The challenges of multiculturalism
Essential readings
Alesina, A., La Ferrara, E. (2006). Who Trusts Others? Journal of Public Economics 85, 207–234
Both individual experiences and community characteristics influence how much people trust each...
Costa, D., Kahn, M. (2003). Understanding the American Decline in Social Capital, 1952-1998. Kyklos 56 (1), 17-46.
We evaluate U.S. trends in social capital since 1952 and assess explanations for the observed...
Important readings
Algann, Y., Cahuc, P. (2010). Inherited Trust and Growth. American Economic Review, 100(5): 2060–92.
This paper develops a new method to uncover the causal e¤ect of trust on economic growth, by...
Bjørnskov, C. (2008). Social Trust and Fractionalization: A Possible Reinterpretation. European Sociological Review 24 (3): 271-283.
This paper takes a closer look at the importance of fractionalization for the creation of social...
Costa, D., Kahn, M. (2003). Cowards and Heroes: Group Loyalty in the American Civil War. Quarterly Journal of Economics. 118 (2): 519-548
What motivated men to risk death in the most horrific war in U.S. history when pay was low and...
Leigh, A. (2004). Does Equality Lead to Fraternity? Harvard University, PhD Thesis
Andrew Leigh Chapter 2 of a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the...
Knack, S., Keefer, P. (1997). Does Social Capital Have an Economic Payoff? A Cross-Country Investigation. Quarterly Journal of Economics 112 (4): 1251-1288
This paper presents evidence that “social capital” matters for measurable economic...
Tesei, A. (2012). Racial Fragmentation, Income Inequality and Social Capital: New Evidence from the US
Existing studies of social capital formation in US metropolitan areas have found that social...
Pervaiz, Z., Chaudhary A R, van Staveren, I. (2013). Diversity, Inclusiveness and Social Cohesion. ISD Working Paper 2013-1.
This study aims to investigate the role of diversity (ethnic, linguistic and religious) and social...
Reading list archive
Bjørnskov, C. (2006). Determinants of generalized trust: A cross-country comparison. Public Choice 130 (1), 1-21.
The paper explores the determinants of generalized trust across countries. The findings suggest...
Bowles, S., Gintis, H. (2004). Persistent Parochialism: Trust and Exclusion in Ethnic Networks, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 55, 1-23.
Decentralized groups such as close knit residential neighborhoods and ethnically linked...
Bowles, S., Gintis, H. (2004). The Evolution of Strong Reciprocity: Cooperation in Heterogeneous Populations. Theoretical Population Biology 65, 17-28
How do human groups maintain a high level of cooperation despite a low level of genetic relatedness...
Corneo, G., Neher, F. (2012). Income Inequality and Self-Reported Values. Discussion Paper SFB/TR 15 N. 382
This paper offers a comprehensive econometric investigation of the impact of income inequality on...
Frey, B. S., Meier, S. (2004). Pro-social behavior in a natural setting. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 54, 65–88
Empirical evidence is provided for the importance of pro-social behavior of individuals in an...
Kesler, C., Bloemraad, I. (2010). Does Immigration Erode Social Capital? The Conditional Effects of Immigration-Generated Diversity on Trust, Membership, and Participation across 19 Countries. Canadian Journal of Political Science 43 (2), 319-347.
Abstract. This article is an attempt to qualify existing evidence that increasing diversity is...
Leigh, A. (2006). Trust, Inequality and Ethnic Heterogeneity. Economic Record 82 (258), 268-280.
Using a large Australian social survey, combined with precise data on neighbourhood characteristics...
Morris, M. (2010). The challenges of creating social capital and increasing community participation in a diverse population: Implications for theory, policy and practice based on a case study of a Canadian housing co-operative
This is a case study about building social capital and increasing community participation across...
Quintelier, E., Solle, D., Harell, A. (2011). Politics in Peer Groups: Exploring the Causal Relationship between Network Diversity and Political Participation. Political Research Quarterly July 19, 2011.
Social capital researchers have suggested that bridging ties are important for political...
Ruffle, B., Sosis, R. (2010). Do religious contexts elicit more trust and altruism? An experiment on Facebook. Ben-Gurion University, Department of Economics, mimeo
We design a decision-making scenario experiment on Facebook to measure subjects’ altruism and...
Stolle, D., Hooghe, M. (2009). Shifting Inequalities? Patterns of Exclusion and Inclusion in Emerging Forms of Political Participation. WZB Discussion paper 2009-204
Previous research has found a steady increase in the number of people involved in emerging forms of...
Uslaner, E. M. (2000). The Moral Foundations of Trust. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
The book is a study of the moral foundations of trust in other people, distinguishing between...