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Elective affinities matter as much as ethnicity in multi-ethnic schools

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  • Rapallini, Chiara
  • Rustichini, Aldo

Abstract

We estimate the relative importance of ethnicity and individual characteristics, such as personality and cognitive skills, in determining social connections by using survey data on seven-year-old children from multi-ethnic schools (N=453). We find that friendships are based mainly on common play, and are independent of the need to find help for school activity and homework. Friendship networks among children arise on the basis of their sex, but also according to affinity of personality and cognitive skills, as much as on ethnic background. These findings are worth considering when multiculturalism is chosen as the foundation of the immigration policies. Rather than emphasizing what makes the individuals in an ethnic group different, a farsighted policy could try to point to the elective affinity among individuals. However, since differences in individual characteristics may be systematically associated with ethnic background, this finding may point to a lasting reason for a lack of cohesion in multiethnic societies.

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  • Rapallini, Chiara & Rustichini, Aldo, 2016. "Elective affinities matter as much as ethnicity in multi-ethnic schools," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 131(PA), pages 243-262.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:131:y:2016:i:pa:p:243-262
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2016.09.001
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    Cited by:

    1. Nicola Campigotto & Chiara Rapallini & Aldo Rustichini, 2022. "School friendship networks, homophily and multiculturalism: evidence from European countries," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(4), pages 1687-1722, October.
    2. La Ferrara, Eliana & Carlana, Michela & Pinotti, Paolo, 2017. "Goals and Gaps: Educational Careers of Immigrant Children," CEPR Discussion Papers 12538, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Campigotto, Nicola & Rapallini, Chiara & Rustichini, Aldo, 2021. "The Slippery Slope from Pluralistic to Plural Societies," GLO Discussion Paper Series 910, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    4. Michela Carlana & Eliana La Ferrara & Paolo Pinotti, 2022. "Goals and Gaps: Educational Careers of Immigrant Children," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 90(1), pages 1-29, January.
    5. Ibrahim Mohammed & Wassiuw Abdul Rahaman & Priscilla Twumasi Baffour, 2020. "The role of personality traits in predicting days lost due to illness: evidence from the World Bank’s Skills toward Employment and Productivity survey," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 67(2), pages 163-188, June.
    6. Rapallini, Chiara & Rustichini, Aldo, 2019. "Personality and cognitive skills in network of friends, for multi-ethnic schools," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 1-14.

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