Economy All groups have = system of production, distribution and consumption of resources Mode of production = way of organizing production - Capitalist = money to buy labor - Non-industrial = social obligation (may be kin-based) Means of Production = labor, technology & land - Who is the labor? Human vs. machine - What technology is needed? Hand-made or machine made (simple/complex) - How much land needed and who owns it – collective, individuals, government o Foragers: no private ownership Need to be able to use any and all resources Resource availability not predictable—large land area Exception: river-based foragers—have communal/individual ownership concept – fish more predictable? o Horticulturalists Communal ownership – plots allocated to families - As soil fertility decreases need to let land lie fallow - Need to be able to move plots easily—large land area o Pastoralists Combination of foragers and horticulturalists Need large area of land – move herds Free access to pastureland – land is communally held Animals = private property Some variability – Baluch (Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan) claim territory and defend it o Intensive Agriculture Individual ownership of land and its resources Believe that communal ownership leads to overexploitation - Evidence to contrary: Barana (Ethiopia) produce more animal protein at lower cost that Australian cattle ranchers (live in similar climates) - Groups w/communal land usually monitor resources more before overexploited Means of Distribution - Reciprocity o Exchange b/t social equals (kinship, marriage, friendship) o Generalized reciprocity (direct exchange of goods and services) = give to someone w/o expectation of immediate return Sharing among band members Family pooling resourceso Balanced reciprocity (direct exchange) = giver expects something of equal value in return = determined by parties involved o could gift-giving in the US be considered balanced reciprocity? Gift obligations - Obliged to give to extend social ties to other person or groups - Obligation to receive-refusal is rejection of offered relationship (hostilities) - Obligation to repay-failure to repay a gift makes one cheap and unappreciative o Both generalized and balanced reciprocity based on trust and some social tie Negative reciprocity = one party tries to get the better of the other party - Hard bargaining, deception - Examples: horse raiding, selling prepared foods to a captive market - Redistribution o Goods, services move to a central authority (king, chief, government) where sorted, allocated, and redistributed o e.g., potlatch - Market principle o Items bought and sold either directly (barter) or indirectly (money and pricing) o Maximize profit o Value determined by supply & demand o Freedom to spend as much or as little as one chooses o e.g., supermarket; open-air
View Full Document
Unlocking...