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Neighborhood and Friendship Composition in Adolescence

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  • Christofer Edling
  • Jens Rydgren

Abstract

The social surroundings in which an individual grows up and spends his or her everyday life have an effect on his or her life chances. Much of the research into this phenomenon focuses on so-called neighborhood effects and has put particular emphasis on the negative effects of growing up in a poor neighborhood. Originating from the sociological study of inner-city problems in the United States, the research has recently been embraced by Scandinavian social scientists, who have generally assessed the phenomenon with reference to social network effects and the lock-in effects of ethnic enclaves. We critique the theoretical assumptions that we find in recent Scandinavian research and argue that a straightforward interpretation of neighborhood effects in terms of network effects is problematic. Our argument is based on an empirical analysis of friendship circles of ninth graders in Stockholm ( N = 240). We conclude that the friendship networks of ninth graders extend well beyond the neighborhood, thus casting serious doubt on the network effects assumption of previous research. We also conclude that there is nothing in the reality of these ninth graders that confirms the established concept of the ethnic enclave.

Suggested Citation

  • Christofer Edling & Jens Rydgren, 2012. "Neighborhood and Friendship Composition in Adolescence," SAGE Open, , vol. 2(4), pages 21582440124, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:2:y:2012:i:4:p:2158244012466249
    DOI: 10.1177/2158244012466249
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Galster, George & Andersson, Roger & Musterd, Sako & Kauppinen, Timo M., 2008. "Does neighborhood income mix affect earnings of adults? New evidence from Sweden," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(3), pages 858-870, May.
    2. Szulkin, Ryszard & Jonsson, Jan O., 2007. "Ethnic Segregation and Educational Outcomes in Swedish Comprehensive Schools," SULCIS Working Papers 2007:2, Stockholm University, Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS.
    3. Per-Anders Edin & Peter Fredriksson & Olof Åslund, 2003. "Ethnic Enclaves and the Economic Success of Immigrants—Evidence from a Natural Experiment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(1), pages 329-357.
    4. Hedström, Peter & Kolm, Ann-Sofie & Åberg, Yvonne, 2003. "Social Interactions and Unemployment," Working Paper Series 2003:18, Uppsala University, Department of Economics.
    5. Bygren, Magnus & Szulkin, Ryszard, 2007. "Ethnic Environment during Childhood and the Educational Attainment of Immigrant Children in Sweden," SULCIS Working Papers 2007:8, Stockholm University, Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS.
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    Cited by:

    1. Goldschmidt, Tina & Rydgren, Jens, 2018. "Social distance, immigrant integration, and welfare chauvinism in Sweden," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Migration, Integration, Transnationalization SP VI 2018-102, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    2. Martin Klinthäll & Susanne Urban, 2016. "The strength of ethnic ties: Routes into the labour market in spaces of segregation," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(1), pages 3-16, January.
    3. Gerald Mollenhorst & Christofer Edling & Jens Rydgren, 2015. "Psychological Well-Being and Brokerage in Friendship Networks of Young Swedes," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 123(3), pages 897-917, September.

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