Building Quantitative Cross-Cultural Databases From Ethnographic Records: Promise, Problems and Principles

• Published in: Cross-cultural research 2022-02, Vol.56 (1), p.62-94
• Main Authors: Watts, Joseph, Jackson, Joshua Conrad, Arnison, Chris, Hamerslag, Elise M., Shaver, John H., Purzycki, Benjamin Grant
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Best practice; Comparative analysis; Cross cultural studies; Ethnography; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Social problems; Social sciences
• ISSN: 1069-3971; 1552-3578
• DOI: 10.1177/10693971211065720

Quantitative cross-cultural databases can help uncover structure and diversity across human populations. These databases have been constructed using a variety of methodologies and have been instrumental for building and testing theories in the social sciences. The processes and assumptions behind the construction of cross-cultural databases are not always openly discussed by creators or fully appreciated by their users. Here, we scrutinize the processes used to generate quantitative cross-cultural databases, from the point of ethnographic fieldwork to the processing of quantitative cross-cultural data. We outline challenges that arise at each stage of this process and discuss the strengths and limitations of how existing databases have handled these challenges. We suggest a host of best practices for cross-cultural database construction, and stress the importance of coding source meta-data and using this meta-data to identify and adjust for source biases. This paper explicitly discusses the processes, problems, and principles behind cross-cultural database construction, and ultimately seeks to promote rigorous cross-cultural comparative research.