The Measurement and Mismeasurement of Social Difference

Rohini Somanathan

No 294, Working papers from Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics

Abstract: Measures of social difference such as the Ethnolinguistic Fractionalization Index (ELF) and Polarization are commonly used proxies for community heterogeneity. They are used to “explain” collective outcomes ranging from voluntary contributions in elementary schools to civil wars. This essay reviews this literature in the face of new research on identity and collective outcomes. I argue that methods of social classification often seriously mis-measure identity and difference and that poverty rather than heterogeneity is often the source of community failures. Experiments on deliberative democracy offer important insights into how diverse societies can flourish.

Keywords: Identity; heterogeneity; collective action; conflict; democracy. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C92 D63 D64 J15 J18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 29 pages
Date: 2018-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cdm
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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