A Theory of Moral Persistence: Crypto-Morality and Political Legitimacy

31 Pages Posted: 12 Jul 2010

See all articles by Avner Greif

Avner Greif

Stanford University - Department of Economics; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR)

Steven Tadelis

University of California, Berkeley - Haas School of Business; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Date Written: July 11, 2010

Abstract

Why, how, and under what conditions do moral beliefs persist despite institutional pressure for change? Why do the powerful often fail to promote the morality of their authority? This paper addresses these questions by presenting the role of crypto-morality in moral persistence. Crypto-morality is the secret adherence to one morality while practicing another in public. A simple overlapping generations model is developed to examine the conditions under which crypto-morality is practiced, decays and influences the direction of moral change. We demonstrate the empirical relevance of crypto-morality by discussing the moral foundations of political legitimacy in various historical episodes.

Keywords: Institutions, Moral beliefs, Crypto-morality, Political Legitimacy, Moral education, China, Islam

JEL Classification: D02, D10, D82, N30, N40, P16

Suggested Citation

Greif, Avner and Tadelis, Steven, A Theory of Moral Persistence: Crypto-Morality and Political Legitimacy (July 11, 2010). Journal of Comparative Economics, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1638662 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1638662

Avner Greif (Contact Author)

Stanford University - Department of Economics ( email )

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Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) ( email )

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Steven Tadelis

University of California, Berkeley - Haas School of Business ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

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Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) ( email )

London
United Kingdom

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