Ethnic Solidarity and the Individual Determinants of Ethnic Identification

Thomas Bossuroy ()
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Thomas Bossuroy: SALDRU, School of Economics, University of Cape Town

No 69, SALDRU Working Papers from Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town

Abstract: This paper examines the individual determinants of ethnic identification using large sample surveys (about 30,000 respondents) representative of seven capitals of West-African countries. A small model that relates ethnic identification to an investment in ethnic capital suggests that individuals initially deprived of social or human capital resort to ethnicity to get socially inserted, and do even more so if their ethnic group itself is well inserted. Empirical results are consistent with this simple theory. First, education lowers ethnic salience. Second, ethnic identification is higher for uneducated unemployed or informal workers who seek a new or better job, and is further raised by the share of the individual’s ethnic group integrated on the job market. Third, ethnic identification is higher among migrants, and raised by the share of the migrant’s ethnic group that is employed. Group solidarity makes ethnic identity more salient for individuals deprived of other means for upward mobility.

Keywords: Ethnicity; Identity; Social capital; Networks; Africa. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 D74 O17 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 25 pages
Date: 2011-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-dev, nep-lab, nep-soc and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ldr:wpaper:69

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