Do Television and Radio Destroy Social Capital? Evidence from Indonesian Villages

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Olken, Benjamin A.
• 署名单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7782
• DOI: 10.1257/app.1.4.1
• 发表日期: 2009
• 页码: 1-33
• 关键词: Industrialization; ECONOMICS; trust

摘要

This paper investigates the impact of television and radio on social capital in Indonesia. I use two sources of variation in signal reception one based on Indonesia's mountainous terrain, and a second based on the differential introduction of private television throughout Indonesia. I find that increased signal reception, which leads to more time watching television and listening to the radio, is associated with less participation in social organizations and with lower self-reported trust. Improved reception does not affect village governance, at least as measured by discussions in village meetings and by corruption in village road projects. (JEL L82, O15, Z13)