@TechReport{iza:izadps:dp9701, author={Akerlof, George A. and Snower, Dennis J.}, title={Bread and Bullets}, year={2016}, month={Feb}, institution={Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)}, address={Bonn}, type={IZA Discussion Paper}, number={9701}, url={https://www.iza.org/publications/dp9701}, abstract={Standard economics omits the role of narratives (the stories that people tell themselves and others) when they make all kinds of decisions. Narratives play a role in understanding the environment; focusing attention; predicting events; motivating action; assigning social roles and identities; defining power relations; and establishing and conveying social norms. This paper describes the role narratives play in decision making, as it also juxtaposes this description against the backdrop of the Bolshevik-spawned narrative that played a critical role in the history of Russia and the Soviet Union in the 20th Century.}, keywords={motivation;attention;prediction;identity;social assignment;narrative}, }