scholarly journals Underappreciated features of cultural evolution

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1828) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Smolla ◽  
Fredrik Jansson ◽  
Laurent Lehmann ◽  
Wybo Houkes ◽  
Franz J. Weissing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Combinatorial Properties ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Cultural Systems

Cultural evolution theory has long been inspired by evolutionary biology. Conceptual analogies between biological and cultural evolution have led to the adoption of a range of formal theoretical approaches from population dynamics and genetics. However, this has resulted in a research programme with a strong focus on cultural transmission. Here, we contrast biological with cultural evolution, and highlight aspects of cultural evolution that have not received sufficient attention previously. We outline possible implications for evolutionary dynamics and argue that not taking them into account will limit our understanding of cultural systems. We propose 12 key questions for future research, among which are calls to improve our understanding of the combinatorial properties of cultural innovation, and the role of development and life history in cultural dynamics. Finally, we discuss how this vibrant research field can make progress by embracing its multidisciplinary nature. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Foundations of cultural evolution’.

scholarly journals Underappreciated similarities and differences between cultural and biological evolution, and the future of cultural evolution thinking

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Smolla ◽  
Fredrik Jansson ◽  
Laurent Lehmann ◽  
Wybo Houkes ◽  
Franz J Weissing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Cultural Systems

Cultural evolution theory has long been inspired by evolutionary biology. Conceptual analogies between biological and cultural evolution have led to the adoption of a range of formal theoretical approaches from population dynamics and genetics. However, this has resulted in a research programme with a strong focus on cultural transmission. Here, we contrast biological with cultural evolution, and highlight aspects of cultural evolution that have not received sufficient attention previously. We outline possible implications for evolutionary dynamics and argue that not taking them into account will limit our understanding of cultural systems. We provide suggestions for future research directions and discuss how this vibrant research field can embrace its multidisciplinary nature.

scholarly journals Internationalization of state-owned enterprises from emerging markets: Overview of theoretical approaches

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-255
Author(s):  
Daria S. Klishevich ◽  
◽  
Andrey Yu. Panibratov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
State Ownership ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Institutional Perspective ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Emerging Market Countries ◽  
International Strategies

The article presents the analysis of the theoretical and empirical research on the phenomenon of the internationalization of state-owned enterprises from emerging market countries. Contemporary internationalized state-owned enterprises are far from the uncompetitive and ineffective firms of the 20th century that mostly operated domestically and give examples of truly exciting international strategies. However the question stays open, namely how exactly state ownership shapes their international strategies. The existing studies are vast and lack systematization, and the purpose of this article is to analyze the most widely used theoretical approaches that investigate internationalization of emerging markets of stateowned enterprises. The most popular theoretical approach to study the internationalization of emerging markets of state-owned enterprises is the institutional perspective that studies how the interplay of state ownership of companies and institutional environment shapes their international strategies. Nevertheless, the synergy of theoretical approaches is needed in order to extend knowledge on the internationalization of the state-owned enterprises. Examples of such a synergy are presented in this paper. It also offers prospects for future research and further topics to study. Analysis of theoretical approaches that study internationalization of emerging markets of state-owned enterprises helps map the research field and show where it is moving. The paper has value for both academia and practitioners that deal with the global expansion of state-owned enterprises from emerging markets.

Cultural Evolution in Animals

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Whiten
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Controlled Experiments ◽  
Cumulative Culture ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Invertebrate Species ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
Cumulative Cultural Evolution

In recent decades, a burgeoning literature has documented the cultural transmission of behavior through social learning in numerous vertebrate and invertebrate species. One meaning of “cultural evolution in animals” refers to these discoveries, and I present an overview of key findings. I then address the other meaning of the term focused on cultural changes within a lineage. Such changes in humans, described as “cumulative cultural evolution,” have been spectacular, but relatively little attention has yet been paid to the topic in nonhuman animals, other than asserting that the process is unique to humans. A variety of evidence including both controlled experiments and field observations has begun to challenge this view, and in some behavioral domains, notably birdsong, cultural evolution has been studied for many years. In this review, I dissect concepts of cultural evolution and cumulative culture and appraise the accumulating evidence bearing on their nature and significance for evolutionary biology at large.

