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 83
... Economy , Polity , and Community Scales . 266 Social Action at the World - Economy Scale and its Consequences for Collective Action . . . . 266 The Impact of World - Economies on the Coded Societies Analysis . 267 268 A Partial Theory ...
... Economy Linkages . 304 Yoruba ( Figure A2-2 ) 304 Environment , Agriculture , and Area ( 46,500 sq . km ) . 304 Rural Society and Culture . 305 Market System . 306 Geography 306 Population 307 World - Economy Linkages . 307 Asante ...
... Economy Linkages . 317 Tio ( Figure A2-6 ) . . . . 317 Environment , Agriculture , and Area ( 77,602 sq.km ) . 317 Rural Society and Culture . 318 Market System . 319 Geography 319 Population 319 World - Economy Linkages . 319 Buganda ...
... Economy Linkages . 334 Burma ( Figure A2-11 ) .. 334 Environment , Agriculture , and Area ( 181,000 sq . km ) 334 Rural Society and Culture . 336 Market System . 336 Geography 337 Population 337 World - Economy Linkages . 337 Bali ...
... Economy Linkages . 348 Vijayanagara ( Figure A2-16 ) . 348 Environment , Agriculture , and Area ( 360,000 sq . km ) . 348 Rural Society and Culture 349 Market System . 350 Geography 351 Population 351 World - Economy Linkages . 352 ...
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 |
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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 |