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C O M M E N T A R Y

I t’s nature versus nurture. Oneof the big debates of our timesinvolves the causes of eco-

nomic growth. Why is NorthAmerica richer than South Amer-ica? Why is Africa poor and Eu-rope wealthy? Is it possible toeliminate global poverty? TheWorld Bank estimates that 2.5 bil-lion people still live on $2 a dayor less. On one side are econo-mists who argue that societies cannurture economic growth byadopting sound policies. Not so,say other scholars such asLawrence Harrison of Tufts Uni-versity. Culture (aka “nature”)predisposes some societies torapid growth and others topoverty or meager growth.

Comes now Gregory Clark, aneconomist who interestingly takesthe side of culture. In an impor-tant new book, A Farewell toAlms: A Brief Economic Historyof the World, Clark suggests thatmuch of the world’s remainingpoverty is semi-permanent. Mod-ern technology andmanagement are widelyavailable, but many so-cieties can’t take advan-tage because their val-ues and socialorganization are antag-onistic. Prescribing eco-nomically sensible poli-cies (open markets,secure property rights,sound money) can’tovercome this bedrockresistance.

“There is no simpleeconomic medicine thatwill guarantee growth,and even complicated economicsurgery offers no clear prospectof relief for societies afflicted withpoverty,” he writes. Various formsof foreign assistance “may disap-pear into the pockets of Westernconsultants and the corrupt rulersof these societies.” Because somesocieties encourage growth andsome don’t, the gap between therichest nations and the poorest isactually greater today (50-1) than

in 1800 (4-1), Clark estimates.All this disputes the notion

that relentless globalization willinevitably defeat global poverty.To Clark, who teaches at the Uni-versity of California at Davis, his-tory’s most important event wasthe Industrial Revolution — moreimportant than the emergence ofmonotheism, which produced Ju-daism, Christianity and Islam; orthe invention of the printing pressin 1452, which spread knowledge;

or the American Revolu-tion, which promoteddemocracy.

Before 1800, saysClark, most societieswere stagnant. Withsome exceptions, peoplelived no better than theirancestors in the StoneAge. Economic growthwas virtually nonexis-tent. Then Englandbroke the pattern, as tex-tile, iron and food pro-duction increased dra-matically. Since 1800,English income per per-

son has risen by a factor of 10.Much of Europe and the UnitedStates soon followed.

Almost everything that differ-entiates the modern era from thepreceding millennia dates fromthis point: the virtual end ofhunger in advanced societies; theexpectation that living standardswill constantly rise; the creationof the welfare state to redistrib-ute income; the destructiveness

of contemporary warfare; indus-try’s environmental spoilage. Butwhy did the Industrial Revolutionstart in England?

It’s Clark’s answer that con-vinces him of the supremacy ofculture in explaining economicgrowth. Traditional theories haveemphasized the importance of theScientific Revolution and Eng-land’s favorable climate: politicalstability, low taxes, open markets.Clark retorts that both China andJapan around 1800 were about astechnically advanced as Europe,had stable societies, open marketsand low taxes. But their industrialrevolutions came only later.

What distinguished England,he says, was the widespreademergence of middle-class valuesof “patience, hard work, ingenu-ity, innovativeness, education”that favored economic growth. Af-ter examining birth and deathrecords, he concludes that in Eng-land — unlike many other soci-eties — the most successful menhad more surviving children thanthe less fortunate. Slowly, the at-tributes of success that childrenlearned from parents became partof the common culture. Biologydrove economics. He rejects thewell-known theory of German so-ciologist Max Weber (1864-1920)that Protestantism fostered thesevalues.

Clark’s theory is controversialand, at best, needs to be qualified.Scholars do not universally accepthis explanation of the Industrial

Revolution. More important,China’s recent astonishing ex-pansion (a fact that he barelymentions) demonstrates that eco-nomic policies and institutionsmatter. Bad policies and institu-tions can suppress growth in awilling population; better policiescan release it. All poverty is notpreordained. Still, Clark’s broaderpoint seems incontestable: Cul-ture counts.

