Is Mary Douglas's grid/group analysis useful for cross/cultural research?

During the 1970s, anthropologist Mary Douglas developed a two-dimensional framework, for cultural comparisons: (a) grid or constraint by rules, and (b) group or incorporation into a bounded social unit. According to Douglas and her colleagues, the four grid/ group types constitute stable social configurations that are associated with distinctive values or ideologies: individualism, fatalism, hierarchy, and egalitarianism. The theory has inspired a great deal of elaboration, numerous intrasocietal studies, some controlled comparisons between social units in, different societies, and some limited cross-national studies. Although plausible, the framework has not been subjected to extensive cross-cultural testing. This article addresses a preliminary question in, the more rigorous cross-cultural testing of the framework: Are grid, group, and ideology empirically separate dimensions as Douglas contends? A pilot study employing factor analysis of precoded variables from the 60-culture Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) probability sample file suggests that they may be. Further steps in testing this theoretical framework are proposed.