The phrase "carrot and stick" is a metaphor for when two different methods of incentivisation are simultaneously employed; the "carrot", referring to the promising and giving of desired rewards in exchange for cooperation; and the "stick", referring to the threat of undesired consequences in response to noncompliance or to compel compliance. In politics, the terms are respectively analogous to the concepts of soft and hard power. A political example of a carrot may be the promise of foreign aid or military support, while the stick may be the threat of military action or imposition of economic sanctions.
Origin
The earliest English-language references to the "carrot and stick" come from authors in the mid-19th century who in turn wrote in reference to a caricature or cartoon of the time that depicted a race between donkey riders, with the losing jockey using the strategy of beating his steed with "blackthorn twigs" to urge it forward; meanwhile, the winner of the race has tied a carrot to the end of his stick and simply sits in his saddle relaxing and dangling the carrot in front of his donkey. In fact, in some oral traditions, turnips were used instead of carrots as the donkey's temptation.
Decades later, the idea appeared in a letter from Winston Churchill, dated July 6, 1938: "Thus, by every device from the stick to the carrot, the emaciated Austrian donkey is made to pull the Nazi barrow up an ever-steepening hill."
The Southern Hemisphere caught up in 1947 and 1948 amid Australian newspaper commentary about the need to stimulate productivity following World War II.
The earliest uses of the idiom in widely available U.S. periodicals were in The Economist's December 11, 1948 issue and in a Daily Republic newspaper article that same year that discussed Russia's economy.
In the German language, as well as Russian and Ukrainian, a related idiom translates as pastry and whip.
In Mexico, president and dictator Porfirio Diaz was known for his pan o palo (bread or stick) policy. While Diaz favored conciliation, he also saw the necessity of violence as an option, epitomized by his statement: "Five fingers or five bullets."
See also
- Aversives, the use of unpleasant stimuli to change behavior
- Operant conditioning, the use of rewards and punishments to change behavior
- Throffer, a combination of a threat and an offer
References
- "Carrot and stick definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- Montague, Edward P. (1849). Narrative of the late expedition to the Dead Sea: From a diary by one of the party. Carey and Hart. p. 139.
Edward p Montague the idea that persuasion is better than force.
- Child, Lydia Maria (1871). The Children of Mount Ida: And Other Stories. Charles S. Francis.
- Safire, William (December 31, 1995). "On Language – Gotcha! Gang Strikes Again". New York Times. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- "Douglas wilkie's News Sense UK Workers Must Produce More". The Daily News. 1947-08-05. p. 5. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
- "Increased Productivity". Daily Advertiser. 1948-02-14. p. 2. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
- "Marxist Socialism Abandoned, Russian Economy Capitalistic (1948) - on Newspapers.com". The Daily Republic. 24 February 1948. p. 4. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
- Schell, William Jr., "Politics and Government: 1876–1910" in Encyclopedia of Mexico. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn 1997.
External links
- EconPapers abstract for an experiment using this model "The Carrot or the Stick: Rewards, Punishments, and Cooperation"
| Carrots | |
|---|---|
| Culinary usage | |
| Related topics | |
