The welfare state and social capital inequality

In this paper we theoretically and empirically explore the question whether the unequal distribution of different aspects of social capital (networks, trust, norms) over a number of social dimensions (gender, age, income, employment status, and educational level) is smaller in countries with more de...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:European societies 2009-05, Vol.11 (2), p.189-210
Main Authors: Oorschot, Wim van, Finsveen, Ellen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Europe
Inequality
Social capital
Welfare state
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In this paper we theoretically and empirically explore the question whether the unequal distribution of different aspects of social capital (networks, trust, norms) over a number of social dimensions (gender, age, income, employment status, and educational level) is smaller in countries with more developed welfare systems. Our data cover 13 Western industrialized countries and two periods in time (1981, 1999). The paper adds to the existing literature in several ways: by focusing explicitly on the empirical study of social capital inequality, by relating this subject to (quantitative and qualitative) welfare state characteristics, and by studying it from a cross-national and longitudinal perspective. We find that in the sample of countries analyzed there is no clear relationship between social capital inequality and welfare state characteristics. However, whether generally welfare states do not reduce social capital inequalities remains an issue for future research. Reprinted by permission of Routledge, Taylor and Francis Ltd.
ISSN:1461-6696
DOI:10.1080/14616690802155346