Inequality and trust in Sweden: Some inequalities are more harmful than others

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Gustavsson, Magnus; Jordahl, Henrik
• 署名单位: Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN); Uppsala University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2007.06.010
• 发表日期: 2008
• 页码: 348-365
• 关键词: trust; Social capital; INEQUALITY

摘要

We present new evidence on the influence of income inequality on generalized trust. Using individual panel data from Swedish counties together with an instrumental variable strategy, we find that differences in disposable income, and especially differences among people in the bottom half of the income distribution, are associated with lower trust. The relationship between income inequality and trust is particularly strong for people with a strong aversion against income differentials. We also find that the proportion of people born in a foreign country is negatively associated with trust. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.