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Title: Civic Engagement and Community Heterogeneity: An Economist's Perspective

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2004

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Abstract: This article provides an overview of the mushrooming economicsliterature on how community attributes influence the level of civic engagement. Since 1997, at least 15 empirical papers have investigated the consequences of heterogeneity for social capital. Social capital has been measured using indicators of group participation (such as volunteer activity, organizational membership and activity, entertaining and visiting friends and relatives, and voting), indicators of the strength of network ties (trust, for example), and indicators of community commitment (such as public expenditures and loan repayment to community members). These papers cover different nations, different socialcapital measures, and even different centuries. But a common theme emerges: more-homogeneous communities foster greater levels of social-capital production. After we touch upon the literature, we synthesize our past work on volunteering and membership in the United States over the last 20 years with new findings on trust and voting. We also discuss our work on community in the U.S. military during the Civil War.

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Authors: Costa, Dora L.; Kahn, Matthew

Periodical (Full): Perspectives on Politics

Issue: 1

Volume: 1

Pages: 103-111

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Other

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