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Social capital and economic growth in the regions of Europe
[journal article]
Abstract
Social capital is an important factor explaining differences in economic growth among regions. However, the key distinction between bonding social capital, which can lead to lock-in and myopia, and bridging social capital, which promotes knowledge flows across diverse groups, has been overlooked in ... view more
Social capital is an important factor explaining differences in economic growth among regions. However, the key distinction between bonding social capital, which can lead to lock-in and myopia, and bridging social capital, which promotes knowledge flows across diverse groups, has been overlooked in growth research. In this paper, we address this shortcoming by examining how bonding and bridging social capital affect regional economic growth, using data for 190 regions in 21 EU countries, covering eight waves of the European Social Survey between 2002 and 2016. The findings confirm that bridging social capital is linked to higher levels of regional economic growth. Bonding social capital is highly correlated with bridging social capital and associated with lower growth when this is controlled for. We do not find significantly different effects of bonding social capital in regions with more or less bridging social capital, or vice versa. We examine the interaction between social and human capital, finding that bridging social capital is fundamental for stimulating economic growth, especially in low-skilled regions. Human capital also moderates the relationship between bonding social capital and growth, reducing the negative externalities imposed by excessive bonding.... view less
Keywords
EVS; EU; social capital; economic growth; regional factors
Classification
National Economy
General Sociology, Basic Research, General Concepts and History of Sociology, Sociological Theories
Free Keywords
bonding; bridging; EVS 1999 ; EVS 2008
Document language
English
Publication Year
2021
Page/Pages
p. 1412-1434
Journal
Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 53 (2021) 6
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X211000
ISSN
0308-518X
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed