000			02188nam a2200217 a 4500
008			130614s2012####xx#||||||||||||||#||####|
022			_a1468-4446
082			_aJournals
100			_aChan, Cheris Shun-ching
245	1	0	_aCulture, state and varieties of capitalism : a comparative study of life insurance markets in Hong Kong and Taiwan _hJournal
260			_a _bBritish Journal of Sociology _c2012
300			_aJournal article
500			_a<p>British Journal of Sociology Vol. 63 no. 1 (Mar 2012), p. 97-122.</p> <p>Available in the library. See journal shelves.</p> <p>Available online.</p>
520			_aThis article examines the interplay between local culture, the state, and economic actors' agency in producing variation across markets. I adopt a political–cultural approach to examining why life insurance has been far more popular in Taiwan than Hong Kong, despite the presence of a cultural taboo on the topic of premature death in both societies. Based on interview data and documentary references, the findings reveal that as an independent state, the Taiwanese government heavily protected domestic insurance firms during their emergence. These domestic firms adopted a market-share approach by re-defining the concept of life insurance to accommodate the local cultural taboo. The colonial Hong Kong government, on the other hand, adopted laissez-faire policies that essentially favoured foreign insurance firms. When faced with the tension between local adaptation and the profitability of the business, these foreign firms chose the latter. Their reluctance to accommodate local cultures, however, resulted in a smaller market. I argue that state actions mediate who the dominant economic players are and that the nature of the dominant players affects the extent of localization. Specifically, the presence of competitive domestic players alongside transnational corporations is more likely to produce varieties of capitalism.
650			_aCapitalism
650			_aSociology
650			_aGlobalisation
650			_aInsurance
650			_alocalism
856			_uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-4446.2011.01395.x _yOpen e-book (Ruskin students only)
999			_c131536 _d131536