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on Social Norms and Social Capital |
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Issue of 2025–10–20
ten papers chosen by Fabio Sabatini, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza” |
| By: | Schib, Tobias; Strebel, Michael A.; Stutzer, Alois |
| Abstract: | A functioning democracy relies on individuals motivated to take on political office. In recent decades, concerns have grown across Western democracies about increasing political alienation and a declining willingness among citizens to engage in politics. To systematically assess this phenomenon, we introduce the concept of latent political engagement defined as an underlying, non-specific motivation to take on the responsibilities of a political mandate, whether or not it ultimately results in an actual candidacy. To capture it, we propose four survey questions. We fielded them using a large-scale, nationally representative survey of Swiss citizens in 2023. We present descriptive evidence for differences across various socio-economic groups and contextual factors. In particular, we find that individuals who are deeply invested in their municipality – whether through homeownership (economic capital) or membership in local associations (social capital) – exhibit higher levels of latent political engagement. Moreover, municipality size emerges as a key predictor, with small jurisdictions being particularly conducive to fostering a willingness to take on political mandates. Additionally, we provide evidence of language-cultural differences, as native German-speaking individuals are substantially more likely than French speakers to have ever considered holding political office. |
| JEL: | D72 J45 |
| Date: | 2025–05–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bsl:wpaper:2025/03 |
| By: | Marvin Suesse (Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin); Morten Jerven (Norwegian University of Life Sciences) |
| Abstract: | An influential strand of literature within economics and economic history called ‘persistence studies’ argues that low material living standards in African countries today were determined by institutional choices made in the past. However, the lack of consistent annual data on GDP per capita or institutional variables has meant that this literature has been largely silent as to whether their proposed relationships hold throughout the period it studies. This has made persistence studies vulnerable to criticisms of making leaps of faith or contributing to a ‘compression of history’. Here, we draw on a data set of tax revenues for African polities for the period 1900-2015, with which we proxy the institutional capacity of a state. We then test whether some of the most influential determinants stressed in the persistence literature exert a consistent effect on our measure of institutions. Our findings suggest that the effect of population density and colonizer identity on institutions is not persistent. We find mixed results for precolonial centralization and ethnic fractionalization, while results for slave exports and settler mortality are more in accordance with theory. Overall, our results support the view that historical persistence should be measured, not simply assumed. |
| Keywords: | Persistence; Institutions; Africa; Settler mortality; Slave trades; Fiscal capacity |
| JEL: | O11 O55 N17 H30 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tcd:tcduee:tep1225 |
| By: | Shuige Liu |
| Abstract: | We examine how misinformation spreads in social networks composed of individuals with long-term offline relationships. Especially, we focus on why misinformation persists and diffuses despite being recognized by most as false. In our psychological game theoretical model, each agent who receives a piece of (mis)information must first decide how to react -- by openly endorsing it, remaining silent, or openly challenging it. After observing the reactions of her neighbors who also received the message, the agent then chooses whether to forward it to others in her own chatroom who have not yet received it. By distinguishing these two roles, our framework addresses puzzling real-world phenomena, such as the gap between what individuals privately believe and what they publicly transmit. A key assumption in our model is that, while perceived veracity influences decisions, the dominant factor is the alignment between an agent's beliefs and those of her social network -- a feature characteristic of communities formed through long-term offline relationships. This dynamic can lead agents to tacitly accept and even propagate information they privately judge to be of low credibility. Our results challenge the view that improving information literacy alone can curb the spread of misinformation. We show that when agents are highly sensitive to peer pressure and the network exhibits structural polarization, even if the majority does not genuinely believe in it, the message still can spread widely without encountering open resistance. |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2510.08658 |
| By: | Liu, Kelly J.; Stutzer, Alois |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the relationship between zero-sum thinking, political views, and individual well-being in Switzerland. Zero-sum thinking refers to the belief that resources are finite, and that one person’s gain must come at the expense of another. Using survey data from over 11, 000 individuals, we document that this mindset seems to be widespread and cannot easily be traced to specific demographic groups in the population. It is rather prevalent across the political spectrum, but slightly more so towards the political left. Beyond their political orientation, individuals with a stronger zero-sum belief support capitalism less, believe less in the idea of trickle-down and meritocracy, and at the same time support the idea that inequality is too high in Switzerland, and that there should be more redistribution. Finally, we observe that these individuals report, on average, a lower level of life satisfaction, shedding light on the potential personal and social implications of this mindset. |
| Keywords: | Mindset, zero-sum, belief formation, political attitudes, life satisfaction |
| JEL: | D83 I31 P16 Z13 |
| Date: | 2025–05–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bsl:wpaper:2025/02 |
| By: | Tsoukli, Xanthi |
