Surfing Alone? The Internet and Social Capital: Evidence from an Unforeseen Technological Mistake

Stefan Bauernschuster, Oliver Falck and Ludger Wößmann
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Ludger Woessmann

No 392, SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research from DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP)

Abstract: Does the Internet undermine social capital or facilitate inter-personal and civic engagement in the real world? Merging unique telecommunication data with geo-coded German individual-level data, we investigate how broadband Internet affects several dimensions of social capital. One identification strategy uses panel information to estimate value-added models. A second exploits a quasi-experiment in East Germany created by a mistaken technology choice of the state-owned telecommunication provider in the 1990s that still hinders broadband Internet access for many households. We find no evidence that the Internet reduces social capital. For some measuresincluding children's social activities, we even find significant positive effects.

Keywords: Internet; social capital (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J24 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 25 , Anh. p.
Date: 2011
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-ict, nep-soc and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (35)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp392

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