Dynamics-Of-Social-Institutions

The project was born during the Winter Workshop on Complex Systems 2024 to study the perception of social institutions (more precisely, ethnics).

What is social identity?

• Social identity theory “emphasizes the flexibility and plurality in how people define themselves, ranging from personal identity through different levels and dimensions of group membership (e.g. social group, religion, political beliefs, gender). Each of these levels of identity is associated with certain meanings and goals, which in turn guide behavior.” (Tajfel & Turner, 1979).
• The “roles, rules, and rewards that structure activities within a community as it attempts to govern and ensure its survival”. (Lust, 2022)

Those levels of identity correspond to social institutions. Each of those institutions has different expectations of their members.

Ethnicity

• Roles = Tribal leaders, ethnic group members

• Rules = co-ethnics are more trustworthy, you should help co-ethnics in need, co-ethnics are more likely to have similar values, etc.

• Rewards = social safety net, collective power, etc.

  Stato Quo

People should always favor/have more trust in their co-ethnics. Therefore, ethnic diversity and social trust can’t co-exist.

Diversity + in-group preferences = conflict and poor outcomes

A review of 87 studies (Dinesen et. al., 2020), illuminated three primary debates in the literature:

1. Why Does Ethnic Diversity Erode Trust?
2. Can Contact Alleviate the Negative Effect of Ethnic Diversity?
3. Is Ethnic Diversity Just a Placeholder for Social Disadvantage?

There’s empirical evidence that this isn’t always true!

The LGPI 2019 Household Survey Results: Kenya, Zambia, Malawi discovered that approximately 10% of people have an overall belief of their ethnic group that contradicts the norms of the institution. Moreover, approximately 40% hold at least one belief that contradicts the Social institution. Lust et. al.,, 2023, "The Local Governance Performance Index (LGPI) Household Survey 2019: Kenya, Malawi, Zambia", Harvard Dataverse, V3, UNF:6:BG702JZ8DKUWNWH2nhYDpg== [fileUNF]

Conceptualization

Study of the evolution of ethnic preferences with diverse group sizes by replicator dynamics (preferences with above-average payoff increase in frequency). Study of the effects of contact structures by ABM.

Working group (in no particular order)

Erica Ann Metheney, Emmy Tither, Pablo M. Flores, Violeta Calleja-Solanas, Felix Jäger, D. Santiago Quevedo & Zimai Li

Data used

Local Governance Performance Index It is a household survey that provides data on governance at the individual- and community-levels in Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia. Questions focused on individuals’ experiences, perceptions, and satisfaction in a wide range of substantive areas, including participation (e.g., attending community meetings, voting in elections), service provision (e.g., obtaining administrative services, education, electricity, health, and water), security (e.g., dispute resolution, experience with crime), social norms (e.g., social obligations, social sanctioning), welfare (e.g., land access, clothing, food, and shelter), and demographics. These questions allow researchers to tap into governance dimensions, regarding authority, corruption, extraction, participation, and transparency.