Historical Disease Prevalence, Cultural Values, and Global Innovation

Daniel L. Bennett and Boris Nikolaev

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 2021, vol. 45, issue 1, 145-174

Abstract: The historical prevalence of infectious diseases has had an enduring effect on innovation around the world. Building on the Parasite Stress Theory of Values, we propose a framework suggestive that the impact of historical disease pathogens on contemporary innovation is transmitted through the development of cultural values as an evolutionary psychological immune system response to ecological conditions. Economic and social interaction between groups was greater (limited) in countries with low (high) pathogen levels, resulting in the development of individualistic (collectivistic) values, which in turn encouraged (impeded) innovation. We provide supportive empirical evidence for a sample of 83 countries.

Keywords: culture; disease pathogens; individualism-collectivism; infectious diseases; innovation; parasite stress theory of values (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (17)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:entthe:v:45:y:2021:i:1:p:145-174

DOI: 10.1177/1042258720914506

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