Economics and Family Structures

Working Papers ECARES • Vol/Iss. 2021-21 • Université Libre de Bruxelles • Brussels • Published In • Pages: 1-39 •
By Baudin, Thomas, De Rock, Bram, Gobbi, Paula Eugenia

Hypothesis

Ancestral nuclear, stem, and complex family types will be heterogeneous cross-culturally.

Note

Geographic maps and fractions illustrating support shown in paper.

Test

Test NameSupportSignificanceCoefficientTail
Geographic mapsSupport claimedN/AN/AN/A

Variables

Variable NameVariable Type OCM Term(s)
Ancestral Family TypeUNKNOWNNuclear Family, Extended Families

Related Hypotheses

Main AuthorHypothesis
Swanson, Guy E."There is a positive and significant relationship between the presence in a society of sovereign kinship groups other than the nuclear family and a belief that ancestral spirits are active in human affairs" (108)
Michaelson, Evalyn Jacobson"There is a weak correlation between adherence to the Buddhist Great Tradition and the presence of ancestral shrines. . . . Frequent ritual observances for the ancestors are not limited to one religious tradition, but they are more likely to be found in Buddhist communities than in non Buddhist communities in our sample" (88, 89-90)
Michaelson, Evalyn Jacobson"When we examine the relationship between ancestral shrines and patrilineal inheritance of land, we find that there is a high correlation. . . . Among the households in these patrilineal communities family rituals are held more consistently . . . [and] with greater frequency" (90)
Michaelson, Evalyn Jacobson". . . moral pressures [ranging from sense of moral obligation to preserve family land to conception of retaining land in family line as a sacred duty] are highly correlated with patrilineal land inheritance . . . And, more over, are frequently an integral part of the symbolic structure of the ancestral cult" (92)
Ezcurra, RobertoAncestral history of irrigation in a country's population predicts lower levels of democracy for that country.