Caste Systems and Technology in Premodern Societies
Caste Systems and Technology in Premodern Societies
This chapter sheds new light on the effects of social institutions on long-run development. In particular, it explores the impact of caste systems during the early phases of economic and demographic development through how the systems influenced the possibilities for labor specialization. Based on data for precolonial social organization across different ethnicities, the chapter provides novel evidence that supports the hypothesis that caste systems were indeed conducive to specialization and technological sophistication. The hypothesis builds on the idea that caste systems, by promoting strong ties of solidarity and cooperation within groups, might have facilitated and accelerated the process of labor specialization and technological advancement. Moreover, the endogamous group might have represented the natural basin from which to recruit labor for extending production beyond the family unit.
Keywords: social institutions, caste systems, labor specialization, technological advancement, demographic development, solidarity, endogamous groups
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