the.world.is.flat-第71部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


Revolution。〃　
But　while　the　stakes　in　reform　retail　today　are　higher　than　ever；　and　countries　know　
it；　one　need　only　look　around　the　world　to　notice　that　not　every　country　can　pull　
it　off。　Unlike　reform　wholesale；　which　could　be　done　by　a　handful　of　people　using　
administrative　orders　or　just　authoritarian　dictates；　reform　retail　requires　a　much　
wider　base　of　public　and　parliamentary　buy…in　if　it　is　going　to　overcome　vested　
economic　and　political　interests。　
In　Mexico；　〃we　did　the　first　stages　of　structural　reform　from　the　top　down；〃　said　
Guillermo　Ortiz。　〃The　next　stage　is　much　more　difficult。　You　have　to　work　from　the　
bottom　up。　You　have　to　create　the　wider　consensus　to　push　the　reforms　in　a　democratic　
context。〃　And　once　that　happens；　noted　Moises　Nairn；　a　former　Economy　Minister　of　
Venezuela　and　now　editor　of　Foreign　Policy　magazine；　you　have　a　much　larger　number　


of　actors　participating；　making　the　internal　logic　and　technical　consistency　of　the　
reform　policies　much　more　vulnerable　to　the　impact　of　political　compromises；　
contradictions；　and　institutional　failures。　〃Bypassing　or　ignoring　the　entrenched　
and　defensive　public　bureaucracy…a　luxury　frequently　enjoyed　by　the　government　teams　
that　launch　initial　reform　measures…is　more　difficult　in　this　stage；〃　Nairn　said。　
So　why　does　one　country　get　over　this　reform　retail　hump；　with　leaders　able　to　mobilize　
the　bureaucracy　and　the　public　behind　these　more　painful；　more　exacting　micro…reforms；　
and　another　country　get　tripped　up？　
324　
Culture　Matters：　Glocalization　
One　answer　is　culture。　To　reduce　a　country's　economic　performance　to　culture　alone　
is　ridiculous；　but　to　analyze　a　country's　economic　performance　without　reference　to　
culture　is　equally　ridiculous；　although　that　is　what　many　economists　and　political　
scientists　want　to　do。　This　subject　is　highly　controversial　and　is　viewed　as　
politically　incorrect　to　introduce。　So　it　is　often　the　elephant　in　the　room　that　no　
one　wants　to　speak　about。　But　I　am　going　to　speak　about　it　here；　for　a　very　simple　
reason：　As　the　world　goes　flat；　and　more　and　more　of　the　tools　of　collaboration　get　
distributed　and　com…moditized；　the　gap　between　cultures　that　have　the　will；　the　way；　
and　the　focus　to　quickly　adopt　these　new　tools　and　apply　them　and　those　that　do　not　
will　matter　more。　The　differences　between　the　two　will　become　amplified。　
One　of　the　most　important　books　on　this　subject　is　The　Wealth　and　Poverty　of　Nations　
by　the　economist　David　Landes。　He　argues　that　although　climate；　natural　resources；　
and　geography　all　play　roles　in　explaining　why　some　countries　are　able　to　make　the　
leap　to　industrialization　and　others　are　not；　the　key　factor　is　actually　a　country's　
cultural　endowments；　particularly　the　degree　to　which　it　has　internalized　the　values　
of　hard　work；　thrift；　honesty；　patience；　and　tenacity；　as　well　as　the　degree　to　which　
it　is　open　to　change；　new　technology；　and　equality　for　women。　One　can　agree　or　disagree　
with　the　balance　Landes　strikes　between　these　cultural　mores　and　other　factors　shaping　
economic　performance。　But　I　find　refreshing　his　insistence　on　elevating　the　culture　
question；　and　his　refusal　to　buy　into　arguments　that　the　continued　stagnation　of　some　
countries　is　simply　about　Western　colonialism；　geography；　or　historical　legacy。　
In　my　own　travels；　two　aspects　of　culture　have　struck　me　as　particularly　relevant　
in　the　flat　world。　One　is　how　outward　your　culture　is：　To　what　degree　is　it　open　to　
foreign　influences　and　ideas？　How　well　does　it　〃glocalize〃？　The　other；　more　intangible；　
is　how　inward　your　culture　is。　By　that　I　mean；　to　what　degree　is　there　a　sense　of　
national　solidarity　and　a　focus　on　development；　to　what　degree　is　there　trust　within　
the　society　
325　
for　strangers　to　collaborate　together；　and　to　what　degree　are　the　elites　in　the　country　
concerned　with　the　masses　and　ready　to　invest　at　home；　or　are　they　indifferent　to　
their　own　poor　and　more　interested　in　investing　abroad？　
The　more　you　have　a　culture　that　naturally　glocalizes…that　is；　the　more　your　culture　
easily　absorbs　foreign　ideas　and　best　practices　and　melds　those　with　its　own　
traditions…the　greater　advantage　you　will　have　in　a　flat　world。　The　natural　ability　


