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Universalism vs. particularism: a round trip from sociology to economics

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  • Guido de Blasio
  • Diego Scalise
  • Paolo Sestito

Abstract

Social scientists, in particular sociologists, claim that the distinction between universalistic and particularistic values is relevant to explaining the social behaviour of individuals (and societies). This paper provides preliminary empirical evidence that supports the claim. It first defines a number of proxies for the degree of particularism embedded into long-celebrated dimensions of social behaviour (trust, political awareness, and associational activities). Then, it shows that the particularistic measures are positively correlated to each other and negatively correlated to some established generalist measures for all dimensions of social behaviour considered, both across and within countries and regions. Moreover, the paper relates that the various proxies for particularism share the same set of covariates (such as low education and income), which are neatly distinguishable from the determinants of the generalist measures.

Suggested Citation

  • Guido de Blasio & Diego Scalise & Paolo Sestito, 2021. "Universalism vs. particularism: a round trip from sociology to economics," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 79(2), pages 286-309, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rsocec:v:79:y:2021:i:2:p:286-309
    DOI: 10.1080/00346764.2019.1663908
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    Cited by:

    1. Paolo Emilio Mistrulli & Valerio Vacca, 2015. "Social capital and the cost of credit: evidence from a crisis," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1009, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    2. Dalmazzo, Alberto & Pin, Paolo & Scalise, Diego, 2014. "Communities and social inefficiency with heterogeneous groups," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 410-427.
    3. Emma Galli & Danilo Valerio Mascia & Stefania Patrizia Sonia Rossi, 2018. "Does Corruption Influence the Self-Restraint Attitude of Women-led SMEs towards Bank Lending?," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 64(3), pages 426-455.
    4. Marco Paccagnella & Paolo Sestito, 2014. "School cheating and social capital," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(4), pages 367-388, August.
    5. Beniamino Pisicoli, 2022. "Banking diversity, financial complexity and resilience to financial shocks: evidence from Italian provinces," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(3), pages 338-402, May.
    6. Gerard Ferrer-Esteban & Mauro Mediavilla, 2017. "The more educated, the more engaged? An analysis of social capital and education," Working Papers 2017/13, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    7. Giuseppe Albanese & Guido de Blasio & Paolo Sestito, 2013. "Trust and preferences: evidence from survey data," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 911, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    8. Rotondi, Valentina & Stanca, Luca, 2015. "The effect of particularism on corruption: Theory and empirical evidence," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 219-235.
    9. Stacchini, Massimiliano & Degasperi, Petra, 2015. "Trust, family businesses and financial intermediation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 293-316.
    10. Giuseppe Albanese & Guido de Blasio & Paolo Sestito, 2017. "Trust, risk and time preferences: evidence from survey data," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 64(4), pages 367-388, December.
    11. Nadia Fiorino & Emma Galli & Nicola Pontarollo, 2021. "Does Social Capital Affect Voter Turnout? Evidence from Italy," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 156(1), pages 289-309, July.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • A13 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Social Values
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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