Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World by Michele J. Gelfand

In her book, Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World, Dr. Michele J. Gelfand provides readers with a valuable insight into the two broadly-defined cultures that are present in a variety of global settings – tight and loose cultures. Through her research, she argues that these two cultures are profoundly influential in the way human societies operate and interact, and provides readers with an accessible explanation of why and how these cultures interact on both a global and a more intimate scale.

Drawing from a range of scientific disciplines such as anthropology, economics and public policy, Dr. Gelfand's book provides an admirable deliberation on how globalization can impact these two distinct social cultures. She provides examples of the complex ways in which the tension between tight and loose cultures manifests itself in politics, economics, religion and beyond, creating a comprehensive and well-rounded discussion of the potential implications of globalization.

Through her investigation of human habitats, Dr. Gelfand discovers that the worlds of “tight” and “loose” cultures are actually interdependent, in that the more one culture dominates the global market, the stronger the influence the other culture has on economic and political policy. For example, when considering the implications of the increasing degree of globalization and its effect on the internal affairs of tight and loose cultures, Dr. Gelfand explains how the differences between them can be largely put down to disparities in risk-aversion and pursuing of status.

In describing both tightly regulated and more lax societies, Dr. Gelfand also uncovers the importance of culture in driving human behavior. Dr. Gelfand explains that, while culture is certainly influential in governing behavior, culture itself has the capacity to change and become modified overtime. This idea has wide-ranging implications, as the evolution of culture can provide valuable insight into how societies deal with their enemies, form or dissolve alliances, or even how they create and follow rules.

As well as exploring the impacts of globalization and its repercussions for tight and loose cultures, Rule Makers, Rule Breakers also offers an analytical eye for examining the advantages and disadvantages of living within each of the cultural realms, highlighting the need to better understand cultural differences in order to move forward in a more harmonious fashion. Dr Gelfand’s book serves as a valuable insight into the complexities of tight and loose cultures, a common obstacle for many global societies today, and provides a welcome commentary on how the integration of cultures is essential for the development of a unified global community.