Politics versus culture: Which is stronger?

This article examines the assertion that cultural factors, more than anything else, explain the rapid economic progress of Asian countries in recent years, as against the slow progress (and even retrogression) of African countries. In considering the relationship of politics to culture, it begins by examining various quandaries: the meaning of culture; the causes and manifestations of culture; the possibilities of rapid acculturation; and the importance of Westernization for development. Examples are presented to indicate that cultural barriers to development are often politically created and, as such, politically vulnerable. Political elasticity theory is introduced here to explain the capacity of leaders to influence and change culture, as shown in three case studies. The article ends with an examination of the implications of the propositions presented for World Bank lending programs, suggesting, not only the importance of taking culture into account, but going beyond it into the political requisites for changing culture. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, Herb Werlin taught African studies in the political science departments at SUNY, Stony Brook and The University of maryland, College Park. From 1977 to 1984, he edited the newsletterThe Urban Edge for the World Bank. In 1993 he retired from the urban studies department at the University of Maryland. He is currently an independent consultant in urban development and development administration fields. This article is being adapted for a chapter of a book,Exploring the Mysteries of Development: Using Political Elasticity Theory.