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272
The Determinants of Earnings: A Behavioral Approach
- JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC LITERATURE
, 2001
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Social Capital
, 2004
"... This paper surveys research on social capital. We explore the concepts that motivate the social capital literature, efforts to formally model social capital using economic theory, the econometrics of social capital, and empirical studies of the role of social capital in various socioeconomic outcome ..."
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Cited by 213 (6 self)
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This paper surveys research on social capital. We explore the concepts that motivate the social capital literature, efforts to formally model social capital using economic theory, the econometrics of social capital, and empirical studies of the role of social capital in various socioeconomic outcomes. While our focus is primarily on the place of social capital in economics, we do consider its broader social science context. We argue that while the social capital literature has produced many insights, a number of conceptual and statistical problems exist with the current use of social capital by social scientists. We propose some ways to strengthen the social capital literature.
An Economic Approach to Social Capital
- Economic Journal
, 2002
"... A standard optimal investment model can be used to analyse an individual’s decision to ac-cumulate social capital. We analyse six facts that support the predictions of this individual-based approach: (1) social capital first rises and then falls with age, (2) social capital declines with expected mo ..."
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Cited by 209 (1 self)
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A standard optimal investment model can be used to analyse an individual’s decision to ac-cumulate social capital. We analyse six facts that support the predictions of this individual-based approach: (1) social capital first rises and then falls with age, (2) social capital declines with expected mobility, (3) social capital rises in occupations with greater returns to social skills, (4) social capital is higher among homeowners, (5) social connections fall sharply with physical distance, (6) people who invest in human capital also invest in social capital. We fail to find robust evidence that social capital investments fall with the value of time or that geo-graphic/religious groups generate social capital complementarities. A growing body of research documents significant correlations between ‘social capital ’ variables, such as membership in organisations, and important economic outcomes.1 Putnam (1993) jump-started the research on social capital when he found a strong correlation between measures of civic engagement and government quality across regions in Italy. Many authors have contributed to this literature. For example, Knack and Keefer (1997) find that a one-standard deviation increase in a survey-based measure of country-level trust increases economic growth by more
Neighborhood Effects
- PREPARED FOR THE HANDBOOK OF REGIONAL AND URBAN ECONOMICS, VOLUME 4,
, 2003
"... This paper surveys the modern economics literature on the role of neighborhoods in influencing socioeconomic outcomes. Neighborhood effects have been analyzed in a range of theoretical and applied contexts and have proven to be of interest in understanding questions ranging from the asymptotic prope ..."
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Cited by 95 (0 self)
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This paper surveys the modern economics literature on the role of neighborhoods in influencing socioeconomic outcomes. Neighborhood effects have been analyzed in a range of theoretical and applied contexts and have proven to be of interest in understanding questions ranging from the asymptotic properties of various evolutionary games to explaining the persistence of poverty in inner cities. As such, the survey covers a range of theoretical, econometric and empirical topics. One conclusion from the survey is that there is a need to better integrate findings from theory and econometrics into empirical studies; until this is done, empirical studies of the nature and magnitude of neighborhood effects are unlikely to persuade those skeptical about their importance.
Social Capital and Community Governance
- The Economic Journal
, 2000
"... Social capital generally refers to trust, concern for ones associates, a willingness to live by the norms of one's community and to punish those who do not. While essential to good governance, these behaviors and dispositions appear to conflict with the fundamental behavioral assumptions of ..."
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Cited by 92 (0 self)
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Social capital generally refers to trust, concern for ones associates, a willingness to live by the norms of one's community and to punish those who do not. While essential to good governance, these behaviors and dispositions appear to conflict with the fundamental behavioral assumptions of economics whose archetypal individual---Homo economicus---is entirely self-regarding.
The Social Benefits and Costs of Homeownership: A Critical Assessment of the Research.” Research Institute for Housing America Working Paper No
, 2000
"... This paper, along with others prepared for the Symposium, will be published as a forthcoming book by the Brookings Institution and its Center for Urban and Metropolitan Policy. All opinions expressed are those of the authors and not those of the Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard ..."
