[LDale]

A guy named Peter Frase considered this question in Jacobin magazine a while back (link below). His answer pivots around resources availability and social construction.

Based on these constructs he developed "Four Futures" as follows:

-Egalitarianism and abundance: communism

-Hierarchy and abundance: rentism

-Egalitarianism and scarcity: socialism

-Hierarchy and scarcity: exterminism

Frase definitely swings from one side of the fence, so it may not be your kind of thing - but it's one take on the idea.

http://jacobinmag.com/2011/12/four-futures/