Protestants and Catholics: Similar Work Ethic, Different Social Ethic
检验了韦伯命题,发现新教徒和天主教徒在职业道德上无差异,但新教徒在社会伦理(如相互监督、制度支持、价值观同质)上更强,这更可能促进资本主义发展。
This article develops two hypotheses about economically-relevant values of Christian believers, according to which Protestants should work more and more effectively, as in the 'work ethic' argument of Max Weber, or display a stronger 'social ethic' that would lead them to monitor each other's conduct, support political and legal institutions and hold more homogeneous values. Tests using current survey data confirm substantial partial correlations and possible different 'effects' in mutual social control, institutional performance and homogeneity of values but no difference in work ethics. Protestantism therefore seems conducive to capitalist economic development, not by the direct psychological route of the Weberian work ethic but rather by promoting an alternative social ethic that facilitates impersonal trade. Copyright © The Author(s). Journal compilation © Royal Economic Society 2009.