Nuclear vs. Extended Family, Monogamy vs. Polygyny: Democracy vs. Non-Democracy? A Historical-Anthropological Look at Some Socio-Political Problems of Second and Third World Countries

Community, Identity and the State. Comparing Africa, Eurasia, Latin America and the Middle East. • Routledge • New York • Published In • Pages: 14-41 •
By Bondarenko, Dmitri M., Korotayev, Andrey V.

Abstract

Controlling for community type, the researchers examine a potential relationship between family size (nuclear vs. extended) and communal leadership (hereditary vs. elected) in an effort to suggest potential predictors of hierarchical structures in societies. They claim support for their hypothesis that societies with nuclear families will be more likely to have democratic communal leadership, across four different community types.

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
Ethnographic Atlas (EA)Variables 8 and 71

Hypotheses (5)

HypothesisSupported
Among societies with less than two levels of political hierarchy, those with large extended family structures will be less likely to have democratic communal leadership structures than those with nuclear family structures.Supported
Among state societies, those with extended family structures will be less likely to have democratic communal leadership structures than those with nuclear family structures.Marginally Supported
Among societies with small mean community sizes, those with extended family structures will be less likely to have democratic communal leadership structures than those with nuclear family structures.Supported
Among societies with medium mean community sizes, those with extended family structures will be less likely to have democratic communal leadership structures than those with nuclear family structures.Supported
Among complex town/city societies, those with extended family structures will be less likely to have democratic communal leadership structures than those with nuclear family structures.Marginally Supported
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By:  Benjamin.gonzalez