Local Network Interaction as a Mechanism for Wealth Inequality

Shao-Tzu Yu (), Peng Wang, Chodziwadziwa W. Kabudula, Dickman Gareta, Guy Harling and Brian Houle
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Shao-Tzu Yu: Princeton University
Peng Wang: Swinburne University of Technology
Chodziwadziwa W. Kabudula: University of the Witwatersrand
Dickman Gareta: Africa Health Research Institute
Guy Harling: University of the Witwatersrand
Brian Houle: The Australian National University

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Given limited institutional resources, low-income populations often rely on social networks to improve their socioeconomic outcomes. However, it remains in question whether small-scale social interactions could affect large-scale economic inequalities in under-resourced contexts. Here, we leverage population-level data from one of the poorest South African settings to construct a large-scale, geographically defined, inter-household social network. Using a multilevel network model, we show that having social ties in close geographic proximity is associated with stable household asset conditions, while geographically distant ties correlate to changes in asset allocation. Notably, we find that localised network interactions are associated with an increase in wealth inequality at the regional level, demonstrating how macro-level inequality may arise from micro-level social processes. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding complex social connections underpinning inter-household resource dynamics, and raise the potential of large-scale social assistance programs to reduce disparities in resource-ownership by accounting for local social constraints.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49607-0

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