The Context of Terrorism for Managing People in Multinational Enterprises

2021 ◽  
pp. 133-155
Author(s):  
Benjamin Bader ◽  
Carol Reade
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity Theory ◽  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Stress Theory ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
As Stress ◽  
The Individual

A number of research studies have been published in recent years dealing with the implications of terrorism for human resource management (HRM)–related issues, mostly at the individual level. Different theoretical perspectives have been utilized, such as stress theory, social identity theory, and social support theory, and the respective studies have contributed to our knowledge in this important research field. Nonetheless, a comprehensive theoretical approach at the organizational level relevant to HRM in the context of terrorism is lacking. To address this shortcoming, this chapter examines extant literature on the influence of terrorism on HRM-related issues, integrates several theoretical approaches that emerge from this literature, and introduces an HRM terrorism-response theory relevant for companies operating in countries afflicted with terrorism. Avenues for future research are discussed and practical implications are derived.

scholarly journals Analysing the Diversification of Cultural Variants using Longitudinal Richness Data

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Gjesfjeld ◽  
Enrico R. Crema ◽  
Anne Kandler
Keyword(s):  
Population Size ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Diversification Rate ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Time Averaging ◽  
Rate Analysis ◽  
Transmission Modes ◽  
Cultural Data

One of the most significant challenges for cultural evolution is the inference of macroevolutionary patterns from historical and archaeological sources of cultural data. Here, we examine the utility of diversification rate analysis for observing trends in the mode and tempo of cultural evolution using simulated cultural data sets. We explore a range of scenarios in which transmission modes, population size, and innovation rates change over time and generate population-frequency data. From this data, we extract longitudinal richness and further reduce its completeness through time-averaging and random sampling. Given that perfect population-level frequencies can rarely be assumed or even approximated from historical data, these simulated scenarios provide the grounds for exploring the inferential power of longitudinal richness data. Results suggest that diversification rate analysis can identify profiles of underlying changes in population size, innovation rates, and cultural transmission. Furthermore, our results highlight a series of methodological outcomes that can be used to enhance future research into the dynamic patterns of cultural evolution.

scholarly journals Culture evolves

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1567) ◽  
pp. 938-948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Whiten ◽  
Robert A. Hinde ◽  
Kevin N. Laland ◽  
Christopher B. Stringer
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
Human Culture ◽  
The World ◽  
Contrary View ◽  
Ancient Times

Culture pervades human lives and has allowed our species to create niches all around the world and its oceans, in ways quite unlike any other primate. Indeed, our cultural nature appears so distinctive that it is often thought to separate humanity from the rest of nature and the Darwinian forces that shape it. A contrary view arises through the recent discoveries of a diverse range of disciplines, here brought together to illustrate the scope of a burgeoning field of cultural evolution and to facilitate cross-disciplinary fertilization. Each approach emphasizes important linkages between culture and evolutionary biology rather than quarantining one from the other. Recent studies reveal that processes important in cultural transmission are more widespread and significant across the animal kingdom than earlier recognized, with important implications for evolutionary theory. Recent archaeological discoveries have pushed back the origins of human culture to much more ancient times than traditionally thought. These developments suggest previously unidentified continuities between animal and human culture. A third new array of discoveries concerns the later diversification of human cultures, where the operations of Darwinian-like processes are identified, in part, through scientific methods borrowed from biology. Finally, surprising discoveries have been made about the imprint of cultural evolution in the predispositions of human minds for cultural transmission.

scholarly journals The Big Man Mechanism: how prestige fosters cooperation and creates prosocial leaders

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1683) ◽  
pp. 20150013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Henrich ◽  
Maciej Chudek ◽  
Robert Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Leaders And Followers ◽  
Psychology And Economics ◽  
Emergence Of Cooperation ◽  
Cultural Evolutionary ◽  
Large Groups ◽  
Status Differences

Anthropological evidence from diverse societies suggests that prestige-based leadership may provide a foundation for cooperation in many contexts. Here, inspired by such ethnographic observations and building on a foundation of existing research on the evolution of prestige, we develop a set of formal models to explore when an evolved prestige psychology might drive the cultural evolution of n -person cooperation, and how such a cultural evolutionary process might create novel selection pressures for genes that make prestigious individuals more prosocial. Our results reveal (i) how prestige can foster the cultural emergence of cooperation by generating correlated behavioural phenotypes, both between leaders and followers, and among followers; (ii) why, in the wake of cultural evolution, natural selection favours genes that make prestigious leaders more prosocial, but only when groups are relatively small; and (iii), why the effectiveness of status differences in generating cooperation in large groups depends on cultural transmission (and not primarily on deference or coercion). Our theoretical framework, and the specific predictions made by these models, sketch out an interdisciplinary research programme that cross-cuts anthropology, biology, psychology and economics. Some of our predictions find support from laboratory work in behavioural economics and are consistent with several real-world patterns.

