Research Papers

We describe the relationship between two different binary social interaction models–the mean-field model of Brock and Durlauf (1995) and the strategy adjustment model of Blume (1994).

We want to understand the behavior of these models when there is a significant random component to choice.

We expect that our results can be extended to some of the literature on search and sorting which proceeds in this manner, and we believe this to be an important area for future research.

We provided a critical overview of the literature on the convergence hypothesis, examining why statistical tests have not adequately addressed the notion of economic convergence. We proposed new research directions that focus on cross-country heterogeneity in the growth process to better understand convergence as an economic phenomenon.

We aimed to identify the shortcomings of existing empirical research on convergence and to suggest new approaches that explicitly consider cross-country differences. This approach seeks to enhance the understanding of convergence by addressing economic relevance more directly.

By focusing on cross-country heterogeneity, our proposed research directions can offer a more accurate and meaningful analysis of economic convergence. This improved understanding is essential for formulating effective economic policies that promote growth and reduce disparities between countries.

We provided an overview of an approach that integrates sociological ideas into economic models of individual behavior, emphasizing the influence of social context and interdependences on decision-making. We based our analysis on the framework developed by Brock and Durlauf (2001, forthcoming), assessing empirical evidence and exploring policy implications.

We aimed to bridge the gap between economics and sociology by incorporating social influences into economic models. This integration helps to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how social factors shape individual choices and economic outcomes.

Integrating sociological perspectives into economic models enhances the explanatory power of these models regarding individual behavior and social interactions. This approach can inform more effective policies that address the complex interplay between social context and economic decisions.

We developed a multinomial-choice model of individual decision-making in the presence of neighborhood effects. This model generalizes previous binary-choice models to account for the interdependencies between individual decisions and neighborhood characteristics.

We aimed to address the limitations of previous models by providing a more comprehensive framework for understanding how neighborhood effects influence individual behavior. This approach enhances the connection between theory and empirical work in economics.

Understanding neighborhood effects is crucial for explaining individual behaviors and their aggregate outcomes. Our model allows for structural estimation of these effects, improving the analysis of social interactions and economic policies.

We critically reviewed Robert Putnam’s influential work, “Bowling Alone,” focusing on its analysis of social capital in America. We assessed the book’s strengths and weaknesses, highlighting both its extensive documentation of community life and its conceptual and empirical shortcomings.

We aimed to evaluate “Bowling Alone” within the broader context of social capital literature, identifying its contributions and limitations. This evaluation helps to understand the validity and implications of Putnam’s claims about social capital’s role in socioeconomic phenomena.

Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of “Bowling Alone” is essential for assessing the broader social capital literature. By critically examining Putnam’s analysis, we can better gauge the importance of social capital in explaining socioeconomic outcomes and inform future research in this field.

We explored the implications of studies on cross-country growth determinants for evaluating alternative policies. We analyzed the insights gained from empirical growth studies over the past fifteen years and their role in understanding the growth experiences of various countries.

We aimed to assess how empirical growth studies, influenced by seminal works of Lucas and Romer, contribute to the evaluation of different growth policies. This helps in understanding the practical applications of theoretical growth models.

Evaluating alternative policies based on cross-country growth studies provides valuable insights for macroeconomic policy-making. Understanding similarities and differences in growth experiences aids in formulating effective and context-specific economic strategies.

We examine the way in which empirical evidence is developed in support of a role for social capital in socioeconomic outcomes. It reviews three leading studies of social capital and provides a general set of conditions under which social capital effects may be identified in linear models.

A number of difficulties exist with the empirical analysis of social capital. To improve empirical studies of social capital, this paper aims to question whether the empirical evidence so far adduced to support a significant explanatory role for social capital achieves this objective.

One of the most striking developments in social science over the last decade is the rise of interest in social capital as a mechanism for understanding socio‐economic phenomena. This enthusiasm has not been restricted to sociologists; within economics and other disciplines interest in social capital has grown dramatically as well.

We analyze aggregate behavioral outcomes when individual utility exhibits social interaction effects. We study generalized logistic models of individual choice, which incorporate terms reflecting individuals’ desire to conform to others’ behavior in an environment of noncooperative decision-making.

We provide an analytical framework-random fields-for studying economies in which social interactions are embedded in individual decisions.

A large body of recent research has begun to consider the role of social interactions in economic behavior. The intuition that individuals seek to conform to the behavior of reference groups has found successful application in a number of circumstances.

This paper describes a perspective on the causes of poverty: a membership based theory. It describes the main ideas of the memberships theory, characterizes the empirical evidence, and remarks on its implications for anti-poverty policy.

One important scientific aspect of the research on group memberships, poverty, and inequality is that it represents an attempt to integrate ideas from sociology and social psychology into economics. This paper attempts to identify the weaknesses in the links between theory, empirics, and policy in this research and suggest opportunities for future research.

Since 1965, social scientists have long been aware of the importance of group influences as a cause of socioeconomic deprivation. Since 1980’s there has been a major change in thinking about poverty towards group-based explanations within the economics community.

We explained how empirical studies of economic growth do not reflect the theoretical perspective of growth economics and how to reconcile these two branches of growth economics to advance the field.

Despite the significant number of studies in the area over the last 15 years, growth economics has not experienced similar progress seen in many areas of micro and macroeconomics.

Economic growth represents an important aspect of economics.