Sharing, gift-giving, and optimal resource use in hunter-gatherer society

Matthew Baker and Kurtis J. Swope
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Kurtis J. Swope: United States Naval Academy

Economics of Governance, 2021, vol. 22, issue 2, No 2, 119-138

Abstract: Abstract Hunter-gatherer societies are characterized by decentralized decision making and shared access to resources. Goods are distributed via reciprocal exchange, sharing, and gift-giving, in the end resulting in relatively equal distribution. Work effort, however, is not distributed equally; the best hunters exert a disproportionate share of productive effort. We argue that these features of the hunter-gatherer economy are interrelated, and are consistent with the view that customary gift-giving and sharing arrangements manage usage of open-access resources. In particular, sharing rules can induce optimal hunting effort, while gift-giving can serve to elicit information about hunter productivity.

Keywords: Sharing; Gift-giving; Common property; Hunter-gatherers; Resource management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D23 D30 D82 H23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1007/s10101-021-00254-x

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