Toward a comprehensive measure of socio-cultural diversity: The case of Germany

Buchbeitrag

The positive impact of socio-cultural diversity on innovation and economic prosperity has been widely discussed. Yet, there is a lack of a clear quantitative indicator of sociocultural diversity. Most empirical works are limited to small case studies that follow various methods. This gap in the literature calls for a comprehensive measure whereby researchers could assess and compare diversity across cities and regions at the national level. Building on a unique database of registered associations (in German: eingetragene Vereine), this study provides a hierarchical categorization of associations based on their field of activities. Applying the Shannon entropy index, the sociocultural diversity of German regions is measured. The findings indicate a disparity between East and West Germany, reflecting the path-dependent nature of historical events. This article sets an agenda for future research.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: hdl:10419/204438

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Landschaftsgestaltung, Raumplanung
• Subject: Socio-cultural diversity ; associations ; innovation ; German regions ; Soziokulturelle Diversität ; eingetragene Vereine ; deutsche Regionen

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Abbasiharofteh, Milad ; Brökel, Tom
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Verlag der ARL - Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung
• (where): Hannover
• (when): 2019

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/204542
• URN: urn:nbn:de:0156-0891076
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET