Peer Pressure for the Win!

Really good, short article from livinginperu.com, also alludes to an article from the Economist... gives a broad idea of the electoral race in Peru right now, five days until election.  If no candidate has an official majority, it will go to a runoff a month later.

Also, I got two very exciting pieces of mail today! One, my electronic Spanish-English translator.  Its bigger than I hoped (not truly pocket-sized) but I think it'll do.  It's not like I'm going to bring it out in casual conversations, but will be helpful when reading or trying to learn new vocab.  Other piece of mail was a book, Tina Rosenberg's Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World.

I heard her speaking on NPR and was beyond excited, because this is exactly the kind of social development work that I'm interested in.  My psychologist parents have always commented on my sensitivity to "community" and its importance, and I think that's very true about myself.  For one, I saw it as a very important and valid factor in my search for a religious identity.  I became even more interested in the topic over the past year, between reading the Tipping Point and seeing the Social Network.  Combining the two, I got the idea that an awesome tool for youth development, or really any global development projects, would be to create "prestigious" groups that encourage positive lifestyles and choices.  And I don't mean the "you're so cool for living above the influence!" campaigns.  What I am referring to is tapping into the unbeatable human need for belonging, in structured, hierarchical, and exclusive groups.  These adjectives are generally seen as negative, similar to the word "peer pressure."  Of course they are.  Together, those words suggest a gang or cult.  But think about what a gang or cult provides to people- a sense of belonging.  a sense of purpose in your role and your life.  a mission.  role models. pride.  identity.


These are some of the most powerful drivers of human behavior, and in some ways it's amazing that we haven't done more in social programs to tap into their power!  I am really interested in the possibility of creating "anti-gangs," organizations that provide the same motivators but towards positive ends, like social activism, education, alcoholism prevention, and entrepreneurship.  Tina Rosenberg covers some examples from around the world that show how we can use the power of peer pressure for good.

As a caveat, as much as I loved the Tipping Point, I think its important to take books like these with a grain of salt because the authors clearly make an argument that they are trying to prove throughout the book.  They interpret data in untraditional ways, which often leads to important findings, but sometimes the statistical support just still isn't there.  I believe her basic theory is right so I want to read it, but I won't automatically believe that every example shows the correct relationship between causes and effects.