Understanding Trust

Sapienza, Paola; Toldrà-Simats, Anna; Zingales, Luigi

doi:10.2139/ssrn.1010223

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 8 publications

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“…This well‐known indicator of social trust has been criticized on at least two grounds: that it measures trustworthiness rather than actual “behavioral” trust (Glaeser, Laibson, Scheinkman, & Soutter, ) and that it is underspecified in the sense that it is unclear for the respondent whom one is supposed to trust with respect to what (Hardin, ; Nannestad, ). With regard to the former criticism, the results by Glaeser et al () have been refuted on the grounds of the specific sample studied, specifically the homogeneity of participants and their mutual knowledge about each other, and the social trust measure has subsequently been shown to correlate with actual trusting behavior in more diverse and less information‐rich samples (Sapienza, Toldra, & Zingales, ). This suggests that the standard survey question captures trust in anonymous others and thus corresponds with how social trust is conceptualized in this study.…”

Section: Data and Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Education and Social Trust: Testing a Causal Hypothesis Using the Discordant Twin Design

Oskarsson

Dinesen

Dawes

et al. 2016

Political Psychology

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One of the clearest results in previous studies on social trust is the robust positive relationship with educational attainment. The most common interpretation is that education has a causal effect on social trust. The theoretical argument and empirical results in this article suggest a different interpretation. We argue that common preadult factors such as cognitive abilities and personality traits rooted in genes and early-life family environment may confound the relationship between educational attainment and social trust. We provide new evidence on this question by utilizing the quasi-experiment of twinning. By looking at the relationship between education and social trust within monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs, we are able to avoid potential confounders rooted in genetic factors and common environmental influences because the monozygotic twins share both. The results suggest that when controlling for such familial factors the estimated effects of education on social trust are close to zero and far from reaching statistical significance. Further analyses show that the relationship between education and social trust largely is driven by common genetic factors.Social trust-the default expectation of the trustworthiness of unknown others (Rotter, 1980)-is of immense importance for individuals' ability to maneuver today's globalized societies characterized by risk and a concomitant need to operate "in conditions of uncertainy" 1 0162-895X

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Section: Data and Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Education and Social Trust: Testing a Causal Hypothesis Using the Discordant Twin Design

Oskarsson

Dinesen

Dawes

et al. 2016

Political Psychology

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The Role of Trust in New SME Creation

Troilo¹

2010

The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation

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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are key to economic growth, and yet comparatively little research has examined the relationship between the level of societal trust and the motivations and opportunities of entrepreneurs starting new SMEs. The author tests the impact of trust on new firm formation using the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) survey data for 2001–2003. Trust is found to be significant for starting SMEs that pursue Schumpeterian opportunities. Trust is also significant for overall levels of entrepreneurship and for opportunity entrepreneurs in developing countries. These findings add nuance to previous literature suggesting that trust is significant for all forms of entrepreneurial activity.

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Understanding Trust

Cited by 2 publications

References 8 publications

Education and Social Trust: Testing a Causal Hypothesis Using the Discordant Twin Design

Education and Social Trust: Testing a Causal Hypothesis Using the Discordant Twin Design

The Role of Trust in New SME Creation

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