Economic Development and Economic Change: The Case of East African Cattle [and Comments and Replies]

Schneider, Harold K.; Blanchard, Kendall; Carlisle, Roxane C.; Conant, Francis P.; Csanády, András; Greenbaum, Lenora; Greenwood, Davydd J.; Hazard, Thomas; Hosley, Edward H.; Huber, Hugo; Knight, C. Gregory; Levin, Michael D; McKean, Philip F.; Newton, Melanie; Robbins, Lawrence H.; Vansina, Jan; Winans, Edgar V.

doi:10.1086/201468

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…The most interesting results, i.e., in terms of calf carcass body mass, were found on the level of social organization where cooperative herding is undertaken. In relation to the conceptual models presented in the introduction, this study clearly shows that assuming a zero effect of pastoral labor on production, as suggested by Schneider (1974) and Helland (1980), is incorrect for reindeer husbandry. The applicability of the cost-benefit model, however, is less certain due to somewhat contradictory results.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…In effect, if we posit that it is the density of husbandry units that naturally leads to higher density of reindeer (i.e., there are more husbandry units with more herds) and not the mechanism of labor input, then we would expect that the number of husbandry units would be negatively related to calf carcass body mass because the number of husbandry units is just a proxy for density. 15 While the results from this study clearly show that labor investment in the reindeer husbandry has a positive effect on production, and, more to the point, invalidate the idea that labor has little or no effect on pastoral production as suggested by Schneider (1974) and Helland (1980), it could be argued that the alternative cost-benefit model has also not passed the test. This is because we found a positive relationship between the numbers of individuals within husbandry units and herd size, a result that is in contradiction to the cost-benefit model.…”

Section: District Levelmentioning

confidence: 66%

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Scale Dependency and the “Marginal” Value of Labor

2009

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While there is a general assumption that labor has a positive effect on pastoral production, studies that have tried to quantify this relationship have found no effects. This is most likely because these studies have been looking for effects only at the household level of social organization, although it is well documented that nomadic pastoralist households share and exchange labor in socalled cooperative herding groups. This study investigates possible labor related effects on production among Saami reindeer herders in northern Norway and whether these effects are scale dependent. Contrary to previous studies, we found both a general effect of labor on Saami reindeer husbandry production and the presence of a scale dependent effect, i.e., the more robust results were found on the level of social organization where cooperative herding is undertaken.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 65%

Section: District Levelmentioning

confidence: 66%

Scale Dependency and the “Marginal” Value of Labor

2009

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“…Building on earlier criticisms of the economic irrationality of the cattle complex explanatory framework (Deshler, 1953(Deshler, , 1963Gulliver, 1955;Schneider, 1974), an influential ecological argument against the solely social and symbolic emphasis on livestock came from Hjort's Having Herds andrelated publications (1976, 1979), in which the growth dynamics of herds (cattle, camels, and goats and sheep) were mathematically simulated. However, despite their acknowledgment of the existence of social exchanges, no data on livestock acquisitions were incorporated in their growth models.…”

Section: The Role Of Livestock Acquisitions In Herd Demography Literamentioning

confidence: 99%

Livestock Acquisitions Dynamics in Nomadic Pastoralist Herd Demography: A Case Study Among Ngisonyoka Herders of South Turkana, Kenya

Vries¹,

Leslie²,

McCabe

2006

Hum Ecol

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Despite the attention given to social relations in the pastoral literature, the role of livestock acquisitions-additions of livestock to herds through bridewealth, exchanges, gifts, payments, and begging (requests)-in herd build up has usually been assumed to be relatively minor compared to births and relevant mostly when the need for rebuilding arises after major losses. This study is based on an unusual set of data-the reproductive histories of the female cattle, camels, and goats and sheep of 13 Ngisonyoka Turkana nomadic herders in northwestern Kenya, collected in 1987. The article reports on the means by which mothers were added to the herd and how these changed through time. The results suggest that for this population in the late 1970s and 1980s, acquisitions were not merely relevant when disaster struck, but instead were a continuously important component of herd management. The results demonstrate the crucial role of social networks in the survival of Ngisonyoka pastoralists in their non-equilibrial ecosystem. Social exchanges, such as bridewealth, provide a resource security well suited to the challenges of coping with such unpredictable environments. Researchers and policymakers are urged to make efforts to support such indigenous networks if they want nomadic pastoralists to continue their effective use of arid, marginal lands.

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“…Most important, however, is that from the community's point of view, there is no utility derivable from this type of prestige, which is obtained by some individuals as a result of having more than others; while the disadvantaged may well suffer equivalent loss of utility from having less than others. (7) One of the most publicized reasons for accumulating cattle is for paying brideprice. Henriksen notes that 'It surely remains the biggest expenditure of stock that any man has.'…”

Section: The 'Sociological' Explanation: Social Objectives In Holdingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic Irrationality Among Pastoral Peoples: Myth or Reality?

Livingstone¹

1977

Development and Change

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Economic Development and Economic Change: The Case of East African Cattle [and Comments and Replies]

Cited by 12 publications

References 0 publications

Scale Dependency and the “Marginal” Value of Labor

Scale Dependency and the “Marginal” Value of Labor

Livestock Acquisitions Dynamics in Nomadic Pastoralist Herd Demography: A Case Study Among Ngisonyoka Herders of South Turkana, Kenya

Economic Irrationality Among Pastoral Peoples: Myth or Reality?

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