Collective Action in the Formation of Pre-Modern StatesAnthropological archaeology and other disciplines concerned with the formation of early complex societies are undergoing a theoretical shift stemming from the realization that the social evolution of complex societies was more varied and complex than imagined. Given the need for new directions in theory, the book proposes that anthropologists look to political science, especially the rational choice theory of collective action. Collective action theorists propose that state formation results from the strategic behavior of rational and self-interested actors who make up the polity, including a political elite and those outside the official structure of the state. The theory proposes that the form taken by a state will depend on the “bargaining power”, of rulers and taxpayers. Where taxpayers have more resources with which to bargain, it is predicted that rulers will concede benefits to taxpayers and will agree to restrictions on their power. The authors subject collective action theory to a methodologically rigorous evaluation using systematic cross-cultural analysis based on a world-wide sample of societies. The results presented here indicate strong support for most elements of the theory, but some results, in particular those pertaining to the control of ruler behavior, suggest the possibility that there are contexts in which collective action may play out in ways not anticipated by the theory. While this type of theoretical modeling is commonly seen in political science research, this volume is unique in its approach from an anthropological and archaeological viewpoint. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 63
... Egypt .. Athens Roman Empire Venice . Ottoman Empire . 92 92 94 98 102 103 105 New World Societies . 107 Background to Aztec State Formation . 108 History of the Aztec Polity . . . . 109 History of Central Andean State Formation 110 ...
... Egypt ( External ) . 125 Athens ( Mixed ) 125 Roman Empire ( Internal ) . 126 Venice ( Internal ) 128 England ( External ) . . 128 Ottoman Empire ( External ) 129 Aztec ( Internal ) 130 Inca ( Mixed ) .. 131 7 Public Goods .. 133 The ...
... Egypt ( 20 ) Athens ( 20 ) 149 151 152 153 154 Rome ( 24 ) 155 Venice ( 21 ) . England ( 11 ) Ottoman ( 16 ) . Aztec ( 21 ) Inca ( 22 ) .. 8 Bureaucratization . Max Weber and Bureaucracy . Bureaucracy Versus Bureaucratization The ...
... Egypt ( 10 ) Athens ( 14 ) Roman Empire ( 12 ) . Venice ( 14 ) ... England ( 8.5 ) . Ottoman ( 9.5 ) . 184 187 188 189 190 192 195 196 197 Aztec ( 11.5 ) . 200 Inca ( 10 ) ... 9 Modes of Control of Principals . . The Principal Control ...
... and Area ( 1,217,294 sq . km ) 371 Rural Society and Culture . . 371 Market System .... 372 Geographical Organization 372 Population ... World - Economy Links . 372 372 New Kingdom Egypt ( Figure A2-21 ) . . 373 Contents xix.
Contents
Blanton_Ch01pdf | 1 |
Blanton_Ch02pdf | 5 |
Blanton_Ch03pdf | 12 |
Blanton_Ch04pdf | 25 |
Blanton_Ch05pdf | 33 |
Blanton_Ch06pdf | 112 |
Blanton_Ch07pdf | 133 |
Blanton_Ch08pdf | 165 |
Blanton_Ch11pdf | 266 |
Blanton_Ch12pdf | 290 |
Blanton_Appendix1pdf | 300 |
Blanton_Appendix2pdf | 302 |
Blanton_Appendix3pdf | 404 |
Blanton_Referencepdf | 406 |
439 | |
443 | |
Other editions - View all
Collective Action in the Formation of Pre-Modern States Richard Blanton,Lane Fargher Limited preview - 2008 |
Collective Action in the Formation of Pre-Modern States Richard Blanton,Lane Fargher Limited preview - 2007 |
Collective Action in the Formation of Pre-Modern States Richard Blanton,Lane Fargher No preview available - 2010 |