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The Legacy of History for Economic Development: The Case of Putnam's Social Capital

Author

Listed:
  • Guido de Blasio

    (Bank of Italy, Research Dept.)

  • Giorgio Nuzzo

    (Bank of Italy, Branch of L'Aquila)

Abstract

Putnam (1993) argues that (i) center-northern Italy has developed faster than southern Italy because the former was better endowed with social capital; and (ii) that the endowments of social capital across Italian territories have been highly persistent over centuries. This paper provides an empirical investigation of Putnam�s case. To evaluate the relevance of social capital, we present a test based on worker productivity, entrepreneurship, and female labor market participation. Using as instruments regional differences in civic involvement in the late ninetieth century and local systems of government in the middle age, we show that social capital does have economic effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Guido de Blasio & Giorgio Nuzzo, 2006. "The Legacy of History for Economic Development: The Case of Putnam's Social Capital," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 591, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdi:wptemi:td_591_06
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    Cited by:

    1. Giorgio Calcagnini & Germana Giombini & Francesco Perugini, 2016. "Bank Foundations, Social Capital, and the Growth of Italian Provinces," Mo.Fi.R. Working Papers 131, Money and Finance Research group (Mo.Fi.R.) - Univ. Politecnica Marche - Dept. Economic and Social Sciences.
    2. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Marco Di Cataldo, 2015. "Quality of government and innovative performance in the regions of Europe," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 15(4), pages 673-706.
    3. Busetti, Fabio & Harvey, Andrew, 2008. "Testing For Trend," Econometric Theory, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(1), pages 72-87, February.
    4. Raffaela Giordano & Pietro Tommasino, 2013. "Public-Sector Efficiency and Political Culture," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 69(3), pages 289-316, September.
    5. Gioacchino Fazio & Francesca Giambona & Erasmo Vassallo & Elli Vassiliadis, 2018. "A Measure of Trust: The Italian Regional Divide in a Latent Class Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 140(1), pages 209-242, November.
    6. Maack, Maria & Davidsdottir, Brynhildur, 2015. "Five capital impact assessment: Appraisal framework based on theory of sustainable well-being," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 1338-1351.
    7. Grietjie Verhoef, 2008. "Nationalism, social capital and economic empowerment: SANLAM and the economic upliftment of the Afrikaner people, 1918-1960," Business History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(6), pages 695-713.
    8. Guido Tabellini & Mariaflavia Harari, 2009. "The Effect of Culture on the Functioning of Institutions: Evidence from European Regions," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 7(01), pages 13-19, April.
    9. repec:ces:ifodic:v:7:y:2009:i:1:p:14567024 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Maura Francese & Marzia Romanelli, 2014. "Is there room for containing healthcare costs? An analysis of regional spending differentials in Italy," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 15(2), pages 117-132, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social Capital; Economic Development;

    JEL classification:

    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General
    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General
    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General

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