Relevance of culture !

[Srikumar <Srikumar@simexmail.com.sg>]

Sanjeev wrote

>So also, policy is either good or
>it is bad. Hence most policies are culture-neutral. Human beings are the
>same in their essential needs and behavior.

I am not sure that "policies are culture-neutral". For a simple example
look
at how Japan used the protectionist policies to improve their industries
and
the quality of their output, to be a global player. Compare this to other
countries which were in a similar position and had similar policies but
really screwed up.  Any book on the historical perspective of economics
should drive this point home, a more recent example would be " The wealth
and poverty of nations" by David S. Landes

Sri


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