to　glocalize　has　been　one　of　the　strengths　of　Indian　culture；　American　culture；　
Japanese　culture；　and；　lately；　Chinese　culture。　The　Indians；　for　instance；　take　the　
view　that　the　Moguls　come；　the　Moguls　go；　the　British　come；　the　British　go；　we　take　
the　best　and　leave　the　rest…but　we　still　eat　curry；　our　women　still　wear　saris；　and　
we　still　live　in　tightly　bound　extended　family　units。　That's　glo…calizing　at　its　best。　
〃Cultures　that　are　open　and　willing　to　change　have　a　huge　advantage　in　this　world；〃　
said　Jerry　Rao；　the　MphasiS　CEO　who　heads　the　Indian　high…tech　trade　association。　
〃My　great…grandmother　was　illiterate。　My　grandmother　went　to　grade　two。　My　mother　
did　not　go　to　college。　My　sister　has　a　master's　degree　in　economics；　and　my　daughter　
is　at　the　University　of　Chicago。　We　have　done　all　this　in　living　memory；　but　we　have　
been　willing　to　change　。　。　。　You　have　to　have　a　strong　culture；　but　also　the　openness　
to　adapt　and　adopt　from　others。　The　cultural　exclu…sivists　have　a　real　disadvantage。　
Think　about　it；　think　about　the　time　when　the　emperor　in　China　threw　out　the　British　
ambassador。　Who　did　it　hurt？　It　hurt　the　Chinese。　Exclusivity　is　a　dangerous　thing。〃　
Openness　is　critical；　added　Rao；　〃because　you　start　tending　to　respect　people　for　
their　talent　and　abilities。　When　you　are　chatting　with　another　developer　in　another　
part　of　the　world；　you　don't　know　what　his　or　her　color　is。　You　are　dealing　with　people　
on　the　basis　of　talent…not　race　or　ethnicity…and　that　changes；　subtly；　over　time　your　
whole　view　of　human　beings；　if　you　are　in　this　talent…based　and　performance…based　
world　rather　than　the　background…based　world。〃　
This　helps　explain　why　so　many　Muslim　countries　have　been　struggling　as　the　world　
goes　flat。　For　complicated　cultural　and　historical　reasons；　many　of　them　do　not　
glocalize　well；　although　there　are　plenty　of　

