Cultural Influences on Economic Analysis

It is now increasingly accepted that one reason of the relatively unsuccessful results of the past economic development efforts is that culture was overlooked in development thinking and practice. This book examines the influences of various cultural factors on economic analyses that could be misrepresented by existing economic theories, and develops analytical tools and methods for analysis of such influences. The book's most significant contributions are in measuring cultural diversity and bilateral similarity indexes of over 200 countries, and quantifying their impacts on economic activities. This book also clarifies conditions under which cultural difference may not become a cause of misunderstanding and conflict, but a source of creativity and profitability for economic development.