Ethnic diversity, social sanctions, and public goods in Kenya

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Miguel, E; Gugerty, MK
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California Berkeley; University of Washington; University of Washington Seattle
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2004.09.004
• 发表日期: 2005
• 页码: 2325-2368
• 关键词: Local public goods; ethnic diversity; collective action; AFRICA

摘要

This paper examines ethnic diversity and local public goods in rural western Kenya. The identification strategy relies on the stable historically determined patterns of ethnic land settlement. Ethnic diversity is associated with lower primary school funding and worse school facilities, and there is suggestive evidence that it leads to poor water well maintenance. The theoretical model illustrates how inability to impose social sanctions in diverse communities leads to collective action failures, and we find that school committees in diverse areas do impose fewer sanctions on defaulting parents. We relate these results to the literature on social capital and economic development and discuss implications for decentralization in less developed countries. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.