Economy and Culture: Is It Possible to Decode the Economy? [Book Review: “Because We Decided So”: Behavioral Economy of Belarus and Its Decoding / K. V. Rudy [et al.] ; Under the Scientific Ed. of K. V. Rudy. – Minsk: Zvezda, 2017. 368 р.]

Abstract

Slowing economic growth, failures of a number of reforms, and rising social tensions are problems encountered in many countries. K.V. Rudy, assistant to the President of the Republic of Belarus for economic issues (2013–2016), brought together a number of leading scientists of the Republic of Belarus and attempted to analyze the failure of the economic policy implemented by him during his public service. As one of the main reasons that the reform of the Belarusian economy could not be carried out according to the planned plan, he calls the culture of Belarusians and offers his view on the cultural matrix of Belarus. The monograph also offers a solution to the identified problem through decoding the economy by changing the cultural matrix, which should proceed in three directions: economic, institutional and socio-logical. The authors see economic decoding in improving the investment climate in order to attract foreign investment; institutional decoding – in changing existing economic, social and innovative development institutions; socio-logical decoding – in using educational paternalism through improving the education system, socio-political transformation by means of nudge ("nudge") and the renewal of the political system, which implies a multi-party system. Discussing the experience of a particular country, the authors of the monograph touch on an important topic of studying the influence of culture on the economy. The history of research on the relationship between economy and culture is rich, but the materials of the post- Soviet countries are of an isolated nature. The review discusses methodological issues that are fundamentally important in the organization of such research and substantiates the relevance of scientific analysis of this topic on the example of Russia.