Does culture affect unemployment? Evidence from the Röstigraben

Arbeitspapier

This paper studies the role of culture in shaping unemployment outcomes. The empirical analysis is based on local comparisons across a language barrier in Switzerland. This Röstigraben separates cultural groups, but neither labor markets nor political jurisdictions. Local contrasts across the language border identify the role of culture for unemployment. Our findings indicate that differences in culture explain differences in unemployment duration on the order of 20%. Moreover, we find that horizontal transmission of culture is more important than vertical transmission of culture and that culture is about as important as strong changes to the benefit duration.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 4283

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure ; Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search ; Cultural Economics; Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology: General
• Subject: Culture ; cultural transmission ; unemployment duration ; regional unemployment ; Arbeitslosigkeit ; Dauer ; Kulturpsychologie ; Ethnopsychologie ; Sozialer Wandel ; Regionale Arbeitslosigkeit ; Schweiz

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Brügger, Beatrix ; Lalive, Rafael ; Zweimüller, Josef
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2009

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/35488
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2009082156
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET