Carrot and stick

Metaphor for the use of punishment and reward

For other uses, see Carrot and stick (disambiguation).

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.[1] 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

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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.[2][3] In fact, in some oral traditions, turnips were used instead of carrots as the donkey's temptation.

"Europe 1916", an anti-war cartoon by Boardman Robinson, depicting Death enticing an emaciated donkey towards a precipice with a carrot labeled "Victory" at the end of a stick

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."[4]

The Southern Hemisphere caught up in 1947 and 1948 amid Australian newspaper commentary about the need to stimulate productivity following World War II.[5][6]

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.[7]

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."[8]

## See also

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* 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

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1. ^ "Carrot and stick definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
2. ^ 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."
3. ^ Child, Lydia Maria (1871). The Children of Mount Ida: And Other Stories. Charles S. Francis.
4. ^ Safire, William (December 31, 1995). "On Language – Gotcha! Gang Strikes Again". New York Times. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
5. ^ "Douglas wilkie's News Sense UK Workers Must Produce More". The Daily News. 1947-08-05. p. 5. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
6. ^ "Increased Productivity". Daily Advertiser. 1948-02-14. p. 2. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
7. ^ "Marxist Socialism Abandoned, Russian Economy Capitalistic (1948) - on Newspapers.com". The Daily Republic. 24 February 1948. p. 4. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
8. ^ Schell, William Jr., "Politics and Government: 1876–1910" in Encyclopedia of Mexico. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn 1997.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carrot and stick.

* EconPapers abstract for an experiment using this model "The Carrot or the Stick: Rewards, Punishments, and Cooperation"

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Carrots

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* Mashed carrots
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