ROCKING OUR PRIORS
Episodes
Are Men & Women Scrolling Apart? John Burn-Murdoch
02 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
John Burn-Murdoch (the FT's Chief Data Reporter) and I discuss gendered ideological polarisation. - Does this hold worldwide? - Which groups are mos...
The Making of the Modern Muslim State: Professor Malika Zeghal
22 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Making of the Modern Muslim State: Professor Malika Zeghal by Dr Alice Evans
What caused the Islamic Revival? Professor Jared Rubin
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Jared Rubin has authored two superb books, “Rulers, Religion and Riches” and “How the World Became Rich”. He joined my podcast, to d...
"Raised to Obey": Agustina Paglayan
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Agustina Paglayan has a fascinating new book: “Raised to Obey”! She contends that mass primary education systems were primarily establ...
How does Low Fertility Affect Economic Growth, Worldwide? Jesús Fernández-Villaverde
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How exactly does low fertility affect economic growth, are UN population predictions accurate, what’s driving the decline in fertility, and what can...
Daron Acemoglu, V4.0: Rebooting Culture & Economics!
01 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Daron Acemoglu is famous for his careful empirical research, demonstrating the economic importance of institutions. But actually, he’s don...
How did East Asia Get Rich?
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Oliver Kim has completed his PhD at Berkeley, recently appointed at Open Philanthropy. He does awesome research, carefully examining the drivers of...
Netflix and Change: Tracking Cultural Flux in Autocracies
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“Vikings is no. 1 from all the Saudi men 😂”. Leila chuckled as we browsed top hits on Netflix. For only 30 Riyals (8 USD) a month, Saudis can ...
Culture isn't a fossil, it's a fist-fight!
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Culture is not a static inheritance, but a dynamic arena of ongoing struggle. From the mosques of Jakarta to the classrooms of Louisiana, from TikTok ...
PRESTIGE BIAS
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine: Elon Musk's tweet causes a cryptocurrency frenzy. Kim Kardashian’s outfit becomes an overnight fashion sensation. Daron Acemoglu and collea...
Why Is Management So Male?
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Senior management remains heavily male, and honestly I’m not entirely sure why. Economist Ingrid Haegele finds that junior men are more likely to a...
How Do Men Come To Value Female Talent?
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
During the World War I, the US federal government was short on civil servants and actively recruited women. Abhay Aneja, Silvia Farina, and Guo Xu f...
"Mission-Driven Bureaucrats": Dan Honig
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How can we improve government capacity and public services? In “Mission-Driven Bureaucrats”, Dan Honig argues that civil servants are often deepl...
What Explains The Great GAY Divergence?
29 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine a world where love knows no boundaries, where two people can marry regardless of their gender. Now open your eyes. In some parts of the globe,...
The Islamic Revival: Professor Aaron Rock-Singer
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Aaron Rock-Singer is a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative. He has published two fantastic books, “Practicing Islam: Egy...
Modern Threats and Religious Backlash
20 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Ten Commandments must now be displayed in all Louisiana’s public school classrooms. The law, signed by Republican Governor Jeff Landry, requires...
"Islam And Citizenship in Indonesia": Robert Hefner
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Robert Hefner has a tremendous new book, “Islam and Citizenship in Indonesia: Democracy and the Quest for an Inclusive Public Ethics”. I...
"A History of the Muslim World": Michael Cook
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Cook's "A History of the Muslim World" is my favourite book of 2024. Together, we discussed: - Did Islamic science weaken due to religious au...
What's Driving the Global Decline in Trust?
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Trust is down, worldwide. In India, Iran, Indonesia and Nigeria, less than 15% say that ‘most people can be trusted’. What’s going on? I suggest...
What led to the demise of foot-binding?
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What led to the demise of foot-binding? by Dr Alice Evans
Who are the world's most influential philosophers?
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Who are the world's most influential philosophers? by Dr Alice Evans
What prevents Hindu-Muslim conflict? Saumitra Jha
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Saumitra Jha (Associate Professor of Political Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business) joins me to discuss what prevents Hindu-Muslim con...
Is Pakistan becoming more Patriarchal?
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Over the 20th century, the entire world became more gender equal. Or so I thought. But Pakistan has rocked my priors. Female employment has slightly r...
