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Cultural Diversity: A Matter of Measurement

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Listed author(s):
  • Nijkamp, Peter

    ()

    (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

  • Poot, Jacques

    ()

    (University of Waikato)

Abstract

Cultural diversity – in various forms – has in recent years turned into a prominent and relevant research and policy issue. There is an avalanche of studies across many disciplines that measure and analyse cultural diversity and its impacts. Based on different perspectives and features of the available data, a great variety of diversity indicators have emerged. The present paper aims to highlight some critical issues involved in applying such measures of cultural diversity. A selection of commonly used or recently advocated measures are reviewed. Measures of population diversity can be calculated at different spatial scales and used to analyse spatio-temporal heterogeneity. Additionally, there is a growing interest in measuring spatial dependence, particularly in the form of segregation or clusters. We conclude that there will be in the future considerable scope for adopting multidimensional and cultural distance-weighted measures of diversity. Such measures will be increasingly calculated by means of rich geo-referenced longitudinal micro data. However, adopted measures must be better motivated by behavioural theories. Further research on the determinants and impacts of observed measures of diversity is also likely to be fruitful, particularly in a dynamical setting.

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Paper provided by Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in its series IZA Discussion Papers with number 8782.

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Length: 43 pages
Date of creation: Jan 2015
Publication status: published in: P. Nijkamp, J. Poot and J. Bakens (eds.), The Economics of Cultural Diversity, Edward Elgar, 2015
Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp8782
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Keywords: polarization; segregation; culture; ethnicity; dissimilarity measurement; diversity; fractionalization;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • C00 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - General - - - General
  • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
  • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
  • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population
  • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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Cited by:

  1. Annie Tubadji & Peter Nijkamp, 2015. "Cultural impact on regional development: application of a PLS-PM model to Greece," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 54(3), pages 687-720, May.
  2. Tubadji, Annie & Nijkamp, Peter, 2016. "Impact of Intangible Cultural Capital on Regional Economic Development: A Study on Culture-Based Development in Greece," Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, Mid-Continent Regional Science Association, vol. 46(1).
  3. Thomas Kemeny & Abigail Cooke, 2015. "Spillovers from immigrant diversity in cities," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 64616, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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