HIV/AIDS and Social Capital in a Cross-Section of Countries
This paper attempts to quantify the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on social capital with cross-country data. It estimates reduced-form regressions of the main determinants of social capital controlling for HIV prevalence, institutional quality, s...
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/06/7745629/hivaids-social-capital-cross-section-countries http://hdl.handle.net/10986/7440 |
| Summary: | This paper attempts to quantify the
impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on social capital with
cross-country data. It estimates reduced-form regressions of
the main determinants of social capital controlling for HIV
prevalence, institutional quality, social distance, and
economic indicators using data from the World Values Survey.
The results obtained indicate that HIV prevalence affects
social capital negatively. The empirical estimates suggest
that a one standard deviation increase in HIV prevalence
will lead to a 1 percent decline in trust, controlling for
other determinants of social capital. If one moves from a
country with a relatively low level of HIV prevalence such
as Estonia, to a country with a high level such as Zimbabwe,
one would observe an approximate 8 percent decline in social
capital. These results are robust in a number of dimensions
and highlight the empirical importance of an additional
mechanism through which HIV/AIDS hinders the development process. |
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