Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
1: The Riddle of Hispaniola
2: Disaggregating "Culture"
3: Models and Instruments of Cultural Transmission/Change
4: Religions and Progress
5: Culture in Action I
6: Culture in Action II
7: Patterns of Cultural Change
8: Success and Failure
9: Conclusion: Guidelines for Progressive Cultural Change
Notes
Appendix--Biographical Sketches
Index
Lawrence E. Harrison directs the Cultural Change Institute at the
Fletcher School at Tufts University. He is the author of
Underdevelopment is a State of Mind, Who Prospers?, and The
Pan-American Dream, and co-editor, with Samuel Huntington, of
Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress; with Jerome Kagan
of Developing Cultures: Essays on Cultural Change; and with Peter
Berger of Developing Cultures:
Case Studies. His articles have appeared in The New York Times,
Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Atlantic
Monthly, Foreign Policy, and The National Interest, among other
publications.
"OUTSTANDING! I devoured every word."--Thomas Friedman, The New
York Times
"It is not often that a book appears of such intellectual force and
power that it can completely change the debate on an issue. Larry
Harrison's book The Central Liberal Truth has done that for
development theory. He has made an argument so compelling that it
can not be ignored by even those who disagree with his research.
This book is a must read."--Andrew Natsios, former Administrator,
U.S. Agency for International Development
"Nothing is so important and tenacious as culture (values and
institutions) in shaping economic performance, and nothing so
decisive as economic performance in determining political and
social possibilities and structure. This book is a global,
historical, empirical approach to these connections, as exemplified
by the major stories of success, failure, and cases in between. I
can think of no better entrance to the topic, both for what it
teaches and the way it
invites and prepares the reader to continue. A gateway
study."--David S. Landes, author of The Wealth and Poverty of
Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor
"Lawrence Harrison's previous writings have made him a leading,
perhaps the leading, scholar exploring, analyzing, and documenting
the central impact of culture on how society develops, or fails to
develop, economically and politically. In The Central Liberal
Truth, he draws on his immense knowledge and long experience to
spell out the ways societies suffering from cultural attributes
unfavorable to development can overcome these obstacles. The
Central Liberal Truth is an impressive, persuasive, and
indispensable book for anyone interested in improving the
conditions of human life in poor countries."--Samuel Huntington,
author of Who Are We: The Challenges
to American National Identity and The Clash of Civilizations and
the Remaking of World Order
"Authors who emphasize the role of culture in development are often
accused of consigning whole peoples to backwardness because they
are locked into the wrong values. Larry Harrison takes culture
seriously, but shows that culture evolves, and offers a practical
agenda for cultural change."--Francis Fukuyama, author of
Nation-Building: Beyond Afghanistan and Iraq and The End of History
and the Last Man
"A book of enormous importance and startling originality. Harrison
has pulled off an amazing intellectual feat. He has drawn our
attention both to the centrality of culture in historical outcomes
and to the ability of good public policy to reshape economic and
political history."--Fouad Ajami, Majid Khadduri Professor and
Director of Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University, School
of Advanced International Studies
"Harrison takes up the question that is at the center of politics
today: Can we self-consciously change cultures so they encourage
development and modernization...? Harrison observes that gigantic
investments in education, and especially in improving female
literacy, usually precede transformations. Chile was highly
literate in the 19th century, and in 1905, 90 percent of Japanese
children were in school. These investments laid the groundwork for
takeoffs that
were decades away. Harrison points to many other factors--leaders
who encourage economic liberalization, movements that restrict the
power of the clerics--but the main impressions he leaves are
that
cultural change is measured in centuries, not decades, and that
cultures are separated from one another by veils of complexity and
difference."--David Brooks, The New York Times
"This important book represents the culmination of a decades-long
process of professional experience, research and writing, the
achievement of which is a major enrichment of the study of both the
nature of societies and of their strengths and
weaknesses."--Vineyard Gazette
"Must-read new book about the impact of culture on politics and
economic development."--Thomas Friedman, The New York Times
"It is not often that a book appears of such intellectual force and
power that it can completely change the debate on an issue. Larry
Harrison's book The Central Liberal Truth has done that for
development theory. He has made an argument so compelling that it
can not be ignored by even those who disagree with his research.
This book is a must read."--Andrew Natsios, former Administrator,
U.S. Agency for International Development
"Nothing is so important and tenacious as culture (values and
institutions) in shaping economic performance, and nothing so
decisive as economic performance in determining political and
social possibilities and structure. This book is a global,
historical, empirical approach to these connections, as exemplified
by the major stories of success, failure, and cases in between. I
can think of no better entrance to the topic, both for what it
teaches and the way it
invites and prepares the reader to continue. A gateway
study."--David S. Landes, author of The Wealth and Poverty of
Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor
"Harrison takes up the question that is at the center of politics
today: Can we self-consciously change cultures so they encourage
development and modernization...? Harrison observes that gigantic
investments in education, and especially in improving female
literacy, usually precede transformations. Chile was highly
literate in the 19th century, and in 1905, 90 percent of Japanese
children were in school. These investments laid the groundwork for
takeoffs that
were decades away. Harrison points to many other factors--leaders
who encourage economic liberalization, movements that restrict the
power of the clerics--but the main impressions he leaves are
that
cultural change is measured in centuries, not decades, and that
cultures are separated from one another by veils of complexity and
difference."--David Brooks, The New York Times
"Lawrence Harrison's previous writings have made him a leading,
perhaps the leading, scholar exploring, analyzing, and documenting
the central impact of culture on how society develops, or fails to
develop, economically and politically. In The Central Liberal
Truth, he draws on his immense knowledge and long experience to
spell out the ways societies suffering from cultural attributes
unfavorable to development can overcome these obstacles. The
Central Liberal Truth is an impressive, persuasive, and
indispensable book for anyone interested in improving the
conditions of human life in poor countries."--Samuel Huntington,
author of Who Are We: The Challenges
to American National Identity and The Clash of Civilizations and
the Remaking of World Order
"Authors who emphasize the role of culture in development are often
accused of consigning whole peoples to backwardness because they
are locked into the wrong values. Larry Harrison takes culture
seriously, but shows that culture evolves, and offers a practical
agenda for cultural change."--Francis Fukuyama, author of
Nation-Building: Beyond Afghanistan and Iraq and The End of History
and the Last Man
"This important book represents the culmination of a decades-long
process of professional experience, research and writing, the
achievement of which is a major enrichment of the study of both the
nature of societies and of their strengths and
weaknesses."--Vineyard Gazette
"A book of enormous importance and startling originality. Harrison
has pulled off an amazing intellectual feat. He has drawn our
attention both to the centrality of culture in historical outcomes
and to the ability of good public policy to reshape economic and
political history."--Fouad Ajami, Majid Khadduri Professor and
Director of Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University, School
of Advanced International Studies
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