This paper examines how culture affects the differences in economic growth within a country and across countries over time. We postulate that a link exists between cultural elements and approximate determinants (factor accumulation, technology, and efficiency) of economic performance. We connect the cultural elements to these conventional approximate determinants, which underlie the fundamental determinants for economic performance. The cultural elements in fundamentals include work ethics, savings behavior, religion, trust, ethnic homogeneity, social capital, social capability, and openness to ideas. By demonstrating the interrelation between cultural elements and approximate determinants as an explanatory variable in economic performance, we clarify the definition of cultural elements and assist in data collections for future studies.

This paper examines how culture affects the differences in economic growth within a country and across countries over time. We postulate that a link exists between cultural elements and approximate determinants (factor accumulation, technology, and efficiency) of economic performance. We connect the cultural elements to these conventional approximate determinants, which underlie the fundamental determinants for economic performance. The cultural elements in fundamentals include work ethics, savings behavior, religion, trust, ethnic homogeneity, social capital, social capability, and openness to ideas. By demonstrating the interrelation between cultural elements and approximate determinants as an explanatory variable in economic performance, we clarify the definition of cultural elements and assist in data collections for future studies.

본 연구는 문화가 경제성장 및 소득분배와 어떻게 연계되어 있는지를 밝히려 한다. 문화가 경제에 미치는 영향을 분석하기 위하여, 경제활동의 ‘가변적 결정변수’인 생산요소축적, 기술발전과 효용증가와 문화로 간주되는 성질과의 관계를 찾아낸다. 또한 문화요소를 세분화하여 경제에 영향을 미치는 ‘근본적 결정변수’인지를 판단한다. 차후의 이론적 연구와 실증분석을 위하여, 데이터화 할 수 있는 문화요소로 노동가치, 저축행위, 종교, 신뢰, 인종, 사회자본, 사회적 역량, 해외개방 등에 초점을 맞춘다. 본 연구의 결과는 문화요소를 과학적 연구의 기초가 되도록 정의함으로써 차후 연구와 데이터를 사용한 실증분석을 돕는다.

가변적 결정변수, 문화, 경제 성장, 근본적 결정변수, 소득분배