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Cited by 75 (0 self)
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This paper, along with others prepared for the Symposium, will be published as a forthcoming book by the Brookings Institution and its Center for Urban and Metropolitan Policy. All opinions expressed are those of the authors and not those of the Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard
Inequality and Group Participation: Theory and Evidence from Rural Tanzania’. CEPR Discussion Paper 2433. London: Centre for Economic Policy Research
, 2000
"... This paper investigates the determinants of group membership, and in particular the e¤ect of income inequality on individual incentives to join economic groups. Drawing on a simple model, we show that an increase in inequality has an ambiguous e¤ect and that the type of access rule (open versus rest ..."
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Cited by 45 (0 self)
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This paper investigates the determinants of group membership, and in particular the e¤ect of income inequality on individual incentives to join economic groups. Drawing on a simple model, we show that an increase in inequality has an ambiguous e¤ect and that the type of access rule (open versus restricted access) is key in determining what income categories are represented in the group. Furthermore, the shape of the income distribution can be crucial to determine whether increased inequality leads to more or less group participation. Using survey data from rural Tanzania we …nd that inequality at the village level has a negative impact on the likelihood that the respondents are members of any group. This e¤ect is particularly signi…cant for relatively wealthier people, both when relative wealth is ‘objectively ’ measured, and when it is ‘subjectively ’ de-…ned. However, when we disaggregate groups by type of access rule, we …nd that inequality decreases participation in open access groups when there are wide disparities at the bottom of the distribution, while it increases participation in restricted access groups when the disparities are around the middle and top part of the distribution. Finally, we assess the impact of inequality on various dimensions of group functioning.
2007): “Discrimination and In-Group Favoritism in a Citywide Trust Experiment
- IZA Discussion Paper
"... This paper provides field experimental evidence on the prevalence and determinants of discrimination and in-group favoritism in trust decisions. We observe choices of about 1,000 inhabitants of the city of Zurich who take part in a sequential trust game, in which first movers can condition their inv ..."
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Cited by 35 (3 self)
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This paper provides field experimental evidence on the prevalence and determinants of discrimination and in-group favoritism in trust decisions. We observe choices of about 1,000 inhabitants of the city of Zurich who take part in a sequential trust game, in which first movers can condition their investments on the residential districts of second movers. Our main results can be summarized as follows: First movers discriminate significantly in their investment choices, i.e., strangers receive different investments depending on the district they live in. The systematics of the discrimination pattern is underlined by data from an additional newspaper study, where participants correctly guessed the outcome of the study. In terms of district characteristics two factors seem to be key for a district’s reputation: while expected trustworthiness of a district increases in the socio-economic status it decreases in the degree of ethnic heterogeneity. Observed discrimination is not just based on mistaken stereotypes but can at least partly be classified as statistical discrimination. This can be inferred from the fact that, on a district level, both expected return on investment and actual investments are positively correlated with actual back
Low-Income Homeownership: American Dream or Delusion?” Urban Studies 43: 511–531
, 2006
"... Summary. This paper is a critical analysis of recent US policy to promote low-income homeownership. It examines the ideology and assumptions buttressing this policy, evidence on the effects of low-income homeownership and the viability of homeownership as a strategy for low-income families. Evidence ..."
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Cited by 30 (0 self)
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Summary. This paper is a critical analysis of recent US policy to promote low-income homeownership. It examines the ideology and assumptions buttressing this policy, evidence on the effects of low-income homeownership and the viability of homeownership as a strategy for low-income families. Evidence suggests that the prospect for sustained growth in low-income homeownership may be limited. Research does not provide uniform support for it as a tool for asset accumulation, neighbourhood economic development or other social and political goals. Alleged effects of homeownership may be artefacts of self-selection and the conflation of homeownership with unobserved characteristics coincident with buying homes. What homeownership does and why are not well understood because of difficulties disentangling what homeownership means. The elevation of low-income homeownership to its current status has deflected political attention away from alternative policies for affordable housing.
