Social Capital and Relative Income Concerns: Evidence from 26 Countries

Justina A. V. Fischer and Benno Torgler

No 38, TWI Research Paper Series from Thurgauer Wirtschaftsinstitut, Universität Konstanz

Abstract: Research on the effects of positional concerns on individuals� attitudes and behaviour is sorely lacking. Therefore, using the International Social Survey Programme 1998 data on 25�000 individuals from 26 countries this paper investigates the impact of relative income position on facets of social capital, covering horizontal and vertical trust as well as norm compliance. Testing relative deprivation theory, we identify a deleterious positional income effect for persons below the reference income, the absolute size of which far outweighs that of relative income advantage. In contrast, social capital rises in absolute income, while distributional fairness perceptions partially mediate relative income effects.

Keywords: Relative income; positional concerns; social capital; social norms; deprivation theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ltv, nep-pol and nep-soc
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Social Captial and Relative Income Concerns: Evidence from 26 Countries (2007)
Working Paper: Social Capital and Relative Income Concerns: Evidence from 26 Countries (2007)
Working Paper: Social Capital And Relative Income Concerns: Evidence From 26 Countries (2007)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:twi:respas:0038

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