Capitalism in its many variantshas been shown, he notes, to bea prodigious generator of wealth.But it will not spring forth magi-cally from a few big industrialprojects or cookie-cutter policiesimposed by outside experts. It’sculture that nourishes productivepolicies and behavior.

By and large, nations have ei-ther lifted themselves up or havestayed down. Societies dominatedby tribal, religious, ideological orpolitical values that disparage thequalities needed for broad-basedgrowth will not get growth. Eco-nomic success requires a toler-ance for change and inequality,some minimum level of trust —an essential for much commerce— and risk-taking. There aremany plausible combinations ofgovernment and market power;but without the proper culturalcatalysts, all face long odds.

In addition to The Post, Mr.Samuelson has worked forThe National Journal and

Newsweek.

Globally,naturetrumpsnurture

A s we celebrate the ColumbiaUrban League’s 40th an-niversary, let us be re-

minded of the significance of thenumber 40. In the Bible, the num-ber 40 often refers to a period oftesting and subsequent spiritual re-juvenation. For us, it is a time bestused to solidify our foundation ofadvocacy, service and communityempowerment in hopes of chang-ing lives.

This moment in time also callsfor us to salute those visionaryservant leaders who worked dili-gently in 1967 to establish the firstlocal affiliate of the National Ur-ban League in South Carolina.Amid heightened racial tensionsand a community awareness redi-rected to leveling the playing fieldfor those suffering a systematicdenial of their human rights, theColumbia Urban League set forthto tackle the Herculeantask of developing acommunity-based hu-man service deliverymovement that couldclose the disparity gapand promote equality.

As noted in the Co-lumbia Urban League’s“The State of Black SouthCarolina: An ActionAgenda for the Future,”40 years after its charter-ing, the equality gap isstill visible in education,health, economic devel-opment, juvenile incar-ceration and public policy forma-tion. Most prevalent is the cultureof low expectations, especially forAfrican-American youths.

As we press forward, we are re-minded that we cannot take oureyes off the prize of equality. Wemust not be derailed by those pun-dits professing that the playingfield is leveled and that those whohave not succeeded have only theirown lack of drive or initiative toblame. Also, we must not allowlife’s setbacks to rob our youths oftheir hopes and dreams. Instead,we as a community must take re-sponsibility for our underachiev-ing children and the sub-standardschools they attend.

We must take responsibility forthe underemployed, many ofwhom work two or three part-timejobs, and the poor health manysuffer when employers do not of-

fer health insurance to part-timeemployees. We must take respon-sibility for juveniles who constitutea large proportion of the criminaljustice system when sentencing inmany cases is disproportionatebased on race and socio-economicstandards.

Realizing that the majority ofAfrican-American families are law-abiding citizens with high aspira-tions, we must celebrate, encour-age and recognize those families.For example, over the past 25years through its Young and GiftedAwards program, the UrbanLeague has recognized high schoolscholars who achieve excellencein academics.

While we at the Urban Leagueunderstand the importance ofpraising those who are striving andmoving in an upward direction, wealso know that we must find ways

to help lift up those whoare down. We must findways to support parentswho lack resources andbasic, effective parentingskills. Furthermore, wemust find ways to helpthose who are captives toa cycle of poverty and de-struction.

As we take on this re-sponsibility for empow-ering our communitiesand changing lives, wemust continue our vigi-lance in exposing thosevestiges of racism and

disparities that have hampered thehope and future of many youthsand young adults.

If there is anything that wehave learned from the past 40years, it is that after the assump-tion of responsibility comes thenecessary positioning for action.In the words of Whitney M. YoungJr.., a former National UrbanLeague president and CEO andspeaker at our inaugural Equal Op-portunity Dinner in 1967, “Thegreatest tragedy is not being pre-pared for opportunity when itcomes.” Young also said, “I maynot be down where you are in thegutter, but I intend to bring you upwhere I am.” So we all must reachback and help someone.

Mr. McLawhorn is presidentan CEO of the Columbia

Urban League.

Empoweringcommunities

J. T.McLawhorn

Guest Columnist

Robert J.SamuelsonWashington

Post

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