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Energy, hierarchy and the origin of inequality.


ABSTRACT: Where should we look to understand the origin of inequality? I propose an unusual window of evidence-modern societies. I hypothesize that evidence for the origin of inequality is encoded in the institutional structure of industrial societies. To test this idea, I use a model to project modern trends into the past. This model takes the modern relation between energy, hierarchy, and inequality and creates a hindcast of the origin of inequality. The results are broadly consistent with the available evidence. The model predicts an explosion of inequality with the transition from hunter-gathering to agriculture, followed by a plateau. This finding potentially opens a new window of evidence into the origin of inequality.

SUBMITTER: Fix B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6481848 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Energy, hierarchy and the origin of inequality.

Fix Blair B  

PloS one 20190424 4


Where should we look to understand the origin of inequality? I propose an unusual window of evidence-modern societies. I hypothesize that evidence for the origin of inequality is encoded in the institutional structure of industrial societies. To test this idea, I use a model to project modern trends into the past. This model takes the modern relation between energy, hierarchy, and inequality and creates a hindcast of the origin of inequality. The results are broadly consistent with the available  ...[more]

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