RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Let’s go fishing: A quantitative analysis of subsistence choices with a special focus on mixed economies among small-scale societies
A1 Ahedo García, Virginia
A1 Zurro, Débora
A1 Caro Saiz, Jorge
A1 Galán Ordax, José Manuel
K1 Economía
K1 Economy
K1 Sociología
K1 Sociology
AB The transition to agriculture is regarded as a major turning point in human history. In the present contribution we propose to look at it through the lens of ethnographic data by means of a machine learning approach. More specifically, we analyse both the subsistence economies and the socioecological context of 1290 societies documented in the Ethnographic Atlas with a threefold purpose: (i) to better understand the variability and success of human economic choices; (ii) to assess the role of environmental settings in the configuration of the different subsistence economies; and (iii) to examine the relevance of fishing in the development of viable alternatives to cultivation. All data were extracted from the publicly available cross-cultural database D-PLACE. Our results suggest that not all subsistence combinations are viable, existing just a subset of successful economic choices that appear recurrently in specific ecological systems. The subsistence economies identified are classified as either primary or mixed economies in accordance with an information-entropy-based quantitative criterion that determines their degree of diversification. Remarkably, according to our results, mixed economies are not a marginal choice, as they constitute 25% of the cases in our data sample. In addition, fishing seems to be a key element in the configuration of mixed economies, as it is present across all of them.
PB Public Library Science
SN 1932-6203
YR 2021
FD 2021-08
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10259/6334
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10259/6334
LA eng
NO Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation: Excellence Networks (HAR2017-90883-REDC) (VA, DZ, JC, JMG) and (RED2018-102518-T) (VA, JMG), as well as the CULM Project (HAR2016-77672-P) (DZ, JC); from the Catalan Government - AGAUR through 2017 SGR 212 (DZ); from the Junta de Castilla y León – Consejería de Educación through BDNS 425389 (VA, JMG); and from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) through the NASA project (VA, JC, JMG). In addition, this work was partially supported by the European Social Fund, as VA is the recipient of a predoctoral grant from the Department of Education of Junta de Castilla y León. Lastly, the publication fee was partially supported by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Burgos
RD 26-abr-2024