Social Capital in the Job-related Regional Mobility Decisions of the Unemployed

• In Event: 247 - Regular Session. Social Capital and Social Outcomes

Abstract

Social capital is an important factor in interregional mobility. Although most prior research has focused on social capital’s role in the job-finding process, this study investigates the following question: What is the function of social networks and the social capital embedded therein after an interregional job offer has been received? This question is particularly important for the unemployed, who should be able to exploit a mobility strategy to re-enter the labour market. Unemployed persons rely on their social networks to cope with joblessness, but there is evidence that social contexts can act as mobility traps for this group (Windzio, 2004). Do the unemployed weight social capital in a unique way in their mobility decision making?
To answer these questions, we combine a factorial survey module (FSM) with data from the German “Labour market and social security” (PASS) panel study to generate representative samples of unemployed and employed persons with a randomised mobility stimulus in the form of hypothetical interregional job offers. Our results reveal the indirect effects of conflict-induced access restrictions to social capital that are particularly pronounced for unemployed persons, highlighting the importance of reasoning extending beyond simple economic consid-erations and job offer characteristics in mobility decisions.

Authors

• Sebastian Werner Bähr, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg

• Martin Abraham, University of Nuremberg-Erlangen