solutions to CPR problems + social capital

Question 1

elinor ostrom’s solution to CPR problem

Answer 1

many solutions instead of one
- institutions that are a mixture of private and public
- communal or grassroots solutions

Question 2

self-enforced institutional arrangement

Answer 2

a set of rules that are designed to be rational for most people to follow, given that others are also following them

Question 3

internal factors of self-enforced institutional arrangement (3)

Answer 3

1. communication, trust (social capital)
2. similar interests, common fate
3. not too much heterogeneity

Question 4

external factors of self-enforced institutional arrangement (2)

Answer 4

1. autonomy to change institutions vs. constrained by external authorities
2. enough time to adjust their internal structure

Question 5

drawback of self-enforced institutional arrangement (2)

Answer 5

1. individual weaknesses (perception of CPR)
2. inequal settings (monitoring system fails)

Question 6

elinor ostrom’s conditions for self-enforced institutional arrangement (4)

Answer 6

1. involving small-scale CPRs
2. the CPRs are entirely located within one country or community
3. the number of individuals affected varies from 50 - 15,000
4. individuals are heavily dependent on the CPR for economic returns (motivation)

Question 7

what kind of CPR problems have no good rational choice theories? (3)

Answer 7

1. non-renewable resources
2. cross/multi-national resources
3. CPR’s w/ negative externalities

Question 8

social capital (Robert Putnam)

Answer 8

quality that can be a facilitator of interpersonal cooperation
OR
features of social organizations, such as networks, norms and trust that facilitate action and cooperation for mutual benefit

Question 9

explain the political quasi-experiment in Robert Putnam’s Making Democracy Work

Answer 9

1970 → regional governments were set up in both the North and the South

Question 10

research question for MDW

Answer 10

what explains the economic, political, social chasm between the north vs. south of italy?20 year outcome of MDW experiment

Question 11

20 year outcome of MDW experiment

Answer 11

• north: relatively efficient and responsive governments
• south: inefficient, vote-buying & more corrupt governments

Question 12

Putnam’s argument for divergence in outcomes

Answer 12

the same new institutions had emerged in different SOCIAL CONTEXTS with differences in SOCIAL CAPITAL

Question 13

social context of the NORTH (5)

Answer 13

1. dense network of local associations
2. active engagement in community affairs
3. egalitarian & democratic patterns of politics
4. trust
5. law-abidingness

Question 14

social context of the SOUTH (4)

Answer 14

1. mutual suspicion & corruption
2. little civic involvement
3. lawlessness expected
4. patronage & clientelism in politics

Question 15

components of social capital (8)

Answer 15

1. networks bonding/bridging
2. feelings of trust & safety
3. reciprocity
4. participation
5. citizen power/proactivity
6. values, norms, outlook in life
7. cooperation
8. sense of belonging

Question 16

2 types of social capital

Answer 16

1. bonding
2. bridging

Question 17

bonding social capital

Answer 17

groups, memberships or networks that create a collective of shared thought and like-mindedness

Question 18

bridging social capital

Answer 18

connections that link people across a cleavage that typically divides society (such as race, or class, or religion)

Question 19

forms of capital in an economy (3)

Answer 19

1. physical capital
2. human capital
3. social capital

Question 20

physical capital

Answer 20

material, tangible objects (machines)

Question 21

human capital

Answer 21

the skills and knowledge acquired by an individua

Question 22

social capital

Answer 22

social networks, relations among individuals

Question 23

how did Putnam measure social capital

Answer 23

of members in different groups in civil society (bowling alone)

Question 24

social cohesiveness

Answer 24

strength of connectedness and solidarity among groups in society

Question 25

why does social cohesiveness vary?

Answer 25

some groups may require members to see each other every day (volunteer group); other groups only require members to pay fee (political group)

Question 26

negative externality of group dynamics

Answer 26

lower degree of trust/cooperation with outsiders

Question 27

how to induce cooperation within groups (4)

Answer 27

1. repeated interactions
2. credible commitments
3. providing information about other individual’s preferences & utilities
4. fluid communication

Question 28

horizontal networks

Answer 28

networks involving agents of equivalent status & power

Question 29

examples of horizontal networks

Answer 29

• neighborhood associations
• sports clubs
• cooperatives
• mutual aid societies
• cultural associations
• voluntary unions
• choral societies

Question 30

vertical networks

Answer 30

networks that link unequal agents based on asymmetric & hierarchical relations; generate dependence/exploitation

Question 31

examples of vertical networks

Answer 31

• mafia
• catholic church

Question 32

path dependency

Answer 32

social science theory that the past influences future societal processes and outcomes

Question 33

explain path dependence in context of social capital

Answer 33

produces persistent differences in performance between societies with similar resources, individual preferences and formal institution

Question 34

path dependence in the north

Answer 34

political/institutional history since medieval times w/ republics, city-states, guilds, mutual aid societies, choral societies

Question 35

path dependence in the south

Answer 35

large centralized, hierarchical (& foreign) kingdoms destroyed local social networks

Question 36

Putnam’s argument for the role of institutional change

Answer 36

institutional history moves slowly

Question 37

modern explanation for social capital in modern democracies declining since ww2

Answer 37

TV is negatively associated with social capital → people prefer to stay at home watching TV than participate in community

Question 38

Olken’s quasi-experiment testing tv’s effect on social capital

Answer 38

study variation in topography (geographical differences determining access to tv) in indonesian mountainous villages

Question 39

conclusion of Olken’s study

Answer 39

indonesian villages have very dense social networks → some support for Putnam