Journal Article

Valuing social capital by the resources people allocate to one another

Authors

Publication date

Jul 2013

Summary

British Household Panel Survey data are used to show that individuals giving up resources for others are associated with communities with less social vices (higher levels of social capital). Analysing resource flows between people offers a new way of evaluating social capital and its determinant factors. Transfers between persons are further analysed using descriptive economic models. Social norms, networks, relative resource endowments and reciprocation all affect resource flows, but altruism determines whether relationships become mutually beneficial and supportive or else extractive and polarising. Positive social capital is characterised by individuals investing resources in people not better off than themselves

Published in

Journal of International Development

Volume and page numbers

25 , 609 -625

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jid.2903

ISSN

16

Subjects

Economics, Societies, Social Capital, and Social Behaviour

Notes

Online in Albert Sloman Library, except current 12 months; Not held in Research Library - bibliographic reference only

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