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on Social Norms and Social Capital |
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Issue of 2025–03–24
six papers chosen by Fabio Sabatini, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza” |
| By: | Kassa, Woubet; Smith, Michael Dean; Wesselbaum, Dennis |
| Abstract: | This study examines the relationship between food insecurity and trust using the 2014-17 waves of the Gallup World Poll and the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Trust improves public institutions, social capital, public health interventions, and economic development. Vertical trust is represented as an index of trust in national institutions, while horizontal trust is represented as a measure of trust in friends and family. The findings show that food insecurity is associated with a decrease in both measures of trust. The study further document heterogeneous effects of food insecurity across economic development rankings. The results suggest a need for governments to increase food security to bolster public trust, strengthen the social contract, and enhance the effectiveness of development efforts. |
| Date: | 2023–02–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10314 |
| By: | Angelini, Viola (University of Groningen); Costa-Font, Joan (London School of Economics); Ozcan, Berkay (London School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | We study whether receiving a monetary gift from parents increases the intensity of parent-child social contact. We use unique longitudinal data that follows adult children and their older parents for more than a decade (between 2004 and 2015) across various European countries. We first document that bequests, being more visible and subject to legal restrictions on their division, tend to be equalized among children, whereas gifts are less conspicuous and often unevenly distributed. Leveraging the exogenous variation induced by fiscal incentives resulting from inheritance tax legislation reforms, we use an instrumental variable (IV) and an endogenous treatment strategy to investigate the effect of gift-giving on parent-child social contact. Our findings suggest that financial transfers from parents to children lead to an increase in the intensity of parent-child interactions. We estimate that the receipt of a gift gives rise to a 12% increase in social contact. |
| Keywords: | gift giving, inter-vivos transfers, upstream social contact, inheritance tax-reforms, inheritance tax, gifts, bequests Europe |
| JEL: | J14 H29 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17706 |
| By: | Chakraborty, Anujit (University of California, Davis); Henkel, Luca (Erasmus University Rotterdam) |
| Abstract: | In prosocial decisions, decision-makers face interpersonal uncertainty–uncertainty about how their choices impact others' utility. We use three approaches to show how it shapes classic patterns of prosocial behavior like ingroup favoritism, merit-based fairness, and self-favoring behavior. First, we compare standard allocation decisions with decisions where we remove social consequences but retain uncertainty, revealing strikingly similar patterns across both. Second, we exogenously vary interpersonal uncertainty to estimate the aversion to interpersonal uncertainty and quantify how it combines with preferences to determine prosocial decisions. Finally, we show that self-reported interpersonal uncertainty systematic ally predicts behavior across individuals, choice patterns, and behavioral interventions. |
| Keywords: | prosocial behavior, decision-making under uncertainty, interpersonal uncertainty, ingroup favoritism, merit-based fairness, self-favoring behavior |
| JEL: | C91 D01 D91 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17708 |
| By: | Florian Mudekereza |
| Abstract: | We revisit DeGroot learning to examine the robustness of social learning outcomes in dynamic networks -- networks that evolve randomly over time. Randomness stems from multiple sources such as random matching and strategic network formation. Our main contribution is that random dynamics have double-edged effects depending on social structure: while they can foster consensus and boost collective intelligence, they can have adverse effects such as slowing down the speed of learning and causing long-term disagreement. Collective intelligence in dynamic networks requires balancing people's average influence with their average trust as society grows. We also find that the initial social structure of a dynamic network plays a central role in shaping long-term beliefs. |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2502.12660 |
| By: | Vitalis, Kyriacos (University of Cyprus); Stefanidis, Dimosthenis; Pallis, George; Dikaiakos, Marios; Nicolaou, Nicos; Nicolaides, Christos (University of Cyprus) |
| Abstract: | We leverage a rich online social network and entrepreneurial performance dataset to identify the effect of entrepreneurs’ social network activity on their professional success. We focus our analysis on ~79K founders of organizations listed in Crunchbase with an active personal Twitter account. We employ Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) multiple linear regression, where the dependent variable is the founder’s career success indicator as extracted from Crunchbase, and the predictor variables are the social network presence and activity indicators as extracted from Twitter. We find that the founder’s average annual number of tweets is negatively associated with different success indicators, demonstrating a significant adverse impact of mere tweeting on success. To address endogeneity concerns, we implement panel data analysis with Fixed Effects (FE) and Instrumental Variables (IV) by the means of Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) regression, the results of which are largely consistent with those of OLS main analysis. |
| Date: | 2024–09–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:x6vda_v1 |
| By: | Carcillo, Stéphane (Sciences Po); Valfort, Marie-Anne (Paris School of Economics); Vergara Merino, Pedro (CREST-ENSAE) |
| Abstract: | This paper presents the first rigorous evaluation of school-based interventions aimed at reducing LGBTphobia. We focus on a classroom intervention that addresses the issue of LGBT harassment through perspective-taking and narrative exchange. Using a field experiment in France with more than 10, 000 middle and high school students, we find robust evidence of strong positive effects, with variations across gender, age, and socio-economic status. We argue that changing perceptions of group norms is a key channel driving these heterogeneous effects. |
| Keywords: | LGBT, discrimination, social norms |
| JEL: | C93 J15 J16 J71 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17683 |