caa a22 4500 445806931 CHVBK 20180317145159.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170323e20110401xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10745-010-9364-9 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10745-010-9364-9 Risk-Pooling and Herd Survival: An Agent-Based Model of a Maasai Gift-Giving System [Elektronische Daten] [C. Aktipis, Lee Cronk, Rolando de Aguiar] We use agent-based modeling to study osotua, a gift giving system used by the Maasai of East Africa. Osotua's literal meaning is "umbilical cord,” but it is used metaphorically to refer to a specific type of gift-giving relationship. Osotua relationships are characterized by respect, responsibility and restraint. Osotua partners ask each other for help only if they are in need and provide help only when asked and only if they are able. We hypothesize that under the ecologically volatile conditions in which Maasai pastoralists have traditionally lived, such a system is particularly suited to risk pooling. Here we explore whether osotua increases the viability of herds by comparing herd survivorship and stability under osotua rules to a) no exchange and b) probabilistic rules for requesting and giving livestock. Results from this model suggest that this gift-giving system can dramatically increase herd longevity through a limited pooling of risk. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 2011 Risk-pooling nationallicence Reciprocity nationallicence Cooperation nationallicence Norms nationallicence Pastoralism nationallicence Maasai nationallicence Aktipis C. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA aut Cronk Lee Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA aut de Aguiar Rolando Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA aut Human Ecology Springer US; http://www.springer-ny.com 39/2(2011-04-01), 131-140 0300-7839 39:2<131 2011 39 10745 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-010-9364-9 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-010-9364-9 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Aktipis C. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Cronk Lee Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- de Aguiar Rolando Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Human Ecology Springer US; http://www.springer-ny.com 39/2(2011-04-01), 131-140 0300-7839 39:2<131 2011 39 10745 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer