MacArthur succeeded in Japan by utilizing established mechanisms of credibility rather than imposing change wholesale: he photographed himself with the Emperor to acquire legitimacy, sent the Emperor on a public-relations tour to facilitate cooperation, and passed the new constitution through the Diet while accepting ~80-90% of Japanese leaders' suggested revisions—thereby lowering the transaction costs of coordinating people around a cooperative outcome.
causalpending
Speaker
Christopher CoyneEvidence Quote
“we utilized existing institutions which which lowered the transaction costs if you want to think about it that way of coordinating people around a cooperative outcome”
Created: 6/15/2026, 9:29:02 AM
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