Documents
- Ecology, trade, and states in pre-colonial AfricaFenske, James - Journal of the European Economic Association, 2014 - 3 Hypotheses
The author analyzes 440 Sub-Saharan African societies to test whether trade across ecologically diverse zones is predictive of degree of state centralization (state capacity or strength of state) in pre-colonial Africa. The author finds that diverse ecology is predictive of state capacity and that trade supports class stratification. The author also emphasizes the importance of historical contingency and ethnographic data consultation in understanding mechanisms in individual cases.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Explaining divergence in the long-term effects of precolonial centralization on access to public infrastructure services in NigeriaArchibong, Belinda - World Development, 2019 - 8 Hypotheses
This study investigates previous findings that indicate precolonial centralization was beneficial for development in Africa. Using new survey data from public primary schools, the author shows that the failure of leaders of centralized regions to comply with federal regimes was punished with underinvestment in public infrastructure services, hindering development and limiting access to these services in recent populations. The author proposes that the extent to which precolonial centralization was beneficial for development in Africa is mediated by compliance of the local governing bodies with federal regimes.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - The modern impact of precolonial centralization in AfricaGennaioli, Nicola - Journal of Economic Growth, 2007 - 1 Hypotheses
In this study, the authors empirically assess the relationship between precolonial centralization and the implementation of modernization programs by African governments. Their findings indicate that current African countries tend to have better provisioning of public goods (including better access to education, healthcare, and infrastructure) when their ethnic groups' precolonial institutions were more centralized.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Ethnic violence in Africa: destructive legacies of pre-colonial statesPaine, Jack - International Organization, 2019 - 3 Hypotheses
This study investigated the difference in rates of violence of precolonial states and stateless ethnic groups in postcolonial Africa. The author hypothesized ethnic groups of precolonial states (PCS) would experience more violence, (i.e. coup attempts and civil wars) than non-PCS groups. The author suggested that because of PCS countries’ inability to allow rival ethnic groups into power positions in addition to the extra power PCS groups gained under colonial rule may lead to more violence.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Political institutionalization in primitive societies: a hologeistic analysisHill, Kim - Cross-Cultural Research, 1979 - 1 Hypotheses
This study examines socio-economic predictors of political complexity. Findings suggest that class stratification is the most significant predictor of political complexity.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Early Statehood and Support for Autocratic Rule in AfricaChlouba, Vladimir - Comparative Political Studies, 2021 - 1 Hypotheses
The authors of this article evaluate how the legacies of early statehood (i.e., precolonial centralized ethnic groups) in Africa continue to impact democratic governance. They find a positive relationship between early states and support for autocratic rule, especially in former British colonies that were highly centralized prior to colonization. They suggest that the transmission of political and cultural norms play an important role in the support for autocracies.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - The material culture and social institutions of the simpler peoples: an essay in correlationHobhouse, L. T. - , 1915 - 16 Hypotheses
An early cross-cultural study that sought to establish correlations between "stages" of economic culture and a variety of different social and political institutions, such as form of government and justice, marriage and kinship, and behaviors during warfare.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - The ecological-evolutionary typology of human societies and the evolution of social inequalityNielsen, Francois - Sociological Theory, 2004 - 1 Hypotheses
This article examines the evolution of social inequality through tests of the influence of political, economic and social factors. “Analysis of comparative data shows that while some dimensions of the stratification system (such as measures of social complexity) exhibit a monotonic trend of increasing inequality with level of technology from the hunting-and-gathering to the agrarian type, others (such as measures of freedom and sexual inequality among males) exhibit a pattern of “agrarian reversal” in which inequality increases from the hunting-and-gathering to the advanced horticultural type but then declines with the agrarian type” (292).
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Legacies of Islamic Rule in Africa: Colonial Responses and Contemporary DevelopmentBauer, Vincent - World Development, 2022 - 5 Hypotheses
The authors of this study examine the relationships between historical exposure to Islamic kingdoms and current economic, medical, and educational development in Africa. They predict that ethnic groups that were previously ruled by Islamic states or chiefdoms will have worse outcomes today, theorizing that these worse outcomes would be not as a result of an inherent characteristic of Islam or Islamic kingdoms themselves but rather decreased investment by colonial states or missions. Their results lend some support to their hypotheses, and particularly to the predictions that Christian missions and colonial states would not be able to penetrate areas under Islamic influence as easily as other regions.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Naming and identity: a cross-cultural study of personal naming practicesAlford, Richard - , 1987 - 14 Hypotheses
This book examines naming practices cross-culturally. The author posits that naming practices help to both reflect and create conceptions of personal identity. Several correlations between name meanings and practices and various sociocultural variables are presented.
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