A network perspective on organizational learning research in tourism and hospitality

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 2602-2625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Binder
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Social Capital Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review existing literature on organizational learning (OL) through networking activities in tourism and hospitality (T&H) research. Referring to theories and concepts from the mainstream literature in OL and inter-organizational network research, the study provides an overview of the existing level of knowledge in T&H research, elaborates theoretical and practical implications and suggests future research directions. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review approach was used to identify and analyze relevant literature. The literature search involved six scientific online databases, namely, EBSCOhost, Emerald, ProQuest, Sage, ScienceDirect and Web of Knowledge, which were systematically scanned with defined keywords. Relevant articles were evaluated, selected, analyzed and synthesized to find out what is already known and what is yet to be known. Findings A total of 69 articles were identified that present insights into OL through networking activities in T&H research. The review reveals that the resource, and especially the knowledge-based view of the firm, social capital theory, the relational view and trust and agglomeration theory represent insightful theoretical approaches to study OL phenomena and OL outcomes such as innovation, value creation and competitive advantage. Originality/value According to the author’s information, this paper represents the first attempt to provide a comprehensive review of T&H-specific OL literature from a network perspective. The findings call for increased attention to this research field, especially regarding the adaptation of OL concepts to a T&H-specific context as a networked industry.

The Oxford Handbook of the Quality of Government

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Political Legitimacy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Public Power ◽  
Civil Conflicts ◽  
Theoretical Approaches

Recent research demonstrates that the quality of public institutions is crucial for a number of important environmental, social, economic, and political outcomes, and thereby human well-being broadly conceived. The Quality of Government (QoG) approach directs attention to issues such as impartiality in the exercise of public power, professionalism in public service delivery, effective measures against corruption, and meritocracy instead of patronage and nepotism. The 38 chapters in this handbook offer a comprehensive, state of the art overview of this rapidly expanding research field and also identify viable avenues for future research. The initial chapters focus on theoretical approaches and debates, and the central question of how QoG can be measured. The remaining chapters examine the wealth of empirical research on how QoG relates to democratic accountability, ethnic diversity, human well-being, economic growth, political legitimacy, environmental sustainability, gender equality, social cohesion, and the outbreak of civil conflicts. A third set of chapters turns to the perennial issue of what contextual factors and policy approaches have proven successful (and not so successful) for increasing QoG. The QoG approach both challenges and complements important strands of inquiry in the social sciences. For research about democratization, QoG adds the importance of taking state capacity into account. For economics, the QoG approach shows that in order to produce economic prosperity, markets need to be embedded in institutions with a certain set of qualities. For development studies, QoG emphasizes that issues concerned with corruption are integral to understanding development writ large.

scholarly journals A Bibliometric Overview of Tourism Family Business

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12822
Author(s):  
Beatriz Forés ◽  
Zélia Breithaupt Janssen ◽  
Heitor Takashi Kato
Keyword(s):  
Family Business ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Family Businesses ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Integrative Framework ◽  
Marketing Orientation ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
Business Competitiveness

Family businesses are of particular economic relevance in the international hospitality and tourism industry. However, there are few studies that address their specific characteristics and objectives. The aim of this study is to produce a bibliometric overview that reveals the structure underpinning the analysis of the tourism family business in the business and management research field. The study also reveals the evolution of this research over time, as well as the most relevant related concepts and study gaps. Through a keyword co-occurrence analysis and a systematic review of 129 studies on tourism family businesses published between 1997 and 2020, the main contributions were organized into four thematic clusters, which include specific theoretical approaches. The clusters are Entrepreneurship, Marketing Orientation and Innovation Performance; Capabilities and Competitiveness; Sustainability; and Strategy and Economic Performance. On the basis of these results, this study introduces an integrative framework for tourism family business research, clarifying the rich diversity of research paths that seek to explain tourism business competitiveness, and identifying potential directions for future research aimed at further developing the field.

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