The Economic Incentives of Cultural Transmission: Spatial Evidence from Naming Patterns Across France

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Algan, Yann; Malgouyres, Clement; Mayer, Thierry; Thoenig, Mathias
• 署名单位: Institut d'Etudes Politiques Paris (Sciences Po); Centre for Economic Policy Research - UK; Paris School of Economics; IZA Institute Labor Economics; Institut d'Etudes Politiques Paris (Sciences Po); University of Lausanne
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1093/ej/ueab058
• 发表日期: 2022
• 页码: 437-470
• 关键词: discrimination; attitudes; neighbors; IDENTITY; origins

摘要

This paper studies how economic incentives influence cultural transmission, using a crucial expression of cultural identity: child naming decisions. Our focus is on Arabic versus non-Arabic names given in France over the 2003-2007 period. Our model of cultural transmission features three determinants: (i) vertical (parental) cultural transmission culture; (ii) horizontal (neighbourhood) influence; (iii) information on the economic penalty associated with Arabic names. We find that economic incentives largely influence naming choices: if the parental expectation on the economic penalty was zero, the annual number of babies born with an Arabic name would be more than 50% larger.