This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Carneiro, R. L. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The Evolution of Complexity in Human Societies and Its Mathematical Expression

American Museum of Natural History, New York, U.S.A.

Social evolution reflects the need of societies to increase their organization if they are to remain integrated as they grow in size. Autonomous villages that become larger without at the same time elaborating their structure, generally fission. The rate at which a growing village must increase its structure to keep from splitting seems to be proportional to the 2/3 power of its population. As chiefdoms and states emerge, though, and villages lose their autonomy, a higher rate of structural elaboration may be required to keep these larger societies unified.

International Journal of Comparative Sociology, Vol. 28, No. 3-4, 111-128 (1987)
DOI: 10.1177/002071528702800301


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. Ziltener and H.-P. Mueller The Weight of the Past: Traditional Agriculture, Socio-political Differentiation and Modern Development in Africa and Asia: A Cross-National Analysis International Journal of Comparative Sociology, October 1, 2007; 48(5): 371 - 415. [Abstract] [PDF]

				W. Divale and A. Seda Modernization as Changes in Cultural Complexity: New Cross-Cultural Measurements Cross-Cultural Research, May 1, 2001; 35(2): 127 - 153. [Abstract] [PDF]