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Future Discounting in Congo Basin Hunter-Gatherers Declines with Socio-Economic Transitions

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  • Gul Deniz Salali
  • Andrea Bamberg Migliano

Abstract

Humans have a tendency to discount the future; that is we value small, short-term rewards over larger, long-term rewards. The degree of future discounting, however, changes in response to socio-ecological factors. Here, we study Mbendjele BaYaka hunter-gatherers of northern Congo and their farmer neighbours to investigate adaptations in inter-temporal preferences in humans. We argue that in immediate-return systems, where food storage is absent and egalitarianism is enforced through levelling mechanisms, future discounting is an adaptive strategy to prevent wealth accumulation and the emergence of hierarchies. This ensures food sharing and allows for survival in unpredictable environments where there is risk of an energy shortfall. On the other hand, when food storage is made possible by the emergence of agriculture or as seen in some delayed-return hunter-gatherer populations, wealth accumulation, hierarchies and lower discount rates become the adaptive strategy. Therefore, individuals in immediate-return, egalitarian societies will discount the future more than those in non-egalitarian, delayed-return societies. Consistent with the predictions we found that market integration and socio-economic transitions decrease the future discounting in Mbendjele hunter-gatherers. Our measures of socio-economic differences marked this transition in hunter-gatherers living in a logging town. The degree of future-discounting was the same between more market-integrated hunter-gatherers and their farmer neighbours.

Suggested Citation

  • Gul Deniz Salali & Andrea Bamberg Migliano, 2015. "Future Discounting in Congo Basin Hunter-Gatherers Declines with Socio-Economic Transitions," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(9), pages 1-10, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0137806
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137806
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Kirby, Kris N. & Godoy, Ricardo & Reyes-Garcia, Victoria & Byron, Elizabeth & Apaza, Lilian & Leonard, William & Perez, Eddy & Vadez, Vincent & Wilkie, David, 2002. "Correlates of delay-discount rates: Evidence from Tsimane' Amerindians of the Bolivian rain forest," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 291-316, June.
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    4. Hannah M. Lewis & Lucio Vinicius & Janis Strods & Ruth Mace & Andrea Bamberg Migliano, 2014. "High mobility explains demand sharing and enforced cooperation in egalitarian hunter-gatherers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-8, December.
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    1. Martin, Jesus & Branas, Pablo & Espín, Antonio M. & Gamella, Juan & Herrmann, Benedikt, 2018. "The appropriate response of Spanish Gitanos: Short-run orientation beyond current socio-economic status," MPRA Paper 84591, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Jessica K Knight & Gul Deniz Salali & Gaurav Sikka & Inez Derkx & Sarai M Keestra & Nikhil Chaudhary, 2021. "Quantifying patterns of alcohol consumption and its effects on health and wellbeing among BaYaka hunter-gatherers: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(10), pages 1-18, October.
    3. Marrocoli, Sergio & Gatiso, Tsegaye Tagesse & Morgan, David & Nielsen, Martin Reinhardt & Kühl, Hjalmar, 2018. "Environmental Uncertainty and Self-monitoring in the Commons: A Common-pool Resource Experiment Framed Around Bushmeat Hunting in the Republic of Congo," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 274-284.

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