Efficiency, Reciprocity, and Ascriptive Equality: The Three Major Strategies Governing the Selection of Heirs in America

Objective. Both the growing number of U.S. testators and the increased amount of money involved in their intergenerational transfers make it necessary to identify their motivations. Indeed, existing patterns of social stratification both within and across familial groups should be affected. Methods....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social science quarterly 1995-06, Vol.76 (2), p.274-293
Main Author: Clignet, Remi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bequests
Children
Cultural Capital
Daughters
Economic motivation
Economic value
Education
Equality
General studies
Heirs
Hierarchy
Inheritance and Succession
Intergenerational Relations
Of General Interest
Parents
Property inheritance
Selection (heirs)
Social Stratification
Sociology
Sociology of the family. Age groups
Sons
Strategy
U.S.A
United States
United States of America
Wealth
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Summary:Objective. Both the growing number of U.S. testators and the increased amount of money involved in their intergenerational transfers make it necessary to identify their motivations. Indeed, existing patterns of social stratification both within and across familial groups should be affected. Methods. The analysis is based on secondary analyses of existing but scattered data. Results. Three motivations (pursuit of efficiency, commitment to reciprocity, and search for ascriptive equality) and their social determinants are identified. A research agenda is proposed to assess their distributions in the U.S. population at large as well as to evaluate their implications on existing patterns of inequality. Conclusions. The completion of the agenda would help understand better the dynamics governing the interaction between economic and cultural capital.
ISSN:0038-4941
1540-6237