Centers and Institutes
Published March 20, 2026 | Version v1
Journal article Metadata-only

The distribution of power and inclusiveness across deep time

Creators

  • 1. University of Chicago
  • 2. New York University
  • 3. Boston University
  • 4. University of Central Florida
  • 5. University of York
  • 6. Pennsylvania State University
  • 7. Durham University
  • 8. Lycoming College
  • 9. Field Museum of Natural History
  • 10. University of Bristol
  • 11. University of Colorado
  • 12. Arizona State University
  • 13. Statistical Research Inc.

Description

This study presents a global, deep-time comparative analysis of governance, questioning entrenched viewpoints about the origins and evolution of democratic institutions. Drawing on archaeological and textual data from 40 case observations across 31 polities, we develop a quantitative framework to assess governance along a collective-autocratic axis, defined by two key dimensions: concentration of power and citizen inclusiveness. Using bridging arguments and robust proxies, we construct an autocracy index to assess where cases fall on this axis and examine them in relation to population size, hierarchical complexity, geographic region, modes of fiscal financing, bureaucratic structure, ritual practices, and socioeconomic inequality. Neither polity population nor geographic region tightly correlates with the collective-autocratic axis of governance, challenging extant neoevolutionary models. Instead, the strongest associations for autocratic governance are with external financing, patrimonial bureaucracy, spectacular ritual, and high inequality. The study underscores the diversity and persistence of collective governance, offering a scalable methodology for future comparative research and reframing historical narratives.

Data availability

Supplementary Text contains capsule summaries of all cases included in the analysis. All data and code needed to evaluate and reproduce the results in the paper are present in the paper and/or the Supplementary Materials. The digital archive for this project includes the dataset provided here as Supplementary Materials and a script written in the R programming language that reproduces all analyses and figures. The digital archive is available via the Zenodo repository at the following link: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17856819.

Additional details

Identifiers

DOI
10.1126/sciadv.aec1426
Other
oai:uchicago.tind.io:16856

Funding

Field Museum of Natural History
University of Colorado Boulder
The Coalition for Archaeological Synthesis
Amerind Museum
The Amerind Foundation
New York University
Arts & Science

UChicago Information

Division(s)
Arts & Humanities Division
Center(s) or Institute(s)
Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures