Kinship system and economic development: A case study from Western Bisayas, Philippines

Abstract

Leading students of social change have recently focused much of their analytical attention on roles of individuals as entrepreneurs, savers of capital, and consumers of goods in society as the key to understanding the process of economic development. The institutional base of individual behavior has been disregarded or when considered, it is treated as a side issue. Many of these students seem to have overlooked the fact that, in actual life situations, it is not the individual or person who is important but the kind of behavior he performs or action he engages in. This behavior or action is largely dependent upon the support of the group to which the individual belongs. That is why it is also important that an inquiry into the relationship between the individual and the group be made before programs of development are drawn and implemented.