nep-soc New Economics Papers
on Social Norms and Social Capital
Issue of 2013‒09‒25
five papers chosen by
Fabio Sabatini
Universita' la Sapienza

  1. The spatiality of trust – Antecedents of trust and the role of face-to-face contacts By Nilsson, Magnus; Mattes, Jannika
  2. The Effect of Outside Leaders on the Performance of the Organization: An Experiment By Marcela Ibanez; Elke Schaffland
  3. Daily life explorers, social networks and landscape policies By Salustri, Andrea
  4. Open Access, Social Norms & Publication Choice By Matteo Migheli; Giovanni B. Ramello
  5. Loved Ones Matter: Family Effects and Stock Market Participation By Hellström, Jörgen; Zetterdahl, Emma; Hanes, Niklas

  1. By: Nilsson, Magnus (CIRCLE, Lund University); Mattes, Jannika (Institute for Social Sciences, CETRO, University of Oldenburg, Germany and CIRCLE, Lund University, Sweden)
    Abstract: In this paper we analyze how the spatiality of interactions influences trust creation in multi-site corporate innovation projects. By drawing on insights from the discussion on initial and gradual trust and connecting them to contributions from the field of economic geography, we examine different antecedents of trust and their dependence on face-to-face interaction. We thereby illustrate the complexity of initial and gradual trust creation and the interplay between personality traits, group-based similarities, situational and institutional factors, reputational inference, and personal interaction as trust antecedents. We can show that the speed and level of resilient trust creation is decisively influenced by the frequency and duration of face-to-face exchange between key project actors. The empirical insights are based on two qualitative case studies on specific innovation projects in multinational companies. Our findings stress the need to incorporate space as a facilitating factor in the analysis of trust development.
    Keywords: Trust; spatiality; proximity; face-to-face; project work
    JEL: M10 M19
    Date: 2013–04–17
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:lucirc:2013_016&r=soc
  2. By: Marcela Ibanez (Georg-August University Göttingen); Elke Schaffland (Georg-August University Göttingen)
    Abstract: In order to deal with crises, organizations often bring expert leaders from outside. However, relying in an outside leader can result in decreased performance of the organization. In this paper, we use an experiment to investigate the role of identity and skills of the outside leader on the performance of the organization. Our results indicate that outside leaders are less committed than inside leaders and that group members cooperate less with an outsider than an inside leader.
    Keywords: Social Identity; Leadership; Public Good Game; Lab Experiment
    Date: 2013–09–16
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:got:gotcrc:149&r=soc
  3. By: Salustri, Andrea
    Abstract: The article sheds light on virtual networks’ capability of driving landscape changes, both at epistemological level and at geographical level. “Living in” the landscape brings out the main drivers of change at individual level, while the ICTs are offering complementary places, with respect to those ones already existing, for increasing people’s role in sharing values and meanings. Then, common visions might emerge and “inform” landscape policies, indirectly influencing the meaning of wellbeing. Specifically, the socioeconomic theory might constitute a missing link between regulatory issues and technological achievements, enhancing and combining the new opportunities for participation offered by the European Landscape Convention, and by the widespread diffusion of social networks on the web. Indeed, “living in” the landscape inspires a plurality of visions that people are able to describe and share on the web or send directly to the interested institutions. Geographers might collect these issues and explore the landscape by living in it in order to produce “ethic visions”. Integrated with political and economic issues using the Regulation Impact Analysis (RIA), their contents might contribute to inform landscape transformation policies. Landscape policies might be participated also in the implementation phase, involving people in the fund raising activities and delegating the realization of some interventions to the spontaneous action of the interested citizens and firms. More participation at political and at social level might strengthen the sense of community reinforcing the narratives that connect the human and natural elements of landscape, integrating equity and sustainability in the traditional meaning of wellbeing.
    Keywords: European Landscape Convention, participation, crowdfunding, crowdsourcing
    JEL: R58 Z13
    Date: 2013–08–29
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:49864&r=soc
  4. By: Matteo Migheli; Giovanni B. Ramello
    Abstract: The aim of this paper is to shed light on scholarly communication and its current trajectories by examining academics’ perception of Open Access, while also providing a reference case for studying social norm change. In this respect, the issue of publication choice and the role of Open Access journals casts light on the changes affecting the scientific community and its institutional arrangements for validating and circulating new research. The empirical investigation conducted also offers a useful vantage point for gauging the importance of localised social norms in guiding and constraining behaviour
    JEL: K19 Z13 O33 L17
    Date: 2013–06
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:icr:wpicer:03-2013&r=soc
  5. By: Hellström, Jörgen (Umeå School of Business and Economics); Zetterdahl, Emma (Department of Economics, Umeå School of Business and Economics); Hanes, Niklas (Department of Economics, Umeå School of Business and Economics)
    Abstract: In this paper new and detailed empirical evidence on the impact of family on individuals’ stock market participation decision is provided. Since influence is likely to vary systematically over different types of individuals the heterogeneous effect of social interaction, in a setting including both community as well as within-family effects, is further examined. The main results indicate that individuals’ likelihood for subsequent participation increases (decreases) following positive (negative) parental and partner stock market experiences. The effect of social interaction is further found to be of relatively greater importance for individuals with relatively lower levels of financial literacy and for individuals with an on average higher level of interpersonal trust. In terms of gender, both male and female participation is positively affected by family influence, while community effects mainly pertain to males.
    Keywords: Family effects; Investor behavior; Peer effect; Social interaction; Social influence; Stock market participation
    JEL: D83 G11
    Date: 2013–09–19
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:umnees:0865&r=soc

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