exceptions…namely；　Turkey；　Lebanon；　Bahrain；　Dubai；　Indonesia；　and　Malaysia。　All　of　
these　latter　countries；　though；　tend　to　be　the　more　secular　Muslim　nations。　In　a　world　
where　the　single　greatest　advantage　a　culture　can　have　is　the　ability　to　foster　
adaptability　and　adoptability；　the　Muslim　world　today　is　dominated　by　a　religious　
clergy　that　literally　bans　ijtihad；　reinterpretation　of　the　principles　of　Islam　in　
light　of　current　circumstances。　
Think　about　the　whole　mind…set　of　bin　Ladenism。　It　is　to　〃purge〃　Saudi　Arabia　of　all　
foreigners　and　foreign　influences。　That　is　exactly　the　opposite　of　glocalizing　and　
collaborating。　Tribal　culture　and　thinking　still　dominate　in　many　Arab　countries；　
and　the　tribal　mind…set　is　also　anathema　to　collaboration。　What　is　the　motto　of　the　
tribalist？　〃Me　and　my　brother　against　my　cousin；　me；　my　brother；　and　my　cousin　against　
the　outsider。〃　And　what　is　the　motto　of　the　globalists；　those　who　build　collaborative　
supply　chains？　〃Me　and　my　brother　and　my　cousin；　three　friends　from　childhood；　four　
people　in　Australia；　two　in　Beijing；　six　in　Bangalore；　three　from　Germany；　and　four　
people　we've　met　only　over　the　Internet　all　make　up　a　single　global　supply　chain。〃　
In　the　flat　world；　the　division　of　labor　is　steadily　becoming　more　and　more　complex；　
with　a　lot　more　people　interacting　with　a　lot　of　other　people　they　don't　know　and　
may　never　meet。　If　you　want　to　have　a　modern　complex　division　of　labor；　you　have　to　
be　able　to　put　more　trust　in　strangers。　
In　the　Arab…Muslim　world；　argues　David　Landes；　certain　cultural　attitudes　have　in　


many　ways　become　a　barrier　to　development；　particularly　the　tendency　to　still　treat　
women　as　a　source　of　danger　or　pollution　to　be　cut　off　from　the　public　space　and　denied　
entry　into　economic　activities。　When　a　culture　believes　that；　it　loses　a　large　portion　
of　potential　productivity　of　the　society。　A　system　that　privileges　the　men　from　birth　
on；　Landes　also　argues；　simply　because　they　are　male；　and　gives　them　power　over　their　
sisters　and　other　female　members　of　society；　is　bad　for　the　men。　It　builds　in　them　
a　sense　of　entitlement　that　discourages　what　it　takes　to　improve；　to　advance；　and　
to　achieve。　This　sort　of　discrimination；　he　notes；　is　not　something　limited　to　the　
Arab　Middle　East；　of　course。　Indeed；　strains　of　it　are　found　in　different　degrees　
all　around　the　world；　even　in　so…called　advanced　industrial　societies。　
327　
The　Arab…Muslim　world's　resistance　to　glocalization　is　something　that　some　liberal　
Arab　commentators　are　now　focusing　on。　Consider　a　May　5；　2004；　article　in　the　Saudi　
English…language　daily　Arab　News　by　liberal　Saudi　journalist　Raid　Qusti；　titled　〃How　
Long　Before　the　First　Step？〃　
〃Terrorist　incidents　in　Saudi　Arabia　are　more　or　less　becoming　everyday　news。　Every　
time　I　hope　and　pray　that　it　ends；　it　only　seems　to　get　worse；〃　Qusti　wrote。　〃One　
explanation　to　why　all　of　this　is　happening　was　brought　up　by　the　editor　in　chief　
of　Al…Riyadh　newspaper；　Turki　Al…Sudairi；　on　a　program　about　determining　the　roots　
of　the　terrorist　acts。　He　said　that　the　people　carrying　out　these　attacks　shared　the　
ideology　of　the　Juhaiman　movement　that　seized　the　Grand　Mosque　in　the　seventies。　They　
had　an　ideology　of　accusing　others　of　being　infidels　and　giving　themselves　a　free　
hand　to　kill　them；　be　it　Westerners…who；　according　to　them；　ought　to　be　kicked　out　
of　the　Arabian　Peninsula…or　the　Muslim　believer　who　does　not　follow　their　path。　They　
disappeared　in　the　eighties　and　nineties　from　the　public　eye　and　have　again　emerged　
with　their　destructive　ideology。　The　question　Al…Sudairi　forgot　to　bring　up　was：　What　
are　we　Saudis　going　to　do　about　it？　If　we　as　a　nation　decline　to　look　at　the　root　
causes；　as　we　have　for　the　past　two　decades；　it　will　only　be　a　matter　of　time　before　
another　group　of　people　with　the　same　ideology　spring　up。　Have　we　helped　create　these　
monsters？　Our　education　system；　which　does　not　stress　tolerance　of　other　faiths…let　
alone　tolerance　of　followers　of　other　Islamic　schools　of　though