%0 Report %1 Ronfeldt:2007 %A Ronfeldt, David %D 2007 %K social system tribes %T In Search of How Societies Work: Tribes -- the First and Forever Form %X The latest in a string of efforts to develop a theoretical framework about social evolution, based on how people develop their societies by using four forms of organization --- tribes, hierarchical institutions, markets, and networks --- this installment focuses on the tribal form. The tribal form was the first to emerge and mature, beginning thousands of years ago. Its main dynamic is kinship, which gives people a distinct sense of identity and belonging-the basic elements of culture, as manifested still today in matters ranging from nationalism to fan clubs. This report provides a lead-off chapter that sketches the entire framework, plus a ``rethinking'' chapter that shows why David Ronfeldt thinks that social evolution revolves around four forms of organization. A chapter then traces the evolution of tribes and clans, and the final chapter describes modern manifestations of the tribal form. An appendix reprints three op-ed pieces that sprang from Ronfeldt's efforts to understand the tribal form and its continuing relevance. Ronfeldt maintains that societies advance by learning to use and combine all four forms, in a preferred progression. What ultimately matters is how the forms are added and how well they function together. They are not substitutes for each other; they are complements. Historically, a society's advance --- its progress --- depends on its ability to use all four forms and combine them into a coherent, well-balanced, well-functioning whole. Essentially monoform tribal/clan societies and biform chiefdoms and clan-states, some dressed in the trappings of nation-states and capitalist economies, remain a ruling reality in vast areas of the world. It therefore behooves analysts and strategists who mostly think about states and markets to gain a better grip on roles the tribal form plays in both national development and national security.

@techreport{Ronfeldt:2007, abstract = {The latest in a string of efforts to develop a theoretical framework about social evolution, based on how people develop their societies by using four forms of organization --- tribes, hierarchical institutions, markets, and networks --- this installment focuses on the tribal form. The tribal form was the first to emerge and mature, beginning thousands of years ago. Its main dynamic is kinship, which gives people a distinct sense of identity and belonging-the basic elements of culture, as manifested still today in matters ranging from nationalism to fan clubs. This report provides a lead-off chapter that sketches the entire framework, plus a ``rethinking'' chapter that shows why David Ronfeldt thinks that social evolution revolves around four forms of organization. A chapter then traces the evolution of tribes and clans, and the final chapter describes modern manifestations of the tribal form. An appendix reprints three op-ed pieces that sprang from Ronfeldt's efforts to understand the tribal form and its continuing relevance. Ronfeldt maintains that societies advance by learning to use and combine all four forms, in a preferred progression. What ultimately matters is how the forms are added and how well they function together. They are not substitutes for each other; they are complements. Historically, a society's advance --- its progress --- depends on its ability to use all four forms and combine them into a coherent, well-balanced, well-functioning whole. Essentially monoform tribal/clan societies and biform chiefdoms and clan-states, some dressed in the trappings of nation-states and capitalist economies, remain a ruling reality in vast areas of the world. It therefore behooves analysts and strategists who mostly think about states and markets to gain a better grip on roles the tribal form plays in both national development and national security.}, added-at = {2010-03-02T17:25:53.000+0100}, author = {Ronfeldt, David}, bdsk-file-1 = {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}, bdsk-url-1 = {http://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WR433/}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/29d09edb3ef7685f70eeef3b10c5052ba/jrennstich}, date-added = {2008-09-18 12:49:03 -0400}, date-modified = {2010-02-28 21:03:35 -0500}, dc.contributor = {Ronfeldt, David}, dc.date = {2007}, dc.format.binding = {None}, dc.format.pages = {102}, dc.identifier.rand = {WR-433-RPC}, dc.identifier.slug = {WR433}, dc.rights.copyright = {RAND}, dc.title = {IN SEARCH OF HOW SOCIETIES WORK: Tribes --- The First and Forever Form}, dc.type = {Product Page}, description = {Part of an effort to create a theoretical framework about social evolution, based on how people develop their societies by using four forms of organization -- tribes, hierarchical institutions, markets, and networks -- focusing on the tribal form.}, division = {nsrd}, generator = {Bricolage 1.10.2}, howpublished = {RAND Working Paper (WR-433-RPC)}, institution = {RAND}, interhash = {e96fe8669aa9ff2653f770795d13bd63}, intrahash = {9d09edb3ef7685f70eeef3b10c5052ba}, keywords = {social system tribes}, timestamp = {2010-03-07T05:03:37.000+0100}, title = {In Search of How Societies Work: Tribes -- the First and Forever Form}, year = 2007 }