The Patriarchal Political Order: Soledad Artiz Prillaman
23 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Patriarchal Political Order: Soledad Artiz Prillaman by Dr Alice Evans
Slave-Raiding, Solidarity and Status in Africa
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Slave-Raiding, Solidarity and Status in Africa by Dr Alice Evans
Sub-Saharan Africa's Economic Stagnation
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sub-Saharan Africa's Economic Stagnation by Dr Alice Evans
What Would Reduce Female Genital Cutting?
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What Would Reduce Female Genital Cutting? by Dr Alice Evans
Why is female employment low in India? How might that change? Suhani Jalota & Lisa Ho
10 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why is India's female labour force participation so low? And how might that change? Suhani Jalota and Lisa Ho share insights from their brilliant wor...
Does Egalitarianism enable more Gender Equality?
09 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If everyone is equal, it’s much more acceptable for women to get to the top. In societies where no one is special, men seem much more accepting of ...
Romantic Love is an Under-Rated Driver of Gender Equality
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Patriarchy is reinforced by fraternal solidarity. The Athenian demos, German guilds, Tswana kgotla, Chinese imperial dynasties, Muslim Brotherhood and...
What’s the Future of the US Labor Movement? Suresh Naidu
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the Future of the US Labor Movement? Suresh Naidu by Dr Alice Evans
Why Do East Asian Firms Value Drinking?
25 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
East Asian businesses often go out drinking. Why is this such an important part of corporate culture, relative to other world regions? A month ago, I...
Ideals of Collective Harmony
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In some societies, collective harmony is more highly valued than self-expression. If people are reluctant to speak out, prior culture is more likely t...
Ideals of Upward Mobility
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What I am about to say may make you feel uncomfortable. Some may even find it offensive. In some circles, it’s still a distasteful taboo. Westerners...
How is East Asian culture different?
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
East Asian societies tend to idealise: - Meritocracy and reverence for education - Upward mobility and economic prosperity (trumping the afterlife) ...
Hostile Sexism in South Korea: Professor Jouen Kim
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hostile Sexism in South Korea: Professor Jouen Kim by Dr Alice Evans
What Prevents & What Drives Gendered Ideological Polarisation?
27 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Across much of the world, men and women think alike. However, in countries that are economically developed and culturally liberal, young men and women...
How do Exogamy and Endogamy shape Economics and Culture?
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Exogamy and endogamy aren’t just about who marries your daughter, but with whom you barter, truck and exchange. Marriage was fundamentally about eco...
Why are some rich countries conservative?
21 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the West economic development spawned individualism and the spirit of ‘68. Modernisation theorists predicted that growth would deliver liberalism...
How East Asia overtook South Asia on Gender
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1900, East and South Asia were extremely patriarchal. Men were revered as high status, while female sacrifice was glorified. By socialising women t...
Why do Poor Indian Women Reject Office Jobs?
30 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why is Indian female labour force participation ultra low? To investigate, Suhani Jalota and Lisa Ho ran a Randomised Control Trial in Mumbai. They fi...
"Conquest & Rents": Professor Faisal Ahmed
07 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Muslim societies are more likely to be authoritarian and marred in civil war. The big question is why? Faisal Ahmed presents a new theory: “Conques...
Stopping Sexual Harassment
16 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Stopping Sexual Harassment by Dr Alice Evans
“The Two-Parent Privilege”
16 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“The Two-Parent Privilege” by Dr Alice Evans
Can We End Alcohol Abuse?
09 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One feasible way to massively reduce violence is to tackle alcohol abuse. It is one of the single largest predictors of gender based violence worldwid...
The Rise and Fall of the East, Professor Yasheng Huang
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A conversation with MIT Professor Yasheng Huang Why is the CCP so resilient? How did the keju imperial examinations shape Chinese autocracy and cultu...
How to Study the Rise of the Far Right?
26 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why do a quarter of European young men say they’ll vote for the far right? It’s not just men. In France, The Netherlands and Belgium, the far rig...
Why are Gender Pay Gaps so Huge in Japan and South Korea?
25 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
All East Asian tigers have converged economically with rich industrialised democracies, but only some have converged culturally, in terms of gender eq...
Confidence, Competitiveness and Institutions
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Men comprise 90% of heads of state, 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs, and 90% of applications for patents. Prestigious positions are dominated by men. Why is ...
How does Rural Prosperity affect Marriages in Bangladesh?
