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Cultural Theory- Policy by Embracing

Topic: Culture
by Michael, 2019 Cohort

What is cultural theory?#

Cultural theory (CT) is a social-scientific attempt to explain and predict competing human behaviour and preferences. CT can be more clearly understood as an alternative to the current economic paradigm which assumes that economic actors are perfectly rational and behave accordingly.

CT argues that in a competitive, transactional world, human nature splits into five cultural types called “solidarities”. These solidarities are generalisable across cultures and arise as a particular attitude to power and authority. From these differing solidarities, CT attempts to accurately predict different behaviour and preferences that arise.

Looking at the attached image, let’s briefly outline the five solidarities:

1. Individualistic: human nature is individual, rational and ego-driven. Efficient markets arise when individuals transact (symmetrical transactions) in their own interest. The natural world is benign but resilient.
2. Egalitarian: human nature is caring and sharing until corrupted. Equality of outcome is not only desirable but should be enforced. The natural world is fragile.
3. Hierarchical: human nature is malleable and institutions are best placed to push us in the right direction. The allocation of resources should be prioritised and decided by those who know best. The natural world is controllable.
4. Fatalistic: human nature is untrustworthy. Markets and governments are corrupt. The natural world is separate to humans.
5. Autonomous: the area on the map indicates where change occurs. As individuals do not hop around solidarities, the map demonstrates the fluidity of individuals and the gradual, non-linear way that change occurs.

When analysing a complex problem, CT is typically concerned with three solidarities- individualistic, egalitarian and hierarchical- as fatalism self- selects out of the picture by inherent suspicion of various actors and the autonomous are not yet

How can CT help unravel complexity?#

CT distinguishes different values and predicts competing preferred outcomes among solidarities. It is most valuable when applied to policy making for two reasons: policy strength (a policy that accounts for the plurality of perspectives is stronger than one that only addresses one perspective) and policy stability (a policy that accommodates a plurality of perspectives is more likely to retain consensus and remain in force). For example, when thinking about climate change, policy makers need to account for those who care most about and are motivated by: the environment (egalitarian), economics (individualistic) and implementing the best policy that addresses the problem (hierarchical).

CT also helps to mitigate the problem of “wickedness”: the view that complex problems will always attract an imperfect solution due to a lack of shared values and context. CT not only acknowledges a recognised set of different values and contexts, it argues that these differences are constant and desirable. Acknowledging this as the status quo allows us to move forward with certainty and predictability. However, one limitation of CT is that it may allow for competing perspectives that detract from the solution or lead to further harm- e.g. by focusing on the economic losses caused by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, emissions may not be reduced fast enough to avoid more catastrophic environmental

Explore this topic further#

• Wikipedia page on Culture{.link-ext target=”_blank”}
• Understanding Environmental Values: A Cultural Theory Approach PDF{.link-ext target=”_blank”}

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Disclaimer#

This content has been contributed by a student as part of a learning activity.
If there are inaccuracies, or opportunities for significant improvement on this topic, feedback is welcome on how to improve the resource.
You can improve articles on this topic as a student in "Unravelling Complexity", or by including the amendments in an email to: Chris.Browne@anu.edu.au

What is cultural theory?#

Cultural theory (CT) is a social-scientific attempt to explain and predict competing human behaviour and preferences. CT can be more clearly understood as an alternative to the current economic paradigm which assumes that economic actors are perfectly rational and behave accordingly.

CT argues that in a competitive, transactional world, human nature splits into five cultural types called “solidarities”. These solidarities are generalisable across cultures and arise as a particular attitude to power and authority. From these differing solidarities, CT attempts to accurately predict different behaviour and preferences that arise.

Looking at the attached image, let’s briefly outline the five solidarities:

1. Individualistic: human nature is individual, rational and ego-driven. Efficient markets arise when individuals transact (symmetrical transactions) in their own interest. The natural world is benign but resilient.
2. Egalitarian: human nature is caring and sharing until corrupted. Equality of outcome is not only desirable but should be enforced. The natural world is fragile.
3. Hierarchical: human nature is malleable and institutions are best placed to push us in the right direction. The allocation of resources should be prioritised and decided by those who know best. The natural world is controllable.
4. Fatalistic: human nature is untrustworthy. Markets and governments are corrupt. The natural world is separate to humans.
5. Autonomous: the area on the map indicates where change occurs. As individuals do not hop around solidarities, the map demonstrates the fluidity of individuals and the gradual, non-linear way that change occurs.

When analysing a complex problem, CT is typically concerned with three solidarities- individualistic, egalitarian and hierarchical- as fatalism self- selects out of the picture by inherent suspicion of various actors and the autonomous are not yet

How can CT help unravel complexity?#

CT distinguishes different values and predicts competing preferred outcomes among solidarities. It is most valuable when applied to policy making for two reasons: policy strength (a policy that accounts for the plurality of perspectives is stronger than one that only addresses one perspective) and policy stability (a policy that accommodates a plurality of perspectives is more likely to retain consensus and remain in force). For example, when thinking about climate change, policy makers need to account for those who care most about and are motivated by: the environment (egalitarian), economics (individualistic) and implementing the best policy that addresses the problem (hierarchical).

CT also helps to mitigate the problem of “wickedness”: the view that complex problems will always attract an imperfect solution due to a lack of shared values and context. CT not only acknowledges a recognised set of different values and contexts, it argues that these differences are constant and desirable. Acknowledging this as the status quo allows us to move forward with certainty and predictability. However, one limitation of CT is that it may allow for competing perspectives that detract from the solution or lead to further harm- e.g. by focusing on the economic losses caused by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, emissions may not be reduced fast enough to avoid more catastrophic environmental