The Role of Social Ties in Factor Allocation

Beck, Ulrik ; Bjerge, Benedikte ; Fafchamps, Marcel

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: SOCIAL NETWORKS;    ALLOCATIVE EFFICIENCY;    LAND MARKET;    FACTOR MARKET;    KINSHIP;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-8343
RP-ID  :  WPS8343

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This paper investigates whether socialstructure helps or hinders factor allocation using unusuallyrich data from The Gambia. Evidence indicates that landavailable for cultivation is allocated unequally acrosshouseholds; and that factor transfers are more commonbetween neighbors, co-ethnics, and kinship relatedhouseholds. Does this lead to the conclusion that landinequality is due to flows of land between households beingimpeded by social divisions? To answer this question, anovel methodology that approaches exhaustive data on dyadicflows from an aggregate point of view is introduced. Landtransfers lead to a more equal distribution of land and tomore comparable factor ratios across households in general.But equalizing transfers of land are not more likely withinethnic or kinship groups. In conclusion, ethnic and kinshipdivisions do not hinder land and labor transfers in a waythat contributes to aggregate factor inequality. Labortransfers do not equilibrate factor ratios acrosshouseholds. But it cannot be ruled out that they serve abeneficial role, e.g., to deal with unanticipated health shocks.