This review of the literature dealing with management in business in selected countries, and how management is affected by the culture and values of that country attempts to establish a baseline and methodology for developing further empirical studies. The contributors are selected from professional economists and sociologists from the countries discussed. The first part of the work deals with definition of terms and theories that are to be used in the work. The second part of the work deals with individual representative countries in Europe and Latin America, and the third part of the work describes future work needed in the area.

Empirical analysis of how people's values and perceptions differ according to their socioeconomic and political systems.

“This masterful collection illuminates many of the all-important interfaces between culture and economy. . . . These insights have never been more important.” —W. Lance Bennett, author of News: The Politics of Illusion The backlash against globalization and the rise of cultural anxiety has led to considerable rethinking among social scientists. This book provides multiple theoretical, historical, and methodological orientations to examine these issues. While addressing the rise of populism worldwide, the volume provides explanations that cover periods of both cultural turbulence and stability. Issues addressed include populism and cultural anxiety, class, religion, arts and cultural diversity, global environment norms, international trade, and soft power. The interdisciplinary scholarship from well-known contributors questions the oft-made assumption in political economy that holds culture “constant,” which in practice means marginalizing it in the explanation. The volume conceptualizes culture as a repertoire of values and alternatives. Locating human interests in underlying cultural values does not make political economy’s strategic or instrumental calculations of interests redundant: The instrumental logic follows a social context and a distribution of cultural values, while locating forms of decision-making that may not be rational.

The global political economy is inescapably cultural. Whether we talk about the economic dimensions of the "war on terror", the sub-prime crisis and its aftermath, or the ways in which new information technology has altered practices of production and consumption, it has become increasingly clear that these processes cannot be fully captured by the hyper-rational analysis of economists or the slogans of class conflict. This book argues that culture is a concept that can be used to develop more subtle and fruitful analyses of the dynamics and problems of the global political economy. Rediscovering the unacknowledged role of culture in the writings of classical political economists, the contributors to this volume reveal its central place in the historical evolution of post-war capitalism, exploring its continued role in contemporary economic processes that range from the commercialization of security practices to the development of ethical tourism. The book shows that culture plays a role in both constituting different forms of economic life and in shaping the diverse ways that capitalism has developed historically – from its earliest moments to its most recent challenges. Providing valuable insights to a wide range of disciplines, this volume will be of vital interest to students and scholars of International Political Economy, Cultural and Economic Geography and Sociology, and International Relations.

Since the early 1990s, culture, in the sense of norms and values, has entered economic analysis again, whereas it was totally absent from mainstream economics during most of the second half of the twentieth century. The disappointing results of mainstream economics and developments in the world economy triggered an awareness of the relevance of the context in which people make decisions. Developments which were triggering this were the unexpected high growth rates in Asia, (the Asian miracle), the transition of previously centrally planned economies and the increased attention for the role of religion after 9/11/2001. Some of the areas this research covers are: The history of culture in economics from Adam Smith to the present The way culture is incorporated into economic analysis Methods used in empirical analysis on culture and economics Culture as an explanatory factor of cross-country difference in institutions and performance Culture appears to be relevant for explaining differences between otherwise similar countries; in particular OECD-countries. Uncertainty avoidance, for example, significantly explains the relative importance of financial markets. This book is the first that provides an overview of the field of culture and economics and will be of use to postgraduate researchers in the field of economics and culture.

Since the end of the Cold War, the study of intercultural relations has become one of the most popular topics in the field of global politics and economics. This book presents a methodological framework for the analysis of intercultural issues frequently misinterpreted by existing theories. The book uses a challenge-and-response theory of cultural development to examine the relationship between different natural disasters and threats and the developments of ancient civilizations. The spatial interaction of ancient civilizations is assessed and some theoretical patterns of intercultural influences are presented with a focus on the Chinese, Egyptian, Indus, and Mesopotamian civilizations. Using the development of China as a case study, and on the basis of a simplified spatial model, the optimal spatial structure and size of culture areas are mathematically solved, and the political economy implications to the interactions between cultures differing in size are illustrated. The book also examines various aspects of intercultural economic influences, such as those of culture on international trade. The empirical results suggest that high-income trade partners are less sensitive than low-income trade partners to the measures of cultural dissimilarity which block international trade. The existing literature relating to the determinants of economic growth treats explanatory variables such as income inequality and cultural diversity separately. This book investigates whether there are any conditions under which income inequality and cultural diversity could encourage economic growth and provides evidence from a broad panel of nations, which reveals that economic growth is quite independent from the variables of inequality and cultural (linguistic and religious) diversity. Finally, this book provides suggestions for how cultural influences can benefit developing economies both large and small.

"A truly extraordinary book! The range of knowledge revealed by the author is quite astonishing and the material presented is done so in a clear and unambiguous writing style."The book includes astonishingly varied perspectives on issues that will impact the hoped-for positive consequences of globalization. I felt I was being informed by an expert who grasps the complexity of the issues involved in ways that make them clear and useful. If I was teaching a course that had anything to do with globalization and/or culture, I would assign this book—and if I knew of someone who was being assigned to another country, I would require him or her to read this book." —Benjamin Schneider, Valtera Corporation and Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland What is a paradox? Why are cross-cultural paradoxes essential for understanding the changes that are occurring because of globalization? Encompassing a wide variety of areas including leadership, cross-cultural negotiations, immigration, religion, economic development, and business strategy, Paradoxes of Culture and Globalization develops cross-cultural paradoxes essential for understanding globalization. Key Features Highlights over 90 paradoxes structured in a question/discussion format to actively engage readers and provide an integrative overview of the book Presents key issues at a higher and integrative level of analysis to avoid stereotyping particular cultures Facilitates class discussions and the active involvement of class members in the learning process of culture and globalization. Enlarges individuals' conceptual understanding of cross-cultural issues Focuses on both traditional and controversial topics including motivation and leadership across cultures, communicating and negotiating across cultures, immigration, religion, geography, economic development, business strategy, and international human resource management Intended Audience This is an excellent text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in International Management, International Business, Comparative Management, World Business Environment, Cross-Cultural Management, Cross-Cultural Communications, and Cultural Anthropology in the departments of business and management, communication, and anthropology. Meet author Martin J. Gannon! www.csusm.edu/mgannon Martin J. Gannon is also the author of the bestselling text Understanding Global Cultures (SAGE, Third Edition, 2004) and Cultural Metaphors: Readings, Research Translations, and Commentary (SAGE, 2000).