Tradition and Modernization: A Concluding Remark

Abstract

What should be the right combination of community, market, and state? It depends not only on the stage of economic development but also on the cultural tradition. Under the different value systems in different societies, different combinations of the three organizations are chosen as the mechanisms to control resource allocations. Evolution of different economic systems under different cultural traditions is illustrated through comparisons between Western and Asian countries, especially Japan, in its modernization process. The book concludes with the argument that if developing economies today are to catch up with developed economies, they must develop effective economic systems each suitable to their unique cultural and social traditions.