On the role of families and kinship networks in pre-industrial agricultural societies: An analysis of the 1698 Slavonian census

Eugene A. Hammel () and Hans-Peter Kohler ()
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Eugene A. Hammel: Department of Demography, University of California at Berkeley, 2232 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94720.
Hans-Peter Kohler: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Doberaner Str. 114, 18057 Rostock, Germany.

Journal of Population Economics, 2001, vol. 14, issue 1, 49 pages

Abstract: This paper uses the 1698 Slavonian census to illuminate features of social organization and productive activity of an eastern European population under the New Feudalism of the 17th century. In particular we investigate the ability of community or kinship networks to provide substitutes for missing markets in securities and production factors. It is found that kinship networks increase the efficiency of agricultural production by facilitating the exchange of oxen. This confirms contemporary reports that draft animals were the critical constraint to the expansion of agricultural output. We also find that kinship networks fail to reduce the variability of output through mutual harvest insurance.

Keywords: Kinship; networks; ·; pre-industrial; societies; ·; missing; markets (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D1 D8 N3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2001-05-04
Note: Received: 03 November 1998/Accepted: 16 June 1999 received by John F. Ermisch and two anonymous referees. Responsible editor: John F. Ermisch.-->
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