Collaborative Research: HNDS-R: Economic Networks and the Dynamics of Wealth Inequality: A Longitudinal Cross-Cultural Investigation

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This project examines the social determinants of material wealth inequality in human communities. In particular, the research examines the ways that individuals and households leverage their social networks to buffer livelihood risks and realize economic opportunities. This award supports longitudinal fieldwork in a diverse sample of small communities, where collaborators collect standardized data on variables such as material wealth, social networks, demographics, educational attainment, food security, and kinship relationships. The comparative findings contribute to interdisciplinary scholarship on the processes that lead to wealth inequality and the consequences of inequality for economic livelihoods and related outcomes, such as food security. The project supports work and training among diverse collaborators, including women, underrepresented minorities, and early-career researchers, contributing to the goals of broadening participation in science. The findings are shared with local communities and with broader audiences via educational modules in open-access economics courses. The methodological tools being developed for the project can facilitate similar comparative studies.This collaborative project examines the dynamic social processes that contribute to material wealth inequality. The research includes data collection in over forty communities that vary in terms of subsistence orientations, political organization, kinship and descent, and demographics. The research design focuses in general on the economic consequences of variation in the structure of social support networks. In particular, the study shows the extent to which advantageous positions in community networks can mitigate economic risks and enable material gains. Simultaneously, the researchers collect and analyze data on other variables that are hypothesized to effect dynamic variation in material wealth, including variation in education and skills, occupations and status, and family structures. These data contribute to comparative analyses that consider the relative effects of these variables on changes in material wealth and inequality. The findings have relevance for debates about the determinants and consequences of wealth inequality in both historical and contemporary societies. Methodologically, approaches for organizing and analyzing longitudinal data are being developed and shared across research communities to build capacity for similar multi-sited projects.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.