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The Social Effects of Ethnic Diversity at the Local Level

Author

Listed:
  • Yann Algan

    (ECON - Département d'économie (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Camille Hémet

    (ECON - Département d'économie (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • David Laitin

    (ECON - Département d'économie (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract
This paper demonstrates the effects of ethnic diversity on social relationships and the quality of public goods at a very finite neighborhood level. We use detailed block level data on diversity and housing quality from a representative survey on housing in France. We show how and to what extent diversity within a neighborhood can directly affect household well-being and the quality of the common spaces, whereas the previous literature looks at more aggregate outcomes through voting channels. Our identification strategy to address the bias from endogenous residential sorting relies on the exogeneity of public housing allocations with respect to ethnic characteristics in France. Diversity is shown to have a negative effect on the quality of local public goods, either due to vandalism, not deterred by other-regarding preferences and social policing, or due to collective action failure to ensure effective property management. However, we find that diversity has no robust effect on public safety at a local level and, if anything, is more related to social anomie.

Suggested Citation

  • Yann Algan & Camille Hémet & David Laitin, 2012. "The Social Effects of Ethnic Diversity at the Local Level," Working Papers hal-01171148, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-01171148
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://sciencespo.hal.science/hal-01171148
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    References listed on IDEAS

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