Jurisdictional hierarchy beyond local community [EA033]

Description: The number of jurisdictional levels beyond the local community, with 1 representing the theoretical minimum (e.g., none/autonomous bands or villages) and 4 representing the theoretical maximum (e.g., villages nested within parishes, districts, provinces, and a complex state). This variable also provides a measure of political complexity, ranging from 1 for stateless societies, through 2 or 3 for petty and larger paramount chiefdoms or their equivalent, to 4 or 5 for large states. Note that different types of organization on the same level are counted as one, and organizations not held to be legitimate, e.g., imposed colonial regimes, are excluded.

Codes [click for detailed code description]
Code # Code
1 No political authority beyond community (e.g., autonomous bands and villages)
2 One level (e.g., petty chiefdoms)
3 Two levels (e.g., larger chiefdoms)
4 Three levels (e.g., states)
5 Four levels (e.g., large states)

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Dataset:
Murdock et al. 1999 'Ethnographic Atlas'
Variable:
Jurisdictional hierarchy beyond local community [EA033]
Description:
The number of jurisdictional levels beyond the local community, with 1 representing the theoretical minimum (e.g., none/autonomous bands or villages) and 4 representing the theoretical maximum (e.g., villages nested within parishes, districts, provinces, and a complex state). This variable also provides a measure of political complexity, ranging from 1 for stateless societies, through 2 or 3 for petty and larger paramount chiefdoms or their equivalent, to 4 or 5 for large states. Note that different types of organization on the same level are counted as one, and organizations not held to be legitimate, e.g., imposed colonial regimes, are excluded.
Values:
1 Acephalous 525
2 One level 341
3 Two levels 162
4 Three levels 83
5 Four levels 44
Datapoint Society Language family Details Focal year Subcase