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The Costs and Benefits of Clan Culture: Elite Control versus Cooperation in China

Author

Listed:
  • Shuo Chen
  • Raymond Fisman
  • Xiaohuan Lan
  • Yongxiang Wang
  • Qing Ye
Abstract
Kinship ties are a common institution that may facilitate in-group coordination and cooperation. Yet their benefits – or lack thereof – depend crucially on the broader institutional environment. We study how the prevalence of clan ties affect how communities confronted two well-studied historical episodes from the early years of the People's Republic of China, utilizing four distinct proxies for county clan strength: the presence of recognized ancestral halls; genealogical records; rice suitability; and geographic latitude. We show that the loss of livestock associated with 1955-56 collectivization (which mandated that farmers surrender livestock for little compensation) documented by Chen and Lan (2017) was much less pronounced in strong-clan areas. By contrast, we show that the 1959-61 Great Famine was associated with higher mortality in areas with stronger clan ties. We argue that reconciling these two conflicting patterns requires that we take a broader view of how kinship groups interact with other governance institutions, in particular the role of kinship as a means of elite control.

Suggested Citation

  • Shuo Chen & Raymond Fisman & Xiaohuan Lan & Yongxiang Wang & Qing Ye, 2024. "The Costs and Benefits of Clan Culture: Elite Control versus Cooperation in China," NBER Working Papers 32414, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32414
    Note: DEV POL
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • N95 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - Asia including Middle East
    • P32 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - Collectives; Communes; Agricultural Institutions
    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General

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