Fri Jul 13 09:23:00 EDT 2007
ABSTRACTS IN ECONOMIC HISTORY
(c) 2007 EH.Net
-----------------------------------------------------------
Name: Marta Felis Rota
Email: m.felis-rota at lse.ac.uk
Institution: London School of Economics
Co-author: none
Title: Is Social Capital Persistent? Comparative Measurement in the
Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
Internet Address of abstracted work:
http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/economicHistory/workingPapers.htm
By mail:
Department of Economic History
London School of Economics
Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE
England
Language: English
Abstract:
Recently, there has been a growing interest in social capital and in
the difficulties related to its measurement. In this paper, we
propose to measure social capital by means of principal components
analysis. Then, we present the first available international social
capital estimates for the nineteenth century. Our analysis is based
on a nineteenth-century international database containing a wide
range of socio-economic variables. Social capital indicators are
constructed for the years 1870 and 1890. Interestingly enough, these
indicators are comparable to mid-twentieth century social indicators.
This allows us to study the evolution of social capital between the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We can make observations about
the persistence of the social capital indicator, discovering some
exceptional trajectories. In the very long run, we find a significant
change in the relative position of the European countries.
Bibliography: Rota, Marta Felis. "Is Social Capital Persistent?
Comparative Measurement in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries."
London School of Economics, Economic History Working Paper No. 103.
2007.
Subject: F, X
Geographical Area: 0, 4
Country/Region: Europe
Time Period: 7, 8, 9
-------------------------------------------------------
Visit the library of Abstracts in Economic History or submit your
abstract at: http://www.eh.net/abstracts