Politics versus culture: Which is stronger?

Abstract

This article examines the assertion that cultural factors, more than anything else, explain the rapid economic progress of Asian countries in recent years, as against the slow progress (and even retrogression) of African countries. In considering the relationship of politics to culture, it begins by examining various quandaries: the meaning of culture; the causes and manifestations of culture; the possibilities of rapid acculturation; and the importance of Westernization for development. Examples are presented to indicate that cultural barriers to development are often politically created and, as such, politically vulnerable. Political elasticity theory is introduced here to explain the capacity of leaders to influence and change culture, as shown in three case studies. The article ends with an examination of the implications of the propositions presented for World Bank lending programs, suggesting, not only the importance of taking culture into account, but going beyond it into the political requisites for changing culture.