Why Being Wrong Can Be Right: Magical Warfare Technologies and the Persistence of False Beliefs

Nathan Nunn; Raul Sanchez de la Sierra

doi:10.1257/aer.p20171091

Why Being Wrong Can Be Right: Magical Warfare Technologies and the Persistence of False Beliefs

Nathan Nunn¹; Raul Sanchez de la Sierra²

¹ Harvard University, Department of Economics, 1805 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (e-mail: ) · ² University of California Berkeley, Haas School of Business, 2220 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94720 (e-mail: )

American Economic Review 2017

Across human societies, one sees many examples of deeply rooted and widely held beliefs that are almost certainly untrue. Examples include beliefs about witchcraft, magic, ordeals, and superstitions. Why are such incorrect beliefs so prevalent and how do they persist? We consider this question through an examination of superstitions and magic associated with conflict in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Focusing on superstitions related to bullet-proofing, we provide theory and case-study evidence showing how these incorrect beliefs persist. Although harmful at the individual-level, we show that they generate Pareto efficient outcomes that have group-level benefits.

DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20171091
Volume: 107 (5)
Pages: 582-587
Language: en
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