[lit-ideas] Re: So, you think teachers have problems

  • From: John McCreery <john.mccreery@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:51:18 -0400

Phil, Eric,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. You have articulated two hypotheses: (1) 
that trust in institutions is a function of the state of the economy, up when 
the economy is strong, down when the economy is weak and (2) that trust in 
institutions is a function is a function of cultural homogeneity, up when a 
society is culturally homogeneous, down when it is culturally heterogeneous. 
Given that the two hypotheses are not mutually exclusive, it is possible to 
envision four scenarios: strong economy, culturally homogeneous; weak economy, 
culturally homogeneous; strong economy, culturally heterogeneous; weak economy, 
culturally heterogeneous. Assuming that there is something to both hypotheses, 
we could predict that the most trusted institutions will be found in culturally 
homogeneous societies with strong economies and the least trusted institutions 
in culturally heterogeneous societies with weak economies. The alternatives are 
useful tests for the proposition that one of the original hypotheses is 
stronger than the other. Do well have any evidence pro or con this analysis?

John

Sent from my iPad

On Aug 15, 2010, at 5:08 AM, Eric <mr.eric.yost@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Phil: The better the economic
> conditions, the more confidence people have.
> 
> Then there's this comprehensive study of the effects of diversity which 
> describes how it destroys trust.
> 
> [extract of]
> E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century The 2006 
> Johan Skytte Prize Lecture
> 
> By Robert D. Putnam
> 
> So far I have limited my presentation to evidence regarding social trust, and 
> it is true that the most impressive and substantial patterns we have so far 
> discovered involve trust of various sorts, including even trust of shop 
> clerks. However, a wide array of other measures of social capital and civic 
> engagement are also *negatively* correlated with ethnic diversity.16 In areas 
> of greater diversity, our respondents demonstrate:
> 
>    * • 
>      Lower confidence in local government, local leaders and the local news 
> media.17
>    * • 
>      Lower political efficacy – that is, confidence in their own influence.18
>    * • 
>      Lower frequency of registering to vote, but more interest and knowledge 
> about politics and more participation in protest marches and social reform 
> groups.19
>    * • 
>      Less expectation that others will cooperate to solve dilemmas of 
> collective action (e.g., voluntary conservation to ease a water or energy 
> shortage).20
>    * • 
>      Less likelihood of working on a community project.21
>    * • 
>      Lower likelihood of giving to charity or volunteering.22
>    * • 
>      Fewer close friends and confidants.23
>    * • 
>      Less happiness and lower perceived quality of life.24
>    * • 
>      More time spent watching television and more agreement that ‘television 
> is my most important form of entertainment’.25
> 
> http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9477.2007.00176.x/full
> 
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