| Abstract: | Little is known about the effects of political conflicts on the status of women in society. Polarizing attitudes might have a differential effect on women's lives after a conflict. To consider this, the case of Greece after the Second World War is exploited, when the country became highly polarized between left and right ideologies, resulting in a threeyear full-scale civil war. A referendum regarding the reinstatement of the monarchy is used as an indicator of political beliefs, and, in a difference-in-differences setting, it is demonstrated that 10% greater political opposition to the monarchy implied that female labour force participation was 1.4% higher after the war. A plausible mechanism is through conservative areas becoming more conservative and liberal areas becoming more liberal, and data on the construction of new churches, a conservative institution, are consistent with this hypothesis. Finally, it is found that these effects were persistent, as reflected by female labour force participation until 1981, and attitudes revealed in the European Value Survey of 1999. |
| Keywords: | political conflict, female labour force participation, gender norms, Greece |
| JEL: | J21 J71 N34 N44 R23 Z13 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:bamber:328242 |
| By: | Andrzej Baranski; Ernesto Reuben; Arno Riedl |
| Abstract: | In a laboratory experiment, we study the role of fairness ideals as focal points in coordination problems in homogeneous and heterogeneous groups. We elicit the normatively preferred behavior about how a subsequent coordination game should be played. In homogeneous groups, people share a unique fairness ideal how to solve the coordination problem, whereas in heterogeneous groups, multiple conflicting fairness ideals prevail. In the coordination game, homogeneous groups are significantly more likely than their heterogeneous counterparts to sustain efficient coordination. The reason is that homogeneous groups coordinate on the unique fairness ideal, whereas heterogeneous groups disagree on the fairness ideal to be played. In both types of groups, equilibria consistent with fairness ideals are most stable. Hence, the difference in coordination success between homogeneous and heterogeneous groups occurs because of the normative disagreement in the latter types of group, making it much harder to reach an equilibrium at a fairness ideal. |
| Keywords: | fairness ideals, focal points, coordination, cooperation, experiment |
| JEL: | H41 C92 D63 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12195 |
| By: | Sturm, Patrick |
| Abstract: | This paper estimates workplace peer efects in retirement by leveraging a German pension reform that eliminated a widely used early retirement option for women. Using administrative linked employer-employee data, I compare women's retirement behavior by exploiting variation in the share of their workplace peers who were afected by the reform based on their birth date. I fnd signifcant and robust peer efects: women are more likely to delay their retirement when their peers extend their employment due to the reform. Investigating potential underlying mechanisms, I provide suggestive evidence for information transmission and social norms about working in old-age. In addition, employer characteristics play an important role in shaping these peer efects. Overall, the fndings highlight the importance of accounting for workplace peer efects when evaluating the broader labor supply impacts of pension policies. |
| Keywords: | peer efects, retirement policies, social interactions |
| JEL: | D22 J08 J26 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:wuewep:328243 |
| By: | Pasquale Accardo (University of Bath); Adriano Amati (Università Ca' Foscari Venezia); Giovanni Mastrobuoni (Collegio Carlo Alberto; University of Turin; University of Essex) |
| Abstract: | This study uses a unique longitudinal data set on daily museum visits in Northern Italy to investigate how social networks influence leisure consumption. Based on detailed administrative records of museum cardholders, we use repeated joint visits to build a dynamic network of peers. We identify peer effects that exploit exogenous variation in membership prices generated by age-based discounts. We find robust evidence of peer spillovers in both museum attendance and membership renewal, primarily driven by a preference for shared experiences. These results underscore the role of social interactions in shaping leisure demand and support the view that social networks can amplify individual behavior. More broadly, our findings contribute to the understanding of peer dynamics in settings where consumption is inherently social. |
| Date: | 2025–09–25 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eid:wpaper:58191 |
| By: | Muñoz, Ercio A. (Inter-American Development Bank); Sansone, Dario (University of Exeter); Tampellini, João (Vanderbilt University) |
| Abstract: | Using data from over 500, 000 dual-earner households in Mexico, we provide evidence of discontinuities in the distribution of relative income within households in Latin America. Similar to the situation in high-income countries, we observe a sharp drop at the 50% threshold, i.e., where the wife earns more than the husband, but the discontinuity is up to five times larger and has increased over time. These patterns are robust to the exclusion of equal earners, self-employed individuals, and couples in the same occupation/industry. Discontinuities persist across subgroups, including couples with or without children, those with married or unmarried partners, and those with older wives or female household heads. We also find comparable discontinuities in Brazil and Panama, as well as among some same-sex couples. Moreover, women who are primary earners continue to supply more nonmarket labor than do their male partners, although the gap is narrower than in households where the woman is the secondary earner. |
| Keywords: | Latin America, relative income, gender norms |
| JEL: | D13 D91 J12 J15 J16 O15 Z13 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18172 |
| By: | Xiangzhe Xu; Ran Wu |
| Abstract: | Government trust, as a core concept in political economy and public policy research, serves as a fundamental cornerstone of democratic legitimacy and state capacity. This paper examines how environmental conditions, particularly sunlight efficiency, influence reported government trust through both affective and cognitive mechanisms. Leveraging World Values Survey Wave 7 data merged with NASA POWER high-frequency weather data, we propose and validate a novel ``salience and attribution'' mechanism: clearer skies may paradoxically reduce government trust by heightening environmental awareness and triggering negative attributions. We further identify potential mediating pathways, including subjective well-being, political interest, political discussion, and health perception, and demonstrate that environmental conditions introduce measurement error in survey-based trust indicators. Our findings provide theoretical contributions to environmental psychology, behavioral political economy, and survey methodology, and yield practical implications for governance, policy design, and survey |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2509.23554 |