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Poverty entrenches cousin marriage and patriarchal controls. What happens when crop yields improve and families become wealthier? Mobabark, Kuhn & P...
Extreme Flooding worsens Early Marriage & Early Motherhood
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Monsoon rains can cause enormous damage. Extreme floods are becoming more frequent, alongside global warming. Extreme flooding may increase early ma...
The East Asian Miracle (for women)
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Societies vary in their preference for female seclusion. But regardless of culture, female employment rises with job-creating growth. Singapore provid...
Does Emigration foster Conservatism?
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Panel data provides useful information about attitudinal change in that place. But even if certain countries show persistent traditionalism, we cannot...
How can rich countries promote gender equality in development cooperation?
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The UK government will publish a white paper on international development by the end of 2023. It will set out their approach to international developm...
Does Fiction Foster Empathy?
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
By immersing ourselves in another person’s trials and tribulations, are we better able to recognise diverse perspectives and constraints? Might rea...
Can Social Media Campaigns undo Sexism?
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Egypt is one of the most patriarchal countries in the world. 90% of men say that ‘a woman should tolerate violence to keep the family together’. ...
Culture and Jobs in Asia
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A new NBER paper by Barbara Fraumeni sheds light on how culture mediates gender gaps in education and employment. https://www.nber.org/papers/w31535 ...
"Freedoms Delayed": Timur Kuran (review)
06 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why does the Middle East rank poorly for rule of law, trust, civil liberties and corruption? Waqfs and apostasy rules are the root causes, argues Timu...
"Outsourcing Repression": Professor Lynette Ong
04 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How has the CCP maintained control? - Coercive violence is outsourced to thugs, enabling the state to maintain legitimacy. - Respected social networks...
“Putin vs. the People”: Greene & Robertson (review)
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In “Putin vs. the People”, Samuel Greene and Graham Robertson suggest the annexation of Crimea triggered a groundswell of national pride. Russians...
The Origins of States
30 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What led to the emergence of states? David Schönholzer and Pieter François have a fascinating new paper, arguing that states, cooperation and conf...
Wartime Patriarchs
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When states are under siege, they militarise. Frightened publics want bellicose leaders and higher military spending. Once in power, militarists entre...
Did Gulags make Russians Anti-Gay?
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Prisons may have far-reaching effects on culture, especially where incarceration is widespread. Russia has high rates of both imprisonment and homopho...
Does Patriarchal Policing Suppress Innovation?
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Culturally tight societies tend to have fewer innovations. Could asymmetric cultural policing help explain women's lower share of patents and leadersh...
Corruption & Votes for Women
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A wealth of evidence from the US, Eastern Europe and Latin America suggests that when voters are concerned about corruption, they favour female outsid...
What does "Barbie" get wrong about patriarchy?
23 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The new “Barbie” film portrays the rise and fall of patriarchy. I have assessed its empirical accuracy. If you’ve watched it and want to refl...
The Rise of the Right in Southern Europe
22 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Right-wing parties have surged to power in Italy and Greece. Spaniards vote tomorrow, it may be for a right-wing government. What explains this tren...
"Conquests & Rents" by Faisal Ahmed (review)
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone knows that Muslim societies are more likely to be authoritarian and marred in civil war. The typical Muslim society is twice as likely to exp...
Working-Class Men's Patriarchal Nostalgia
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
‘Good jobs’ for high school graduates have dwindled. Manufacturing and other manual-intensive occupations that on average paid substantially hi...
Queens of the Arabs
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that Arab tribes in the 8th-7th century BCE were mostly led by women? While this is not evidence of wider matriarchy, it certainly rocks ...
Imperial Expansion & Female Seclusion in Assyria
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Assyria was the world’s first empire. Powerful kings marshalled professional armies, conquered vast territory (from Anatolia to the Persian Gulf), p...
Attacks on Women who Rise Up
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When women rise up to positions of power, they are often attacked. Gianmarco Daniele, Gemma Dipoppa, and Massimo Pulejo have a tremendous paper anal...
The Economic & Cultural Causes of Conflict
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Economic & Cultural Causes of Conflict by Dr Alice Evans
Does Patriarchy Suppress Cognitive Development?
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Does Patriarchy Suppress Cognitive Development? by Dr Alice Evans
Why was Ancient Nubia less controlling than Ancient Egypt?
