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on Social Norms and Social Capital |
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Issue of 2025–06–23
eight papers chosen by Fabio Sabatini, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza” |
| By: | Vasiliki Fouka; Marco Tabellini |
| Abstract: | This chapter reviews the literature on the relationship between culture and political preferences. We distinguish conceptually between the direct cultural transmission of political ideology and the transmission of more primitive preferences and beliefs that influence preferences over policies, parties, and forms of government. While there is substantial evidence that political preferences persist across generations and within communities, the literature often does not specify which primitive values and beliefs drive this persistence. A growing body of work points to a multifaceted mapping from underlying preferences and beliefs over the material world and social relations to political ideology. In this chapter, we summarize these studies, organize their findings in a coherent framework, and suggest possible directions for future research. |
| JEL: | D72 N30 P0 Z1 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33786 |
| By: | Matteo Broso; Andrea Gallice; Caterina Muratori |
| Abstract: | Men and women often sort into different jobs, and male-dominated jobs typically pay more than female-dominated ones. Why is that the case? We propose a model where workers have heterogeneous attitudes with respect to the social norms that define gender prescribed occupations and face endogenous social costs when entering jobs deemed "appropriate" for the other gender. We show that: (i) workers trade off identity and wage considerations in deciding where to work; (ii) asymmetric social norms contribute to the gender pay gap by deterring women from entering higher-paying male-dominated sectors; (iii) breaking social norms generates positive externalities, reducing social stigma for everyone. Therefore, in equilibrium, there are too few social norm breakers. |
| Keywords: | Occupational Segregation; Wage Gap; Social Norms. |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cca:wpaper:728 |
| By: | Fazio, Andrea; Giaccherini, Matilde |
| Abstract: | Building on social identity theory, we suggest that natives from stereotyped groups tend to value cultural distance more and think that immigrants are not good for the economy and the fiscal system. We draw upon research showing that overweight and obese individuals suffer from social stigma and discrimination and we investigate the relationship between high body mass and attitudes toward immigrants in Europe. We exploit the appointment of the Belgian Minister of Health to provide causal evidence that stigmatization and stereotyping contribute to negative attitudes toward immigrants. Furthermore, a survey experiment shows that individuals with a higher body mass index prioritize cultural factors over economic ones when facing immigrants. Overall, our results highlight the importance of experienced discrimination and stigma internalization in understanding economic phenomena. |
| Keywords: | Attitudes toward Immigrants, Social Identity Theory, Stigma |
| JEL: | J14 J15 J71 Z1 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1470r |
| By: | Corona, Joshua |
| Abstract: | Intergroup dynamics and social avoidance in public spaces fundamentally shape democratic societies by influencing civic interactions essential for building trust across difference, yet methodological challenges have limited systematic observation of naturalistic behavior. Democratic theory suggests that everyday spatial segregation may undermine cross-group encounters necessary for sustaining democratic trust and participation. The proposed protocol presents a Fly-on-the-Wall Study---a large-N, probability-based research design---to first document the baseline likelihood of intergroup contact between strangers and then to examine subsequent social avoidance patterns on public transit platforms in Seattle, Washington. The study systematically codes interpersonal spacing behaviors between the first two individuals arriving on train platforms, analyzing how social distance varies with demographic characteristics including sex, age, race-ethnicity, skin color, and class. This approach enables systematic adjudication between competing theoretical mechanisms---statistical discrimination, intergroup contact, racial threat, and social identity theories---by capturing how avoidance patterns vary across demographic combinations and environmental contexts. By establishing whether systematic avoidance patterns exist in everyday public encounters that constitute civic life, this research provides the empirical foundation for understanding how micro-level spatial behaviors may fragment democratic community. Results would advance theoretical understanding of intergroup dynamics in naturalistic settings, while null results would challenge assumptions about concealed bias and suggest greater potential for democratic trust-building. |
