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on Social Norms and Social Capital |
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Issue of 2026–03–23
seven papers chosen by Fabio Sabatini, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza” |
| By: | Rattini, Veronica (University of Bologna); Montinari, Natalia (University of Bologna); Ploner, Matteo (University of Trento) |
| Abstract: | This paper studies whether integration-policy framings affect cooperation in diverse groups. We conduct a lab-in-the-field experiment with 390 adolescents in mixed classrooms in Italy. Within each class, students were randomly assigned to groups receiving either a common-identity framing emphasizing shared school belonging, a multicultural framing highlighting family origins and cultural diversity, or a neutral framing, and then played a public goods game with and without punishment. At baseline, immigrants contributed about 17 percent more than natives. Framing diversity through a multicultural lens increased natives’ contributions by about 13 percent, nearly eliminating the initial cooperation gap, whereas the common-identity framing had no detectable effect. When punishment was introduced, the multicultural framing increased the sanctioning of free riders, particularly among natives. The results suggest that cooperation in diverse settings depends not only on minority integration but also on how majority-group members respond to diversity. Policies that recognize multicultural identities, rather than emphasizing shared belonging alone, can strengthen cooperative norms in heterogeneous environments. |
| Keywords: | cooperation, multiculturalism, public goods, integration, identity priming, natural identity, social identity |
| JEL: | C93 D91 J15 Z13 |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18460 |
| By: | Alessandra Cassar (USF - University of San Francisco, Chapman University); Alejandrina Cristia (LSCP - Laboratoire de sciences cognitives et psycholinguistique - DEC - Département d'Etudes Cognitives - ENS-PSL - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Pauline Grosjean (UNSW - University of New South Wales [Sydney], CEPR - Center for Economic Policy Research); Sarah Walker (UNSW - University of New South Wales [Sydney]) |
| Abstract: | We examine the relationship between allomaternal care (i.e., care for children by individuals other than the mother) and prosociality (reciprocity and altruism). Motivated by ethnographic evidence of a positive association between allomaternal care and societal trust across cultures, we design an economic experiment to measure the relationship between allomaternal care and cooperative behavior among 820 participants in small scale societies of the Solomon Islands. Our results show that receiving help with child care predicts higher levels of reciprocity towards the helper. This relationship remains robust for mothers even after accounting for participant fixed effects, for the nature of the relationship between mother and helper, and for other forms of mutual assistance. Moreover, help from non-relatives is associated with altruism toward strangers, suggesting a novel channel for the development of impersonal prosociality. Strengthening the case for the importance of allomaternal care for human development, we report suggestive evidence of potential socio-cognitive benefits to children who receive care from non-relatives (based on daylong recordings of 197 children analyzed using a multilingually-trained neural network), as well as societal-level benefits in terms of economic growth. |
| Keywords: | Altruism, Allomaternal care, Prosociality, Cooperation, Child vocalizations, Networks, Dictator game, Reciprocity |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05533531 |
| By: | Lelkes, Yphtach; Ahn, Chloe; Huang, Shengchun (University of Texas at Austin) |
| Abstract: | Partisan vitriol has become a defining feature of American politics, evident in survey responses and social media discourse. Conventional wisdom holds that these expressions reflect deeply rooted hostility. Yet they may also function as social signals, reinforcing loyalty and conformity within partisan groups. In this view, animosity is less about entrenched ideological divisions and more about fostering cohesion among co-partisans. We test this proposition in two settings. First, using the 2012 American National Election Studies, which recorded interviewer partisanship, we exploit within-interviewer variation to examine whether respondents adjusted their reported hostility depending on the partisan identity of their interviewer. Respondents expressed significantly more animosity when interviewed by a co-partisan and less when facing an opposing-partisan interviewer. Second, in an online experiment with 1, 510 participants, we find that revealing a partner’s partisan alignment—when it matched the participant’s—encouraged more frequent out-group attacks and in-group promotion. These behaviours were strongly shaped by social norms: participants were substantially more likely to attack when their partner had done so in the previous round. Together, these findings suggest that partisan hostility is contingent on immediate social context, not solely on deeply held animus. |
| Date: | 2026–03–14 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:9tseb_v1 |
| By: | Massimo Bordignon (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore; Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore); Tommaso Colussi (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore; Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore) |