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ancient Nubia presents a puzzle, suggests David Wengrow. “How [did] its population manage to prevent the emergence of domination in their own mids...
The Roots of Cooperation
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Americans used to farm a rich variety of crops. Some were very labour intensive, requiring neighbourly cooperation. In these counties, parents were mo...
Why are East Asians culturally tight collectivists?
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
East Asians typically prefer social cohesion and harmony, rather than self-expression and individualism. They are ‘culturally tight’. While Latin ...
Why has Latin American female employment risen in the absence of growth?
01 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why has Latin American female employment risen in the absence of growth? by Dr Alice Evans
Have house prices pushed up female employment?
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have house prices pushed up female employment? by Dr Alice Evans
"Power & Progress": Professor Daron Acemoglu
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We are living in an age of incredible technological innovation. But is it actually benefitting humanity? MIT Professors Daron Acemoglu and Simon Jo...
Toxic Masculinity
25 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lead poisoning rots your brain. Babies exposed to lead are more likely to academically under-perform, get suspended, and become violent criminals. As...
Reverse Dominance Coalitions
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Status inequalities persist if they are normalised and culturally celebrated, while critics are shamed, disparaged and ostracised. Culture only change...
What’s the biggest human rights abuse in China?
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“Violent Intimacy” - a new book by Tiantian Zhen - highlights how the Chinese state perpetuates extreme cruelty.
Why dont men want so many kids?
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Both conservatives and progressives typically presume that falling fertility is due to a shift in women’s preferences. Conservatives often lay bla...
Parenting, violence & fertility: 4 papers from Libertad Gonzalez
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Parenting, violence & fertility: 4 papers from Libertad Gonzalez by Dr Alice Evans
What is Patriarchy?
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I was just asked to define patriarchy in two sentences. Let me try! In patriarchal societies, prestigious positions are dominated by men; this rein...
Paternity leave (in feminist Spain) promotes gender equality among kids
11 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2007, the Spanish government introduced 2 weeks of paternity leave. A fantastic new paper by Lídia Farré, Christina Felfe, Libertad González and...
Economic Precarity & Cultural Persistence
10 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why have some countries undergone rapid cultural change, while others are marked by persistence? And why does social norm policing often revolve aroun...
How Culture Normalises Patriarchy
09 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Norms matter, but how exactly? What are the precise mechanisms of cultural persistence? Drawing on my qualitative research in India, Mexico, Morocco, ...
How Popular is Andrew Tate? And Why?
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Tate gained notoriety on social media for espousing sexism. A new public opinion poll by YouGov rocks my priors. Favourability is far higher th...
Depression and low fertility. Coincidence?
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Wealthy societies are struggling with twin crises: depression and low fertility. Is this a coincidence? Happiness and hope for the future may be nece...
How might Generative AI affect patriarchy?
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The future is up for grabs. Nothing is pre-determined. We are all ships navigating through oceans of technological innovations, corporate monopolies, ...
What can Google Trends tell us about secularisation and masculinity in the US, Mexico and India?
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As a social scientist, I see myself as constructing a four-dimensional jigsaw, piecing together little bits of data, identifying patterns and iterativ...
Is there a Crisis of Masculinity?
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump's and Andrew Tate's sexism may go viral, but such views are vanishing. Although algorithms turbo-charge hate, Europeans and Americans inc...
Why isn't Canada a feminist utopia?
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Top jobs are universally male-dominated. In response, feminists push for state-subsidised childcare, more involved fathers, and greater support for ge...
The Motherhood Penalty
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Academia no longer discriminates against women. Controlling for publications, men and women are just as likely to be promoted. But this control neglec...
Does rising income inequality fuel female employment?
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Small town Alabama rocked my priors. “People here are very judgemental, they look down on you based on wealth, your house, your car or if you’re w...
What explains uneven progress towards gender equality?
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Prejudice and privilege are self-perpetuating. High-status individuals maintain institutions that serve their interests, enabling them to consolidate ...
A Unified Theory of Marriage
08 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Marriage rates are falling, in some countries faster than others. What explains this global trajectory and heterogeneity? Consider three interacting v...
"Sacred Foundations: The Religious & Medieval Roots of the European State". Prof Anna Grzymala-Busse
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What led to state formation in Europe? Professor Anna Grzymała-Busse argues that rivalry & emulation of the Church enabled state-making! Medieval ki...