CULTURE, STRUCTURE, OR CHOICE? Essays in the Interpretation of the British Experience; Table of Contents; Foreword; Preface and Acknowledgments; Part A PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES; Chapter 1 The Dilemma of Culturalism; Chapter 2 The Alternatives to Culturalism; Part B ISSUES AND ANSWERS; Chapter 3 Was Britain Different? Protestantism, Property Rights, and State Power in the Rise of Modern Capitalism; Chapter 4 Did Britain Change? An Inquiry into the Causes of Economic Decline; Chapter 5 Why Has Britain Persisted? The Uncertain Bases of Political Support in the British Polity; Part C REPRISE
Chapter 6 Some Lessons from the IssuesBibliography; Author Index; Subject Index
Summary
The study of politics has been profoundly influenced in the post-war era by the introduction of concepts and explanations that highlight the role of culturally determined norms and values in shaping the political process. This study examines three main perspectives from which the social sciences are discussed, and compares the divergent theories by which social, economic, and political phenomena may be explained. Rational-choice theory is contrasted with the structuralist and the culturalist perspectives. The controversy is then given substance through the introduction of three issues cen
