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Local Social Capital and Geographical Mobility: A Theory

Author

Listed:
  • Quentin David

    (Département de Droit - Uni.lu - Université du Luxembourg)

  • Alexandre Janiak

    (DII - Departamento de Ingenieria Industrial [Santiago])

  • Etienne Wasmer

    (ECON - Département d'économie (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

In this paper, we attempt to understand the determinants of mobility by introducing the concept of local social capital. Investing in local ties is rational when workers anticipate that they will not move to another region. Reciprocally, once local social capital is accumulated, incentives to move are reduced. Our model illustrates several types of complementarity leading to multiple equilibria (a world of local social capital and low mobility vs. a world of low social capital and high propensity to move). It also shows that local social capital is systematically negative for mobility, and can be negative for employment, but some other types of social capital can actually raise employment.

Suggested Citation

  • Quentin David & Alexandre Janiak & Etienne Wasmer, 2008. "Local Social Capital and Geographical Mobility: A Theory," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-00972827, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:spmain:hal-00972827
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal-sciencespo.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00972827
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    Cited by:

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    2. David, Quentin & Janiak, Alexandre & Wasmer, Etienne, 2010. "Local social capital and geographical mobility," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 191-204, September.
    3. Stephen Machin & Kjell G. Salvanes & Panu Pelkonen, 2012. "Education And Mobility," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 10(2), pages 417-450, April.
    4. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/5l6uh8ogmqildh09h482kc28p is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Yue Shui & Dingde Xu & Yi Liu & Shaoquan Liu, 2021. "The Influence of Human Capital and Social Capital on the Gendered Division of Labor in Peasant Family in Sichuan, China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 505-522, June.
    6. Kwan Ok Lee, 2014. "Why Do Renters Stay In Or Leave Certain Neighborhoods? The Role Of Neighborhood Characteristics, Housing Tenure Transitions, And Race," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(5), pages 755-787, November.
    7. Janiak, Alexandre, 2008. "Welfare in Models of Trade with Heterogeneous Firms," IZA Discussion Papers 3803, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/10058 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. David, Quentin & Janiak, Alexandre & Wasmer, Etienne, 2008. "Local Social Capital and Geographical Mobility: Some Empirics and a Conjecture on the Nature of European Unemployment," IZA Discussion Papers 3669, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. David, Quentin & Janiak, Alexandre & Wasmer, Etienne, 2010. "Local social capital and geographical mobility," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 191-204, September.
    11. Lance Freeman & Adele Cassola & Tiancheng Cai, 2016. "Displacement and gentrification in England and Wales: A quasi-experimental approach," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(13), pages 2797-2814, October.
    12. Michael Bräuninger & Andreia Tolciu, 2011. "Should I Stay or Should I Go? Regional Mobility and Social Capital," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 167(3), pages 434-444, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    European unemployment; geographical mobility; social capital;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • Z1 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics

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