IS IT KOSHER TO TALK ABOUT CULTURE

This address considers the role of culture in economic history. It arg ues that Anglo-Saxon culture was an important factor determining where and when industrialization began and spread. The contrast between Ang lo-Saxon individualism and Japan's more collective culture also is imp ortant in understanding the differences between Japanese and American industrial practices today. I predict that Japan's collective culture may give it an economic edge in the coming years despite its current d ifficulties. And I advocate greater attention to culture by both econo mists and historians in the practice of economic history.