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 55
... Taxpayer Rationality The Moral Basis of Compliance Compliance and Public Goods The Free Riding Problem The Rationality of Rulers Achieving Quasi - Voluntary Compliance ... The Power of Principals in More Collective States . Developing a ...
... Taxpayers More Compliant in the More Collective States ? 253 Validity and Reliability of the Research Results .. 253 The " Main Model " of Collective Action . 253 What Determines Revenue Sources ? ... 254 Cultural Code or Rational ...
... taxpayers, differently situated social actors whose interests and goals are often divergent. Given this dilemma, how is it possible to build a state, especially a more collective one? Western social science envisions two solutions to ...
... taxpayers, although, as we point out below, collective polities are predicted to exhibit additional secondary ... taxpayer compliance? Social scientists often assume that shared interests or mutual benefits provide a sufficient ...
... taxpayers must be restricted (as we describe in more detail below). Controls on ruler agency and taxpayer compliance are predicted to result from bargaining between rulers and taxpay- ers (e.g., Bates and Lien 1985: 53; Levi 1988: 11-12 ...
Contents
25 | |
Introduction to SubSaharan Africa | 34 |
Local Histories of the SubSaharan African Societies | 40 |
Introduction to Southeast Asia | 48 |
Growth of Bureaucracy in the Postclassic | 54 |
Introduction to South Asia | 60 |
5 | 61 |
Introduction to East Asia | 74 |
Market Community and Household in the Evolution | 280 |
1227 | 290 |
Variables and Coded Data for the Exit | 300 |
14 | 302 |
Asante Figure A23 | 308 |
Bugada Figure A27 | 320 |
18 | 323 |
Swahili Lamu Figure A29 | 329 |
Local Histories of The East Asian Societies | 82 |
England | 92 |
New World Societies | 107 |
56 | 118 |
Public Goods | 133 |
8 | 165 |
Modes of Control of Principals | 203 |
10 | 249 |
Cultural Code or Rational Actors in the Evolution | 256 |
Collective Action Processes at WorldEconomy | 266 |
Collective Action Process at the Regional Scale | 272 |
Bali Figure A212 | 338 |
19 | 360 |
Japan Figure A220 | 366 |
21 | 373 |
Rome Figure A223 | 380 |
England Figure A225 | 388 |
Description of Coded Variables and the Coded | 404 |
Author Index | 439 |
Developing a Research Program to Evaluate Collective | 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 No preview available - 2010 |