Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Summer 2003

Source Publication

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice

Abstract

Anthropological kinship theory is explored for potential contributions to a theory of family business. This paper considers the costs and benefits of a role for kinship in business. Both derive from the discrepancy between the normative orders of kinship and markets; respectively, long-term generalized reciprocity and short-term balanced reciprocity. Because the former reflects the morality of society as a whole, kinship integrates social fields more readily than more specialized orders like markets.

Comments

Post-print. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Volume 27, No. 1 (Summer 2003), DOI: 10.1111/1540-8520.00016. Used with permission. The definitive version is available at www3.interscience.wiley.com.