Intergenerational Wealth Transmission and the Dynamics of Inequality in Small-Scale Societies Export

@article{citeulike:6042163, abstract = {Small-scale human societies range from foraging bands with a strong egalitarian ethos to more economically stratified agrarian and pastoral societies. We explain this variation in inequality using a dynamic model in which a population's long-run steady-state level of inequality depends on the extent to which its most important forms of wealth are transmitted within families across generations. We estimate the degree of intergenerational transmission of three different types of wealth (material, embodied, and relational), as well as the extent of wealth inequality in 21 historical and contemporary populations. We show that intergenerational transmission of wealth and wealth inequality are substantial among pastoral and small-scale agricultural societies (on a par with or even exceeding the most unequal modern industrial economies) but are limited among horticultural and foraging peoples (equivalent to the most egalitarian of modern industrial populations). Differences in the technology by which a people derive their livelihood and in the institutions and norms making up the economic system jointly contribute to this pattern. 10.1126/science.1178336}, author = {Mulder, Monique B. and Bowles, Samuel and Hertz, Tom and Bell, Adrian and Beise, Jan and Clark, Greg and Fazzio, Ila and Gurven, Michael and Hill, Kim and Hooper, Paul L. and Irons, William and Kaplan, Hillard and Leonetti, Donna and Low, Bobbi and Marlowe, Frank and McElreath, Richard and Naidu, Suresh and Nolin, David and Piraino, Patrizio and Quinlan, Rob and Schniter, Eric and Sear, Rebecca and Shenk, Mary and Smith, Eric A. and von Rueden, Christopher and Wiessner, Polly}, citeulike-article-id = {6042163}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1178336}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://www.sciencemag.org/content/326/5953/682.abstract}, citeulike-linkout-2 = {http://www.sciencemag.org/content/326/5953/682.full.pdf}, citeulike-linkout-3 = {http://view.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19900925}, citeulike-linkout-4 = {http://www.hubmed.org/display.cgi?uids=19900925}, day = {30}, doi = {10.1126/science.1178336}, journal = {Science}, keywords = {behavioral\_ecology, egalitarian, inequality}, month = {October}, number = {5953}, pages = {682--688}, posted-at = {2009-11-03 06:45:17}, priority = {3}, title = {Intergenerational Wealth Transmission and the Dynamics of Inequality in Small-Scale Societies}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1178336}, volume = {326}, year = {2009} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:6042163 L3 - citeulike-article-id:6042163 N2 - Small-scale human societies range from foraging bands with a strong egalitarian ethos to more economically stratified agrarian and pastoral societies. We explain this variation in inequality using a dynamic model in which a population's long-run steady-state level of inequality depends on the extent to which its most important forms of wealth are transmitted within families across generations. We estimate the degree of intergenerational transmission of three different types of wealth (material, embodied, and relational), as well as the extent of wealth inequality in 21 historical and contemporary populations. We show that intergenerational transmission of wealth and wealth inequality are substantial among pastoral and small-scale agricultural societies (on a par with or even exceeding the most unequal modern industrial economies) but are limited among horticultural and foraging peoples (equivalent to the most egalitarian of modern industrial populations). Differences in the technology by which a people derive their livelihood and in the institutions and norms making up the economic system jointly contribute to this pattern. 10.1126/science.1178336 IS - 5953 JF - Science EP - 688 TI - Intergenerational Wealth Transmission and the Dynamics of Inequality in Small-Scale Societies VL - 326 SP - 682 KW - behavioral_ecology KW - egalitarian KW - inequality AU - Mulder, Monique AU - Bowles, Samuel AU - Hertz, Tom AU - Bell, Adrian AU - Beise, Jan AU - Clark, Greg AU - Fazzio, Ila AU - Gurven, Michael AU - Hill, Kim AU - Hooper, Paul AU - Irons, William AU - Kaplan, Hillard AU - Leonetti, Donna AU - Low, Bobbi AU - Marlowe, Frank AU - McElreath, Richard AU - Naidu, Suresh AU - Nolin, David AU - Piraino, Patrizio AU - Quinlan, Rob AU - Schniter, Eric AU - Sear, Rebecca AU - Shenk, Mary AU - Smith, Eric AU - von Rueden, Christopher AU - Wiessner, Polly PY - 2009/10/30/ UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1178336 ER -