Bread and bullets

George Akerlof and Dennis J. Snower

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2016, vol. 126, issue PB, 58-71

Abstract: Standard economics omits the role of narratives (the stories that people tell themselves and others) when they make all kinds of decisions. Narratives play a role in understanding the environment; focusing attention; predicting events; motivating action; assigning social roles and identities; defining power relations; and establishing and conveying social norms. This paper describes the role narratives play in decision making, as it also juxtaposes this description against the backdrop of the Bolshevik-spawned narrative that played a critical role in the history of Russia and the Soviet Union in the 20th Century.

Keywords: Narrative; Motivation; Attention; Prediction; Identity; Social assignment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A12 A13 A14 D03 D04 D20 D23 D30 D62 D71 D72 D74 E02 E03 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (36)

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Working Paper: Bread and Bullets (2016)
Working Paper: Bread and Bullets (2016)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:126:y:2016:i:pb:p:58-71

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2015.10.021

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