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Social Value Orientation and Capitalism in Societies.
Shibly Shahrier1, Koji Kotani1,2,3,4, Makoto Kakinaka5
1School of Economics and Management, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi-shi, Kochi, Japan.
Plos One
|October 30, 2016
Summary
Modernization toward capitalism decreases prosocial behavior, increasing competition. Transitional societies show unstable social preferences, highlighting risks for cooperation-dependent environmental challenges.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Behavioral Economics
- Sociology
Background:
- Cooperation and competition are fundamental to societal and ecological evolution.
- Cultural and economic environments significantly shape social behaviors and preferences.
- The impact of modernization, specifically capitalism, on social preferences requires investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how the modernization of societies towards capitalism influences individuals' social preferences and behaviors.
- To understand the evolutionary trajectory of social value orientation in different economic environments.
Main Methods:
- Field experiments assessing social value orientation.
- Surveys conducted with 1002 respondents across rural, transitional, and capitalistic areas of Bangladesh.
- Analysis of demographic factors (age, education, number of children) influencing proself tendencies.
Main Results:
- Societies evolving from rural to capitalistic structures show a decrease in prosocial behavior and an increase in competitiveness.
- Transitional societies exhibit a significant proportion of individuals with unidentified social preferences, indicating potential instability.
- Proself orientation correlates positively with increased age, education, and number of children.
Conclusions:
- Capitalistic modernization appears to foster more competitive and less prosocial individuals.
- Societies undergoing economic transformation may experience periods of social preference instability.
- The rise of capitalism poses potential risks to addressing global challenges like climate change that necessitate cooperation.
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