Economic Organizations, Institutions and Markets

PROBLEM SET 1
PROBLEM 1

PROBLEM 2

3. Polyandry
1. If it were the case that a
woman married two men
who were not brothers, the
land
would have to be divided
and would create a conflict
within the family.
2. With the entry of new
cultivation techniques, in
addition to the entry of new
connections between
cultures, it was no longer
necessary to obtain the
maximum yield
from those lands and that
is why polygamy ended.
3. Logically, if each woman
married two or three men,
there must be many women
without a husband, so they
had to find a different way
of living.
3. Polyandry
1. If it were the case that a
woman married two men
who were not brothers, the
land
would have to be divided
and would create a conflict
within the family.
2. With the entry of new
cultivation techniques, in
addition to the entry of new
connections between
cultures, it was no longer
necessary to obtain the
maximum yield
from those lands and that
is why polygamy ended.
3. Logically, if each woman
married two or three men,
there must be many women
without a husband, so they
had to find a different way
of living.
3. Polyandry
1. If it were the case that a
woman married two men
who were not brothers, the
land
would have to be divided
and would create a conflict
within the family.
2. With the entry of new
cultivation techniques, in
addition to the entry of new
connections between
cultures, it was no longer
necessary to obtain the
maximum yield
from those lands and that
is why polygamy ended.
3. Logically, if each woman
married two or three men,
there must be many women
without a husband, so they
had to find a different way
of living.
1. What problems might have arisen if a woman had married two men from different
families?
As the text said, one of the most important advantages of marrying men from the same family is
that land has not to be divided, and this is a very relevant thing in a hostile place such as the
Himalayas. If a woman married men from different families, it could potentially lead to
conflicts over the division of resources, inheritance, and property rights, which could
difficult the capacity to survive.

2. At the end of the twentieth century, polyandry disappeared quickly along with the
acceleration of economic growth and the spread of technologies that connected the
people of the Himalayas with the outside world. Why?
The introduction of modern technologies and increased connectivity might have facilitated
access to information and alternative lifestyles, influencing the cultural norms of the region.
Moreover, if technologies improve, the productivity of the land will likely increase, making
polyandry less useful.
 3. If some wives married two or three brothers, what do you think tended to happen
to the rest of the women?
As we assume that, by default, the percentage of women and men is the same (fifty per cent), if
there are women marrying two or three men, obviously the rest of the women in the community
might face challenges in finding partners. This situation could lead to more competition for
marriage opportunities, resulting in some women remaining unmarried.

QUESTIONS
4. Provide several examples in which emotions—yours or of somebody you know—
have brought to a less rational and cooperative behavior.
The example I have in mind is when you got angry with your brother when you were younger
because, for some reason, he had received a better Christmas present than yours, and you started
to fight with him over it.