Astudy Of The Influence Of Culture On The Capacity Of Modern States

Culture has an impact on a country in many ways,not only affecting a country’s economic policies and choices,but also affecting the speed of economic development and wealth accumulation of the country and society.Research over the years has shown that culture plays an important role in driving economic development,promoting the prosperity of democratic institutions,and promoting national governance.But for a long time,because the relationship between culture and social economy is in a state of complex mutual influence,the understanding of the role of culture by many pioneers ofthoughtand social science research is often in a state of debate.In addition,state capacity is a frontier hot topic in the study of economic history,and the state is being rediscovered in social science research.Currently,research on state capacity is in full swing in the field of economic history.In previous research and analysis of economics,the existence of a national institution with the functions of tax collection,public goods protection,property protection,and legal system formulation and enforcement was always tacitly assumed.However,many underdeveloped and developing countries in the world today still Lack of a good development environment.Countries in these regions are in disarray and suffering due to fragile state capacities.As a measure of a country’s ability to achieve its goals,national capacity is of great significance in international comparative research,providing a comparable dimension based on inter-country competition for the development differences between countries in the long-term history.It is precisely because of the two important backgrounds of the long-term debate on the role of culture and the return of the emphasis on national capabilities that this article links culture and national capabilities,trying to study the influence of culture on today’s national capabilities and its mechanism,so as to provide a culture-based A comparative explanatory framework for capacity differences among countries.However,it is worth noting that for a long time,due to the endogenous relationship between culture and the political and economic consequences of state behavior,the view of "cultural determinism" that emphasizes the influence of culture on various aspects of the state and society has gained a large number of supporters at the same time.It also drew a lot of criticism.Therefore,this paper uses the recent research results in the field of economics to control the endogeneity between culture and state capacity through the instrumental variable method,and conducts a causal empirical analysis of the relationship between culture and state capacity and its impact mechanism.This paper first conducts a theoretical analysis of the relationship between culture and state capacity.This paper argues that culture not only exists as a psychological motivation of social behavior,but also a bottom-level social equilibrium structure,and thus is the deep-seated motivation that affects society and state systems.State capacity exists as a consequence of being influenced by social and state institutions.Therefore,culture should have a lasting and profound impact on national capabilities.From the perspective of economic theory,individualistic culture and egalitarian culture,as generalized moral culture,affect human behavior by acting on human cognitive systems at the micro level,and influence the emergence and development of good formal institutions at the macro level.Has a supportive and normative role and ultimately has an impact on national capacity.Then,this paper examines the relationship between the two empirically and identifies the causal mechanism of culture’s influence on state capacity.The empirical results of this paper show that:(1)Culture has an important impact on national capacity,specifically,individualistic culture and egalitarian culture have a significant positive impact on national capacity.(2)The influence of culture on state capacity is mechanistically achieved by promoting better institutional mediation.Both cultures function betterwhen they are in betterinstitutions.Based on the above empirical conclusions,this paper puts forward the following policy suggestions: First,attach great importance to the cultivation and practice of the core values of socialist culture.We should adhere to the people-oriented cultural concept and insist on the dominant position of the people.The rights and freedoms of the people should be effectively safeguarded,and the rights of the people to equal participation and equal development should be guaranteed.Second,attach importance to the important role of institutions in the process of transmitting cultural power.Continuously improve the level of institutionalization,standardization,and proceduralization of "the whole process of people’s democracy," and fully realize a high-level institutional environment that ensures that the people are the masters of the country.Third,persist in improving and developing the socialist culture and system with Chinese characteristics,comprehensively deepen reforms,promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capabilities,and enhance my country’s comprehensive national strength.Culture is the soul of a nation and a country,the spiritual home of the people,and the source of power for the country and the people.Therefore,attaching importance to the cultivation of these two cultures and building a good social culture can provide a high-quality social and cultural environment for the formulation and implementation of a better system,and at the same time cultivate social human capital invisibly,which is very important for the long-term Among them,it plays a positive role in promoting China’s national governance and enhancing national capabilities.