Social Capital, Social Engagement, Ethnicity and Locality Seminar

The paper analyses a uniquely-detailed dataset of the social capital and social engagement characteristics of individuals belonging to different native and non-native ethnic groups living in Dutch neighbourhoods. Using a multi-level hierarchical analysis with spatial interaction effects we examine the extent to which different aspects of social capital are related to locality, ethnicity, or generation. Our findings suggest that neighbourhood and locality effects are less important than ethnicity, although to the extent that they do matter, they are more important for first-generation immigrants. Moreover, our results are robust to the use of various different social capital proxies and model specifications.