2022
Broadband Internet and social capital
GERACI, Andrea, Mattia NARDOTTO, Tommaso REGGIANI and Fabio SABATINIBasic information
Original name
Broadband Internet and social capital
Authors
GERACI, Andrea, Mattia NARDOTTO, Tommaso REGGIANI and Fabio SABATINI
Edition
Journal of Public Economics, USA, Elsevier, 2022, 0047-2727
Other information
Language
English
Type of outcome
Article in a journal
Country of publisher
Switzerland
Confidentiality degree
is not subject to a state or trade secret
References:
Organization
Ekonomicko-správní fakulta – Repository – Repository
UT WoS
000750475900010
EID Scopus
2-s2.0-85122793334
Keywords in English
ICT;Broadband infrastructure;Networks;Internet;Social capital;Civic capital
Links
MUNI/G/0985/2017, interní kód Repo.
Changed: 17/8/2022 02:44, RNDr. Daniel Jakubík
Abstract
V originále
We study the impact of broadband penetration on social capital in the UK. Our empirical strategy exploits a technological feature of the telecommunication infrastructure that generated substantial variation in the quality of Internet access across households. The speed of a domestic connection rapidly decays with the distance of a user’s line from the network’s node serving the area. Merging information on the topology of the network with geocoded longitudinal data about individual social capital from 1997 to 2017, we show that access to fast Internet caused a significant decline in civic and political engagement. Overall, our results suggest that broadband penetration crowded out several dimensions of social capital.