nep-soc New Economics Papers
on Social Norms and Social Capital
Issue of 2006‒08‒19
seven papers chosen by
Fabio Sabatini
Universita degli Studi di Roma, La Sapienza
  1. Social Cohesion, Institutions, and Growth By William Easterly; Jozef Ritzan; Michael Woolcock
  2. Diffusion on social networks By Jackson, Matthew O.; Yariv, Leeat
  3. Simulating Knowledge-Generation and -Distribution Processes in Innovation Collaborations and Networks By Andreas Pyka; Nigel Gilbert; Petra Ahrweiler
  4. Working late: Do Workplace Sex Ratios Affect Partnership Formation and Dissolution? By Michael Svarer
  5. On the Theory of Ethnic Conflict By Francesco Caselli; Wilbur John Coleman II
  6. Entrepreneurship in Brazil, China, and Russia By Simeon Djankov; Yingyi Qian; Gerard Roland; Ekaterina Zhuravskaya
  7. Chinese Unions: Nugatory or Transforming? An Alice Analysis By Jianwei Li; David Metcalf
  1. By: William Easterly; Jozef Ritzan; Michael Woolcock
    Abstract: We present evidence that measures of “social cohesion,” such as income inequality and ethnic fractionalization, endogenously determine institutional quality, which in turn casually determines growth.
    Keywords: Political institutions, social cohesion, poverty, economic policy
    JEL: H5 O1
    Date: 2006–08
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cgd:wpaper:94&r=soc
  2. By: Jackson, Matthew O.; Yariv, Leeat
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:clt:sswopa:1251&r=soc
  3. By: Andreas Pyka (University of Augsburg, Department of Economics); Nigel Gilbert (School of Human Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, United Kingdom); Petra Ahrweiler (Research Center Media and Politics, Institute for Political Science, University of Hamburg, Germany)
    Abstract: An agent-based simulation model representing a theory of the dynamic processes involved in innovation in modern knowledge-based industries is described. The agent-based approach al-lows the representation of heterogeneous agents that have individual and varying stocks of knowledge. The simulation is able to model uncertainty, historical change, effect of failure on the agent population, and agent learning from experience, from individual research and from partners and collaborators. The aim of the simulation exercises is to show that the artificial innovation networks show certain characteristics they share with innovation networks in knowledge intensive industries and which are difficult to be integrated in traditional models of industrial economics.
    Keywords: innovation networks, agent-based modelling, scale free networks
    JEL: O31 O32 L22
    Date: 2006–08
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aug:augsbe:0287&r=soc
  4. By: Michael Svarer (School of Economics and Management, University of Aarhus, Denmark)
    Abstract: In this paper, I analyse the association between workplace sex ratios and partnership formation and dissolution. I find that the risk of dissolution increases with the fraction of coworkers of the opposite sex at both the female and male workplace. On the other hand, workplace sex ratios are not important for the overall transition rate from singlehood to partnership. The results suggest that the workplace constitutes a more important marriage market segment for individuals who are already in a partnership presumably due to higher search cost for (alternative) partners in general.
    Keywords: Partnership formation, dissolution, workplace sex ratios
    JEL: J12
    Date: 2006–08–16
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aah:aarhec:2006-09&r=soc
  5. By: Francesco Caselli; Wilbur John Coleman II
    Abstract: We present a theory of ethnic conflict in which coalitions formed along ethnic lines competefor the economy's resources. The role of ethnicity is to enforce coalition membership: inethnically homogeneous societies members of the losing coalition can defect to the winners atlow cost, and this rules out conflict as an equilibrium outcome. We derive a number ofimplications of the model relating social, political, and economic indicators such as theincidence of conflict, the distance among ethnic groups, group sizes, income inequality, andexpropriable resources.
    Keywords: ethnic distance, exploitation
    JEL: P48 Q34 Z13
    Date: 2006–07
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp0732&r=soc
  6. By: Simeon Djankov (the World Bank); Yingyi Qian (UC Berkeley and NBER); Gerard Roland (UC Berkeley and CEPR); Ekaterina Zhuravskaya (New Economic School/CEFIR and CEPR)
    Abstract: We study the determinants of the decision to become an entrepreneur in Russia, China, and Brazil, using unique survey data at the individual level. We find that entrepreneurs have many common characteristics relative to non-entrepreneurs in all three countries. They are more likely to have entrepreneurs among their relatives and friends, place a higher value on work, are happier and perceive themselves as more successful. There are also a few important differences. Russian and Chinese entrepreneurs are more mobile geographically and across jobs. In Brazil, on the contrary, entrepreneurs are less mobile across jobs and industries. Brazil entrepreneurs have higher trust than non-entrepreneurs, while in Russia and China this is not the case. Finally, we confirm that perceptions of institutional environment are an important determinant of individual decisions to expand business.
    Date: 2006–07
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cfr:cefirw:w0066&r=soc
  7. By: Jianwei Li; David Metcalf
    Abstract: China has, apparently, more trade union members than the rest of the world put together. But the unions do not function in the same way as western trade unions. In particular Chinese unions are subservient to the Partystate.The theme of the paper is the gap between rhetoric and reality. Issues analysed include union structure, membership, representation, new laws (e.g. promoting collective contracts), new tripartite institutions and theinteraction between unions and the Party-state. We suggest that Chinese unions inhabit an Alice in Wonderland dream world. In reality although Chinese unions do have many members (though probably not as many as the official 137 million figure) they are virtually impotent when it comes to representing workers. Because theParty-state recognises that such frailty may lead to instability it has passed new laws promoting collective contracts and established new tripartite institutions to mediate and arbitrate disputes. While such laws are welcome they are largely hollow: collective contracts are very different from collective bargaining and the incidence of cases dealt with by the tripartite institutions is tiny. Much supporting evidence is presented drawing on detailed case studies undertaken in Hainan Province (the first and largest special economic zone) in 2004 and 2005. The need for more effective representation is appreciated by some All China Federation of TradeUnions (ACFTU) officials. But reasonable reforms do seem a long way off, so unions in China will continue to echo the White Queen:"The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday - but never jam today" and, alas, tomorrow never comes.
    Keywords: China, trade unions, Hainan Province, collective contracts, collective disputes, membership
    JEL: J5
    Date: 2005–12
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp0708&r=soc
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