“OLD TESTAMENT” MORALITY AND THE “TRADITIONAL” FAMILY

Konstantin Yanovskiy and Sergey Shulgin

Working Papers from Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy

Abstract: In this paper we consider questions of morality as a factor impacting trust in society, as an important element of the “soft” infrastructure. Morality is the institution which, if it is maintained in an appropriate condition, is capable of significantly raising the efficacy level of the basal institutions, including the institution of private property. Morality is often gestured toward in political and research discussions, for instance, for purposes of eliminating or establishing artificial borders and constraints upon freedom of discussion. Morality raises the level of trust among market agents, both among those directly acquainted with each other and among those who have never met each other before but hold the same moral views in common. Besides, morality lowers the costs of constructing and implementation of formal institutions which protect private property, as well as institutions friendly to the market. The Government’s pushing out the institution of the family and societal morality is largely bound up with the common mechanism for transferring individual responsibility to society, and the responsibility of society to the Government. The Government is interested in maximum resource use and maximal control. Bringing Government controls to a maximum possible level runs counter to the existence of any limitations, among which morality is the most powerful and most stable one. The foundation of the “liberation” of the individual from responsibility and from morality hails from the stimuli spawned by the institution of universal suffrage.

Keywords: soft infrastructure, universal moral values, to support private property, to deter redistribution; moral arguments vs. economic efficiency. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B41 B52 H56 J12 K36 Z12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 44 pages
Date: 2013, Revised 2013
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hpe and nep-law
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https://www.iep.ru/files/RePEc/gai/wpaper/0080Yanovskiy.pdf Revised version, 2013 (application/pdf)

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