The Role of Social Ties in Factor Allocation
We investigate whether social structure helps or hinders factor allocation using unusually rich data from the Gambia. Evidence indicates that land available for cultivation is allocated unequally across households; and that factor transfers are more common between neighbors, co-ethnics, and kinship-...
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Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank
2021
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10986/35416 |
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okr-10986-354162021-04-23T14:02:21Z The Role of Social Ties in Factor Allocation Beck, Ulrik Bjerge, Benedikte Fafchamps, Marcel SOCIAL NETWORKS KINSHIP ALLOCATIVE EFFICIENCY LAND MARKET FACTOR MARKETS SOCIAL DISTRIBUTION LAND TRANSACTION INEQUALITY We investigate whether social structure helps or hinders factor allocation using unusually rich data from the Gambia. Evidence indicates that land available for cultivation is allocated unequally across households; and that factor transfers are more common between neighbors, co-ethnics, and kinship-related households. Does this lead to the conclusion that land inequality is due to flows of land between households being impeded by social divisions? To answer this question, a novel methodology that approaches exhaustive data on dyadic flows from an aggregate point of view is introduced. Land transfers lead to a more equal distribution of land and to more comparable factor ratios across households in general. But equalizing transfers of land are not more likely within ethnic or kinship groups. In conclusion, ethnic and kinship divisions do not hinder land and labor transfers in a way that contributes to aggregate factor inequality. Labor transfers do not equilibrate factor ratios across households. But it cannot be ruled out that they serve a beneficial role, for example, to deal with unanticipated health shocks. 2021-04-09T16:37:17Z 2021-04-09T16:37:17Z 2019-10 Journal Article World Bank Economic Review 1564-698X http://hdl.handle.net/10986/35416 CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/igo World Bank Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank Publications & Research Publications & Research :: Journal Article Africa Africa Western and Central (AFW) Gambia, The |
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Digital Repository |
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Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| topic |
SOCIAL NETWORKS KINSHIP ALLOCATIVE EFFICIENCY LAND MARKET FACTOR MARKETS SOCIAL DISTRIBUTION LAND TRANSACTION INEQUALITY |
| spellingShingle |
SOCIAL NETWORKS KINSHIP ALLOCATIVE EFFICIENCY LAND MARKET FACTOR MARKETS SOCIAL DISTRIBUTION LAND TRANSACTION INEQUALITY Beck, Ulrik Bjerge, Benedikte Fafchamps, Marcel The Role of Social Ties in Factor Allocation |
| geographic_facet |
Africa Africa Western and Central (AFW) Gambia, The |
| description |
We investigate whether social structure helps or hinders factor allocation using unusually rich data from the Gambia. Evidence indicates that land available for cultivation is allocated unequally across households; and that factor transfers are more common between neighbors, co-ethnics, and kinship-related households. Does this lead to the conclusion that land inequality is due to flows of land between households being impeded by social divisions? To answer this question, a novel methodology that approaches exhaustive data on dyadic flows from an aggregate point of view is introduced. Land transfers lead to a more equal distribution of land and to more comparable factor ratios across households in general. But equalizing transfers of land are not more likely within ethnic or kinship groups. In conclusion, ethnic and kinship divisions do not hinder land and labor transfers in a way that contributes to aggregate factor inequality. Labor transfers do not equilibrate factor ratios across households. But it cannot be ruled out that they serve a beneficial role, for example, to deal with unanticipated health shocks. |
| format |
Journal Article |
| author |
Beck, Ulrik Bjerge, Benedikte Fafchamps, Marcel |
| author_facet |
Beck, Ulrik Bjerge, Benedikte Fafchamps, Marcel |
| author_sort |
Beck, Ulrik |
| title |
The Role of Social Ties in Factor Allocation |
| title_short |
The Role of Social Ties in Factor Allocation |
| title_full |
The Role of Social Ties in Factor Allocation |
| title_fullStr |
The Role of Social Ties in Factor Allocation |
| title_full_unstemmed |
The Role of Social Ties in Factor Allocation |
| title_sort |
role of social ties in factor allocation |
| publisher |
Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank |
| publishDate |
2021 |
| url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/35416 |
| _version_ |
1764482987222630400 |