and acts can lead either to prosperity or poverty. But given the eagerness of many analysts to blame the industrialized countries for the problems of the developing world, Harrison's work provides an invaluable correction. The beliefs of a people regarding such matters as the role of women, attitude toward the future, circle of trust, moral virtue, frugality, fair play, community and whether or not gaining wealth is a zero-sum game have a great impact on the potential of a county to escape poverty.