| Date: | 2025–06–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:kx6wr_v1 |
| By: | Jasmin Vietz; Ingrid Hoem Sjursen |
| Abstract: | Non-state actors, such as religious institutions and leaders, play a central role in governance and social life in many low- and lower-middle-income countries. We examine whether information about how tax revenues are used for public goods and service provision increases voluntary tax compliance, and whether religious leaders can serve as more effective senders of this information than tax officials. Using a lab-in-the-field experiment in Tanzania, we find that providing information increases participants’ compliance, but only when delivered by a religious leader. These findings highlight the potential of religious leaders in enhancing tax compliance where trust in state institutions is limited. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ifowps:_415 |
| By: | Hana Krakovsk\'a; Rudolf Hanel |
| Abstract: | Asymmetric evolutionary games, such as the Ultimatum Game, provide keys to understanding the emergence of fairness in social species. Building on this framework, we explore the evolution of social value systems and the operational role that social status plays in hierarchically organised societies. Within the asymmetric Ultimatum Game paradigm, where "proposers" suggest terms for resource distribution, and "responders" accept or reject these terms, we examine the assignment of roles between players under a subjective social order. This order is grounded in an emergent status hierarchy based on observable player attributes (such as age and wealth). The underlying rules for constructing such a hierarchy stabilise over time by inheritance and family ties. Despite their subjective nature these (often sub-conscious) value systems have operative meaning in controlling access of individuals to resources and decision making. We demonstrate these effects using a simple but sufficiently complex model with dynamical population size and network structure, where division of resources (prey) is carried out according to the principles of the Ultimatum Game. We focus on the emerging proposer and responder thresholds under distinct social hierarchies and interaction networks and discuss them in relation to the extensive body of Ultimatum Game experiments conducted across a wide range of cultural contexts. We observe the emergence of diverse sharing norms, ranging from unfair to highly generous, alongside the development of various social norms. |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2505.07060 |
| By: | Amnon Maltz; Moti Michaeli; Sapir Gavriel |
| Abstract: | We identify a “truncated U-shape†relationship between pro-social behavior and Covid-19 vaccination status. Non-vaxxers display the highest pro-sociality, partially vaccinated individuals the lowest, and fully vaccinated individuals lie in between. This pattern is interpreted as a reflection of the effect of personal convictions on vaccination decisions and pro-social behavior. Our key insights are incorporated in a model where the likelihood of actions aligning with preferences depends on the strength of convictions, which is heterogeneous across individuals. Our findings illuminate the complex interplay between preferences and actions in socially relevant contexts. |
| Keywords: | Altruism, Trust, Trustworthiness, Covid-19, Experiment, Convictions. |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cca:wpaper:730 |
| By: | Gimenez-Nadal, José Ignacio (University of Zaragoza); Molina, José Alberto (University of Zaragoza); Velilla, Jorge (University of Zaragoza) |
| Abstract: | Social connection is a key determinant of emotional well-being, yet the role of solitude in shaping both momentary affect and overall life satisfaction remains understudied. This paper investigates how being alone while engaging in daily activities relates to subjective well-being, using rich time-use diary data from the UK covering four distinct periods: pre-pandemic (2015–2016), the Covid-19 lockdowns (2020–2021), the relaxation phase (2021), and the post-pandemic period (2023). We find that being alone is negatively associated with momentary enjoyment, particularly in the post-pandemic period, but not during lockdowns or the initial relaxation phase, suggesting that the emotional cost of solitude depends on its perceived voluntariness and social norms. The enjoyment penalty is strongest for leisure and unpaid work episodes, and most pronounced among remote workers. We also document a negative association between full-day solitude and overall life satisfaction, but only during the relaxation phase, suggesting that solitude can impose both short-term and longer-term costs of well-being, depending on the social context and type of activity. |
| Keywords: | lockdown, COVID-19, life satisfaction, instant enjoyment, well-being, time use data |
| JEL: | J16 J22 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17932 |