Societal Complexity: An Empirical Test of a Typology of Societies

Does the concept of societal complexity refer to a single dimension? Data have been gathered from a sample of forty-eight societies and scored according to Guttman's scalogram analysis. Six out of eight variables tested vary systematically and constitute an acceptable scale. This is empirical evidence for the relevance of societal complexity. The study demonstrates a technique for testing polar ideal types which allows the investigator to determine whether or not they are empirically based.