Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/28049
Year of Publication: 
2007
Series/Report no.: 
Diskussionsbeiträge No. 2007/2
Publisher: 
Freie Universität Berlin, Fachbereich Wirtschaftswissenschaft, Berlin
Abstract: 
Channeling human resources into the right occupations has historically been a key to economic prosperity. Occupational choices are not only driven by the material rewards associated with the various occupations, but also by the esteem that they confer. We propose a model of endogenous growth in which occupations carry a symbolic value that makes them more or less attractive; the evolution of symbolic values is endogenous and determined by purposive transmission of value systems within families. The model sheds light on the interaction between cultural and economic development and identifies circum- stances under which value systems matter for long-run growth. It shows the possibility of culturally determined poverty traps and offers a framework for thinking about the transition from traditional to modern values.
Subjects: 
symbolic values
occupational choice
economic development
long-run growth.
JEL: 
D1
O1
ISBN: 
3938369507
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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