Social capital and socio-economic outcomes

Social capital has a wide range of applications in social sciences. Researchers have used the concept to explain various associations with socio-economic outcomes. However two important aspects have largely been ignored: (i) what forms social capital, and (ii) how social capital affects outcomes. In a set of papers we provide advancements on these relatively shallow aspects. The three main arguments can be summarized as follows. First, by reducing transaction costs, creating new forms of information exchange and influencing behaviour through norms, higher social capital induces innovation. The empirical findings suggest that innovation works as a transmission mechanism that translates social capital to economic growth. Second, we provide a relatively novel approach to the measurement of social capital and use these new indicators to explain differences in crime rates across geographical space. Social capital reduces crime via network externalities, social support and by increasing the opportunity cost of crime. Third, institutions are important in shaping social capital. We do not focus on the complementary relation between informal and formal institutions, but rather suggest that history and formal institutional settings affect social capital in the long run.

The impact of social capital on social and economic outcomes, PhD Dissertation, 2009

Policy towards SMEs and entrepreneurship

Technology Development Centers in Turkey, Middle East Technical University, June 2003, Master Thesis

Research on outsourcing and offshoring