ABSTRACT
This article extends a foundation for sociological theories of the micro-macro linkage in collective action. Key elements of the foundation are population heterogeneity and a model of interdependence of actions. By “population heterogeneity” I mean differences among people in the payoffs of their alternative choices. This article introduces the concepts of interpersonal substitutability and complementarity of actions between groups for analyzing their collective outcomes by extending similar concepts and methods previously introduced in the literature for interdependence of actions within a group. The article applies these theories and methods (1) to evaluate Tsebelis’s theory of the relationship between crime and punishment and present distinct conclusions on the effectiveness of alternative crime control methods depending on the conditions of population heterogeneity, and (2) to clarify the role of population heterogeneity as a modifier for the effects of an increase in the gender equality of job opportunities on men’s and women’s gender role attitudes about the division of household labor.
