The division of labor: further exploration in the analysis of an ecological concept

Abstract

DofL is a core concept in sociology, is usually operationalized in one of two dimensions for the generation of testable hypotheses. The analytic value of the decomposition of DofL into these two dimensions is not without cost for, by focusing on DofL 2, the interrelatedness of the two is ignored, the comparability of data gathered under the same system of occupational classification is restricted by the occasional presence of zero-member categories. This restriction should be evaluated in terms of the C-measure which, by using C.E. Shannon & W. Weaver's conception of information (The Mathematical Theory of Communication, Urbana: U of Illinois Press, 1963), measures the relative cost of information loss incurred when DofL 2 is measured for two sets of data drawn from the same classification scheme, one of which contains zero-member categories. The C-measure is judged to be of potential use for two areas important to the further specification of DofL, ie, replication & cross-cultural research. The C-measure serves as a way to reconcile DofL 1 & DofL 2 so that both dimensions are taken into account in the measurement of DofL.