Intergenerational wealth transmission and the dynamics of inequality in small-scale societies

Science • Vol/Iss. 326 • Published In • Pages: 682-688 •
By Borgerhoff Mulder, Monique, Bowles, Samuel, Hertz, Tom, Bell, Adrian, Beise, Jan, Clark, Greg, Fazzio, Ila, Gurven, Michael, Hill, Kim, Hooper, Paul L., Irons, William, Kaplan, Hillard, Leonetti, Donna, Low, Bobbi S., Marlowe, Frank W., McElreath, Richard L., Naidu, Suresh, Nolin, David, Piraino, Patrizio, Quinlan, Robert J., Schniter, Eric, Sear, Rebecca, Shenk, Mary, Smith, Eric Alden, von Rueden, Christopher, Wiessner, Polly

Abstract

This article explains the variation in inequality using a model in which a population's inequality depends on the extent to which its most important forms of wealth are transmitted within families across generations. Results suggest that economic systems differ substantially in the intergenerational transmission of wealth.
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: Jessie Cohen  Megan Farrer