Cross-Cultural Correlates of the Ownership of Private Property: Two Samples of Murdock's Data

Journal of Socio-Economics • Vol/Iss. 24(2) • JAI Press Inc. • Greenwich, CT • Published In • Pages: 345-373 •
By Rudmin, Floyd Webster

Abstract

The present study aims to evaluate correlations of private property from two of Murdock's datasets, one of 147 societies (1981) and the other of 312 societies (1967). Altogether the author tested 146 variables coded by Murdock against variables regarding the ownership of land and of movables drawn from Murdock (1967), Simmons (1937), and Swanson (1960). In total, there were 51 statistically significant correlations between private property ownership and other variables. Additionally, the author summarizes the results from this article and the two that preceded it stating that throughout all of the correlations he ran, the practice of agriculture, the use of cereal grains, and the presence of castes and classes were the only variables that predicted private property in all of the datasets that were utilized.

Note

This article is third in a series of four: Rudmin, 1992a; Rudmin 1992b; Rudmin, 1995; Rudmin, 1996.

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
Atlas of World Cultures (AWC)by other researchers
Ethnographic Atlas (EA)by other researchersa sample of 312 societies from the Atlas were used

Hypotheses (2)

HypothesisSupported
Murdock's (1967) measures of private property will be significantly correlated (in the same direction) with Simmon's (1937) and Swanson's (1960) measures of private propertySupported for all variables
Certain characteristics of societies will be significantly correlated in the same direction in both of Murdock's data sets.Supported for 51 of 146 variables - see note for directions
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: dmccloskey103  anj.droe