How culture shapes choices related to fertility and mortality: causal evidence at the Swiss language border
Results from cultural evolutionary theory often suggest that social learning can lead cultural groups to differ markedly in the same environment. Put differently, cultural evolutionary processes can in principle stabilise behavioural differences between groups, which in turn could lead selection pre...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
|
| Series: | Evolutionary Human Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2513843X24000197/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797213279367462912 |
|---|---|
| author | Lisa Faessler Rafael Lalive Charles Efferson |
| author_facet | Lisa Faessler Rafael Lalive Charles Efferson |
| author_sort | Lisa Faessler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Results from cultural evolutionary theory often suggest that social learning can lead cultural groups to differ markedly in the same environment. Put differently, cultural evolutionary processes can in principle stabilise behavioural differences between groups, which in turn could lead selection pressures to vary across cultural groups. Separating the effects of culture from other confounds, however, is often a daunting, sometimes intractable challenge for the working empiricist. To meet this challenge, we exploit a cultural border dividing Switzerland in ways that are independent of institutional, environmental, and genetic variation. Using a regression discontinuity design, we estimate discontinuities at the border in terms of preferences related to fertility and mortality, the two basic components of genetic fitness. We specifically select six referenda related to health and fertility and analyse differences in the proportion of yes votes across municipalities on the two sides of the border. Our results show multiple discontinuities and thus indicate a potential role of culture in shaping stable differences between groups in preferences and choices related to individual health and fertility. These findings further suggest that at least one of the two groups, in order to uphold its cultural values, has supported policies that could impose fitness costs on individuals relative to the alternative policy under consideration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:55:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cdded037a09d4253bea7e05b633fa5e0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2513-843X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:55:45Z |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Evolutionary Human Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-cdded037a09d4253bea7e05b633fa5e02024-04-12T07:34:14ZengCambridge University PressEvolutionary Human Sciences2513-843X12710.1017/ehs.2024.19How culture shapes choices related to fertility and mortality: causal evidence at the Swiss language borderLisa Faessler0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8583-3586Rafael Lalive1Charles Efferson2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8244-4497Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Lausanne, SwitzerlandFaculty of Business and Economics, University of Lausanne, SwitzerlandFaculty of Business and Economics, University of Lausanne, SwitzerlandResults from cultural evolutionary theory often suggest that social learning can lead cultural groups to differ markedly in the same environment. Put differently, cultural evolutionary processes can in principle stabilise behavioural differences between groups, which in turn could lead selection pressures to vary across cultural groups. Separating the effects of culture from other confounds, however, is often a daunting, sometimes intractable challenge for the working empiricist. To meet this challenge, we exploit a cultural border dividing Switzerland in ways that are independent of institutional, environmental, and genetic variation. Using a regression discontinuity design, we estimate discontinuities at the border in terms of preferences related to fertility and mortality, the two basic components of genetic fitness. We specifically select six referenda related to health and fertility and analyse differences in the proportion of yes votes across municipalities on the two sides of the border. Our results show multiple discontinuities and thus indicate a potential role of culture in shaping stable differences between groups in preferences and choices related to individual health and fertility. These findings further suggest that at least one of the two groups, in order to uphold its cultural values, has supported policies that could impose fitness costs on individuals relative to the alternative policy under consideration.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2513843X24000197/type/journal_article |
| spellingShingle | Lisa Faessler Rafael Lalive Charles Efferson How culture shapes choices related to fertility and mortality: causal evidence at the Swiss language border Evolutionary Human Sciences |
| title | How culture shapes choices related to fertility and mortality: causal evidence at the Swiss language border |
| title_full | How culture shapes choices related to fertility and mortality: causal evidence at the Swiss language border |
| title_fullStr | How culture shapes choices related to fertility and mortality: causal evidence at the Swiss language border |
| title_full_unstemmed | How culture shapes choices related to fertility and mortality: causal evidence at the Swiss language border |
| title_short | How culture shapes choices related to fertility and mortality: causal evidence at the Swiss language border |
| title_sort | how culture shapes choices related to fertility and mortality causal evidence at the swiss language border |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2513843X24000197/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lisafaessler howcultureshapeschoicesrelatedtofertilityandmortalitycausalevidenceattheswisslanguageborder AT rafaellalive howcultureshapeschoicesrelatedtofertilityandmortalitycausalevidenceattheswisslanguageborder AT charlesefferson howcultureshapeschoicesrelatedtofertilityandmortalitycausalevidenceattheswisslanguageborder |