Voluntary work and cultural capital: an exploratory analysis for Italian regional data

Donatella Furia (), Alessandro Crociata and Massimiliano Agovino
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Donatella Furia: University “G. D’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara

Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, 2018, vol. 35, issue 3, No 5, 789-808

Abstract: Abstract This paper addresses the relationship between voluntary work and cultural capital, providing a conceptual framework by moving from a cultural economics standpoint to a relational goods theory approach. The two main hypotheses relate to a positive relationship between cultural capital and voluntary work and a significant relationship between relational cultural goods and voluntary work. We corroborate these assumptions empirically by applying a two-stage least squares regression to Italian data at the regional level. The data are drawn from official sources and cover 20 Italian regions over the span of 2005–2013. The results show that volunteering is stimulated by cultural participation in more niche cultural goods and is shared by individuals with some knowledge and human and artistic sensitivity. Moreover, the consumption of specific cultural goods with a strong relational component, such as museums, exhibitions and theatre, has a significant impact on volunteer activity.

Keywords: Voluntary work; Cultural capital; Cultural participation; Relational goods; Two-stage least squares regression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 C3 E2 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s40888-017-0070-6

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