Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital

1
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital

• Tests of Putnams thesis in
• European countries and the Netherlands

2
Putnams core claims
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands
Immigration and ethnic diversity challenge
social solidarity and inhibit social
capital Diversity () seems to bring out the
turtle in all of us Ethnic diversity tends to
breakdown social capital, at least in the
US! Also in the EU? And in NL?
3
Constrict theory
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands

• the more diverse a social context actually is in
  terms of different (ethnic) groups,
• the less people of ones own kind there are
  around with whom people can socially identify,
• the more they distrust others and
• the less they will socially connect to
• out-groups,
• but even to people of their own kind

4
Social capital indicators
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands

• Formal
• participate in local community projects
• member of, volunteer for, or donate to civic
  organisations
• Informal
• meet close friends
• meet neighbours
• providing informal help
• Attitudes
• social trust
• tolerance for neighbours from a different race

5
Individual and contextual explanations
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands

• Explain social capital by
• characteristics of individuals (education)
• characteristics of the countries, municipalities,
  neighbourhoods (ethnic diversity)

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Contextual Determinants of Social
CapitalComplementary Explanations
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands

• Country determinants
• Immigration and/or Ethnic Diversity (-)
• Economic Inequality (-)
• Economic Prosperity ()
• Social Security (-)
• Democratic History ()
• Neighbourhood and municipality determinants
• Ethnic Diversity (-)
• Economic Inequality (-)
• Economic prosperity ()
• Crime (-)
• Residential mobility (-)

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Putnams thesis in Europe and the Netherlands?
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands

• Crucial question
• To what extent do contextual level
  characteristics,
• like ethnic diversity, next to other contextual
  characteristics, affect different indicators of
  social capital of individual citizens in
• European countries
• Dutch municipalities and
• Dutch neighbourhoods?

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Improvements
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands

• In EU 2 levels in multi-level analysis including
  many countries (28) with different histories of
  immigration and levels of ethnic diversity
• In NL 3 rather than 2 levels in multi-level
  analysis
• municipalities (245), neighborhoods (503),
  individuals
• Testing more rigorously
• Effects of ethnic diversity against other social
  barriers
• Relying on recent, large cross-national
  (EU-Barometer) and national databases (NL
  Cultural Changes), designed to allow for general
  conclusions

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Results Europe
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands
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Focus on the Netherlands High on Social Capital
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands

• 3 levels in multi-level analysis
• municipalities, neighbourhoods, individuals
• Effects of contextual characteristics on
• Contact with neighbours (informal)
• Volunteering for civic organization (formal)
• Tolerance to neighbours from a different race
• Social trust
• Quality of social contacts

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Focus on the NetherlandsHigh on Social Capital
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands

• Not only ethnic diversity as contextual
  characteristic but also
• Economic Inequality
• Economic Prosperity
• Crime Rates
• Residential Mobility
• Not only contextual, but also individual
  characteristics
• Contextual characteristics matter for whom?
• Different effects for native Dutch and
  minorities? No!
• Different effects for the rich and the poor? Yes!

12
Results average context effects in the
Netherlands
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands
13
Results context effects for the poor in the
Netherlands
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands
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Conclusions
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands

• Diversity () seems to bring out the turtle in
  all of us?
• Ethnic diversity does not (yet?) consistently
  affect social capital negatively, not in Europe
  nor in the Netherlands
• Only the less affluent in ethnically diverse
  social contexts appear to hunker down they
  have less social contacts and do less voluntary
  work.
• Economic prosperity contributes to social capital

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Conclusions
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands

• Contextual characteristics different effects for
  different indicators
• Individual characteristics are more important
  than contextual characteristics to explain social
  capital
• Ethnic diverse neighbourhoods increase the
  tolerance to neighbours from a different race
• Contact theory?
• Selective residential mobility?
• Both?

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Implications policies I
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands

• Why current focus on ethnic diversity of
  communities?
• investments in individuals human capital will
  (probably over time) increase (several
  indicators of) social capital
• investments in neighbourhoods will increase
  (over-time) economic prosperity and hence
  (indicators of) social capital

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Implications policies II
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands

• Reduce and avoid high levels of ethnic
  concentration in neighbourhoods
• will refrain poor people from hunkering down
• is likely to reduce a white flight
• will increase inter-ethnic contact for ethnic
  minorities (SCP)
• How? Interventions for Integration (SCP 2007)!

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Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital
Tests of Putnams thesis in European countries
and the Netherlands

• THANK YOU!
• M.Gesthuizen m.gesthuizen_at_maw.ru.nl
• Jochem Tolsma j.tolsma_at_maw.ru.nl
• Tom van der Meer t.van.der.meer_at_scp.nl
• Peer Scheepers p.scheepers_at_maw.ru.nl