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The importance of social capital for a
green economy
Stefano BartoliniUniversity of Siena
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Prosperity and happiness
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«Life is plenty of things that are more important than money.
The problem is that they are extremely expensive»
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GDP and happiness, US, 1946-1996
The Easterlin paradox
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The trends of the various indicators document:
• An increase in: loneliness, sense of isolation, instability of families, generational cleavages, mistrust
• A decrese in: social contacts, honesty, solidarity, social participation, civic engagement
The decline in US social capital
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Moreover: US work hours increased in the last decades
Source: Rogerson 2008
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Why do Americans work more?
Bartolini and Bilancini (2011, GSS data, 1972-2004) show that:
• Being poor in relational goods causes longer work hours• The reason is that individuals turn to work and money to
compensate for poor relational conditions
• Those poor in time develop poor relations
• This is a vicious circle. Relational poverty causes time poverty and the latter causes relational poverty
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Relational poverty as a cause of economic growthThe Negative Endogenous Growth (NEG)
(Bartolini and Bonatti JE 2003, JEBO 2008)
We can defend ourselves from the deterioration of relational and environmental goods by purchasing some goods
To finance these defensive expenditures we must work and produce more. That is to say, we must increase the GDP
Economic growth, however, may cause the deterioration of relational and environmental goods
NEG is a vicious circle: environmental and relational deterioration fuel economic growth which in turn feeds deterioration
NEG is undesirable from the viewpoint of well-being. Private wealth is fueled by the deterioration of the common goods.
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Private wealth
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Common poverty
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Relational poverty
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The decline of life satisfaction in China
Source: Bartolini and Sarracino 2013, WVS data
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The decline of life satisfaction in India
Source: Bartolini and Sarracino 2013, WVS data
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Therapies: Policies for Social Capital
How can we build an economy and a society that are more attentive to the relational aspects of life?
It is necessary and possible to change our: • Cities• Media• Work • Schools• Health system• Democracy• Culture