Documents
- A comparative study of slave societiesPryor, Frederic L. - Journal of Comparative Economics, 1977 - 2 Hypotheses
This article tests a broad hypothesis that slavery is an inevitable stage in society's economic development. The author rejects this hypothesis; he argues that there are two main types of slavery (slaves for economic capital or social capital) and each type has its own set of social and politcal determinants. Overall, the power dynamic between husbands and wives is thought to be a key predictor of slavery.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Economic systems of foragersPryor, Frederic L. - Cross-Cultural Research, 2003 - 1 Hypotheses
This paper investigates five different economic types of foragers: classic, transitional system, politically oriented, economically oriented, and intangibles-oriented. The author asserts that these economic types “are not mere epiphenomena of the oft-discussed social structural or political forces but, rather, are special characteristics that must be independently taken into account” (418). A myriad of environmental, subsistence, political, and social variables are examined: some differed significantly across the five economic types of foragers, but others such as famine threat, conflict, locational fixity, marital form, and postmarital residence did not differ between types.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Rethinking economic systems: a study of agricultural societiesPryor, Frederic L. - Cross-Cultural Research, 2005 - 1 Hypotheses
This article focuses on the economic systems of preindustrial agricultural societies. The author conducts a cluster analysis to determine four basic types of agricultural systems: herding plus, egalitarian, individualistic, and semimarketized. He argues that these types are not delineated by social structure alone; rather, they “stand as independent entities and are worthy of more intensive study” (252).
Related Documents Cite More By Author - The friedman-savage utility function in cross-cultural perspectivePryor, Frederic L. - Journal of Political Economy, 1976 - 1 Hypotheses
This paper investigates the presence of gambling in preindustrial societies. Analysis shows that the presence of gambling can be predicted by region, the presence of domestic commercial money, socioeconomic inequality, and mobility combined with food supply from animal husbandry. The author suggests that the ideas underlying the Friedman-Savage utility function (1984) can be helpful in making predictions about which precapitalist societies do and which do not engage in gambling.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - The invention of the plowPryor, Frederic L. - Comparative Studies in Society and History, 1985 - 1 Hypotheses
This study examines three theories of the origin of the plow. The author rejects the universalist approach on the basis that not all cultures that are aware of the plow adopt its use. Findings provide partial support for a theory focused on population density, particularly the importance of fallowing practices and labor productivity. The author’s own ecological approach, pointing to a culture’s staple food as a crucial variable, also receives empirical support.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - The adoption of agriculture: some theoretical and empirical evidencePryor, Frederic L. - American Anthropologist, 1986 - 3 Hypotheses
This article investigates the adoption of agriculture. The author tests three possible predictors: environmental richness, population density, and division of labor by gender. Minimal support is found for these variables, and the author proposes two alternative explanations, based on diminishing returns in food production and balancing the food portfolio.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - The origins of moneyPryor, Frederic L. - Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, 1977 - 3 Hypotheses
This article examines the origin of money. Anthropologists’ and economists’ theories are discussed and data supports a broad hypothesis that the existence of money is associated with level of economic development. The author further examines the emergence of internal, external, commercial and noncommercial moneys at high and low levels of economic development.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Economic Systems of Foraging, Agricultural, and Industrial SocietiesFrederic L. Pryor - , 2005 - 26 Hypotheses
The second and third parts of this book classify the economic systems of foraging and agricultural societies in the SCCS based on correlations between their institutions of property an distribution. These economic types are then examined for relationships with other social, political, demographic, and environmental factors in order to draw tentative conclusions regarding the origins of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. The fourth part of the book uses cross-national data to examine similar associations in industrial/service economies, and is not included here.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - The origins of the economy: a comparative study of distribution in primitive and peasant economiesPryor, Frederic L. - , 1977 - 39 Hypotheses
Considerable disagreement exists in regard to the origin and distribution of economic phenomena such as money, slavery, markets, exchange, and imbalanced transfers. Here the author utilizes a worldwide cross-cultural sample of 60 pre-industrial "societies" to empirically test many economic hypotheses, with a focus on distributional mechanisms and institutions.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Cultural correlates of ceramic stylesPeregrine, Peter N. - Cross-Cultural Research, 2007 - 5 Hypotheses
This study replicates John L. Fischer's (1961) cross-cultural analysis to demonstrate the correlation between art styles and social hierarchy and postmarital residence. The author suggests that archaeological ceramics might be used to predict social characteristics of prehistoric societies.
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