Broadband Internet and Social Capital

Arbeitspapier

We study how the diffusion of broadband Internet affects social capital using two data sets from the UK. Our empirical strategy exploits the fact that broadband access has long depended on customers position in the voice telecommunication infrastructure that was designed in the 1930s. The actual speed of an Internet connection, in fact, rapidly decays with the distance of the dwelling from the specific node of the network serving its area. Merging unique information about the topology of the voice network with geocoded longitudinal data about individual social capital, we show that access to broadband Internet caused a significant decline in forms of offline interaction and civic engagement. Overall, our results suggest that broadband penetration substantially crowded out several aspects of social capital.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: MUNI ECON Working Paper ; No. 2018-01

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Individual ; Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making‡
• Subject: ICT ; broadband infrastructure ; networks ; Internet ; social capital ; civic capital

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Geraci, Andrea ; Nardotto, Mattia ; Reggiani, Tommaso ; Sabatini, Fabio
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Masaryk University, Faculty of Economics and Administration
• (where): Brno
• (when): 2018

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.5817/WP_MUNI_ECON_2018-01
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/214859
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET