Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name:  Arthur Grimes
Author-X-Name-First: Arthur		
Author-X-Name-Last: Grimes
Author-Email: arthur.grimes@motu.org.nz
Author-Workplace-Name: Motu Economic and Public Policy Research 
Author-Name: Matthew Roskruge 
Author-X-Name-First: Matthew
Author-X-Name-Last: Roskruge
Author-Email: mattr@waikato.ac.nz
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Waikato
Author-Name: Philip McCann
Author-X-Name-First: Philip
Author-X-Name-Last: McCann 
Author-Email: P.McCann@rug.nl
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics, University of Waikato and Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen
Author-Name: Jacques Poot 
Author-X-Name-First: Jacques
Author-X-Name-Last: Poot
Author-Email: jpoot@waikato.ac.nz
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Waikato
Title: Social capital and regional social infrastructure investment: Evidence from New Zealand 
Abstract:  In this paper we link unique data on local social infrastructure expenditure with micro-level individual survey data of self-reported social capital measures of trust and participation in community activities. We use both probit and tobit models to estimate the impact of social infrastructure expenditure on social capital formation. Our results imply that the links between social capital, demographic characteristics, human capital, geography and public social infrastructure investment are rather more subtle and complex than much of the literature implies. While we find evidence in support of many of the hypothesized relationships discussed in the social capital literature, our results also suggest that the impact of public social infrastructure investment is affected by both selection effects and free rider processes.
Length:  21 pages
Creation-Date:  2010-03
File-URL: https://motu-www.motu.org.nz/wpapers/10_03.pdf
Number: 10_03
Classification-JEL: D71, J18, O18, R23, R51
Keywords: Social capital, trust, participation, public infrastructure, demography, geography
Handle: RePEc:mtu:wpaper:10_03