Książki

Anthropological archaeology and other disciplines concerned with the formation of early complex societies are undergoing a theoretical shift. 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. The authors subject collective action theory to a methodologically rigorous evaluation using systematic cross-cultural analysis based on a world-wide sample of societies.

Collective Action in the Formation of Pre-Modern States

Rethinking the Role of Agency in Political Evolution.- The Social Actor in Collective Action.- Selecting a Sample of Societies for Comparative Coding.- Archaeological and Historical Contexts for the Coded Societies.- Revenue Sources.- Public Goods.- Bureaucratization.- Modes of Control of Principals.- Theory Testing and a Question: Is State Formation a Product of Rational Choice or Symbolic Structure?.- Collective Action Processes at World-Economy, Polity, and Community Scales.- Collective Action and Political Evolution.