| Abstract: | This paper reviews a growing body of theoretical and empirical research on Italian populism through a detailed examination of the Five Star Movement (Movimento 5 Stelle, M5S), focusing on its experience in municipal elections. Using a wide range of administrative and survey data, as well as theoretical modelling, the paper analyses the determinants of M5S success in municipal elections. The evidence shows that while the dual-ballot system initially favored M5S candidates, their time in municipal office was short-lived, as M5S incumbents were less likely to be re-elected than mayors from traditional parties. This electoral decline is linked not only to the loss of ideological ambiguity but also to weak administrative performance. The analysis further documents a lasting populist legacy in the form of reduced trust in democratic institutions following M5S local governance. Evidence from the COVID-19 period further shows that targeted redistributive policies reduced support for populist parties. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of institutional context in shaping populist success, the governance challenges faced by outsider movements, and the conditions under which populist support can be contained or reversed. |
| Keywords: | Populism; Municipal elections; Five Star Movement; Electoral institutions. |
| JEL: | D72 D73 H70 |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ctc:serie1:def150 |
| By: | Giani, Marco; Krakowski, Krzysztof; Târlea, Silvana |
| Abstract: | Humanitarian responses to refugees are typically framed as temporary, yet protracted conflicts blur the line between short-term protection and permanent settlement. We argue that public support for inclusive refugee policies depends on whether refugees are perceived as temporary guests or long-term residents. Using a survey experiment in Poland during the Ukrainian refugee crisis, we study whether citizens misperceive refugees’ intentions to settle permanently and whether correcting such “settlement misperceptions” affects support for inclusive refugee policy. Poles substantially overestimate the share of Ukrainians intending to remain indefinitely. These beliefs are strongly associated with lower support for inclusive refugee policy. Providing factual information about refugees’ actual settlement plans leads to meaningful belief updating and shifts in policy preferences. Corrections increase support among overestimators and decrease it among underestimators, with a net positive effect overall. Effects are strongest for welfare-related policies and extend to generalized affect, though not to social distance. Humanitarian attitudes thus hinge partly on temporal expectations. |
| Date: | 2026–03–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:56pyj_v1 |
| By: | Lavy, Victor (University of Warwick, Hebrew University, and NBER); Shayo, Moses (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, King’s College London) |
| Abstract: | We study how teachers' rule violations in grading affect students' ethical behavior. Using administrative data from high-stakes exams, combining teacher-assigned internal scores with externally graded national exam scores, we track teacher grading violations and subsequent student cheating. We explore three potential mechanisms: imitation (learning that rules can be broken), positive reciprocity (responding favorably to favorable treatment), and negative reciprocity (retaliating against unfavorable treatment). Exploiting within-student variation in exposure to different teachers, we find students are significantly more likely to cheat when teachers break the rules to their detriment (systematically undergrading), consistent with both imitation and negative reciprocity. However, when teachers systematically overgrade, responses vary by community structure. In heterogeneous communities, overgrading increases student cheating, suggesting imitation dominates. In homogeneous communities, students respond by cheating less, consistent with positive reciprocity dominating. This pattern holds across multiple homogeneity measures, including surname concentration and residential clustering. Survey measures of mutual respect and support between students and teachers confirm this pattern. |
| Keywords: | JEL Classification: |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cge:wacage:796 |
| By: | TOLEDO, RALPH RENDELL (Government Procurement Policy Board-Technical Support Office) |
| Abstract: | Information plays an important role in economic decision-making. Most economic studies focus on formal systems such as markets, institutions, and contracts. However, individuals also obtain information through everyday conversations within social networks. This study examines gossip, often called chismis, as a form of informal information exchange. Using a conceptual research approach based on interdisciplinary literature synthesis, the study develops a framework explaining how information derived from personal experiences spreads through gossip, shapes reputation, and influences economic behavior. Individuals often rely on information shared by friends, neighbors, or coworkers when deciding whom to trust, cooperate with, or buy from. The framework identifies four elements: information generation, gossip transmission, reputation formation, and economic decision-making. It highlights how decentralized conversational information flows produce reputational signals that reduce uncertainty and shape economic interactions. The study contributes to information economics by conceptualizing gossip as an informal information market within social networks. |
| Date: | 2026–03–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:n7m8r_v1 |