Do Television and Radio Destroy Social Capital? Evidence from Indonesian Villages
This paper investigates the impact of television and radio on social capital in Indonesia. I use two sources of variation in signal reception -- one based on Indonesia's mountainous terrain, and a second based on the differential introduction of private television throughout Indonesia. I find t...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | en_US |
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American Economic Association
2011
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/61739 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1918-4631 |
Summary: | This paper investigates the impact of television and radio on social capital in Indonesia. I use two sources of variation in signal reception -- one based on Indonesia's mountainous terrain, and a second based on the differential introduction of private television throughout Indonesia. I find that increased signal reception, which leads to more time watching television and listening to the radio, is associated with less participation in social organizations and with lower self-reported trust. Improved reception does not affect village governance, at least as measured by discussions in village meetings and by corruption in village road projects. |
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