This came across my desk - I thought others might be also interested.
Alex
UNSELFISH CAPITALISM
Capitalism has been criticized for centuries for its single-
minded pursuit of self-interest. It is often claimed that
pastoral and agrarian societies foster social cooperation and
sharing, while industrial societies promote materialism and
greed.
But scientists who actually tested these assertions found that
people raised in market economies are more trusting and willing
to share than those raised in most preindustrial cultures.
Over two years, 11 anthropologists and an economist conducted
experiments in diverse cultures, including three hunting-and-
foraging societies, six slash-and-burn agricultural communities,
four nomadic-herding groups and two farm villages.
People from these groups played the same economic games that had
been extensively tested on college students in developed
countries. In an "ultimatum" game, a player divided a sum of
money (or cigarettes or other valuable goods) between himself an
anonymous partner, who could accept the division -- in which case
both received that amount -- or reject it, in which case neither
got anything. The results reveal concepts of fairness and the
degree of trust.
o Peruvian forest dwellers, for example, usually offered 15
percent to 25 percent of the pot -- and responders agreed
to nearly all offers, even below 15 percent.
o Hazda hunter-gatherers made similarly low offers, but
responders usually rejected them.
o In contrast, American undergraduates usually tender 30
percent to 40 percent of the total, and most responders
reject anything below 20 percent.
o And in another "trust" game, people in a rural Missouri
town usually ended up with equal shares.
"Industrialized nations promote a stronger ethic of fairness than
do many of the traditional societies," says anthropologist Joseph
Henrich. And, suggests economist Colin Camerer, "The
opportunity to trade in economic markets may create social
expectations about sharing and trust that exist over and above
individual decisions and motivations...."
Source: Bruce Bower, "A Fair Share of the Pie," Science News,
February 16, 2002.
--
Dr. Alexander Tabarrok
Vice President and Director of Research
The Independent Institute
100 Swan Way
Oakland, CA, 94621-1428
Tel. 510-632-1366, FAX: 510-568-6040
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
