The Economic Incentives of Cultural Transmission: Spatial Evidence from Naming Patterns across France

Yann Algan, Clément Malgouyres, Thierry Mayer and Mathias Thoenig

No 14476, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper studies how economic incentives influence cultural transmission, using a crucial expression of cultural identity: Child naming decisions. Our focus is on Arabic versus Non-Arabic names given in France over the 2003-2007 period. Our model of cultural transmission features three determinants: (i) vertical (parental) cultural transmission culture; (ii) horizontal (neighborhood) influence; (iii) information on the economic penalty associated with Arabic names. We find that economic incentives largely influence naming choices: Would the parental expectation on the economic penalty be zero, the annual number of babies born with an Arabic name would be more than 50 percent larger.

Keywords: first names; cultural transmission; cultural economics; social interactions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J3 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 82 pages
Date: 2021-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-evo and nep-ure
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published - published in: Economic Journal, 2022, 132 (642), 437 - 470

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https://docs.iza.org/dp14476.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: The Economic Incentives of Cultural Transmission: Spatial Evidence from Naming Patterns Across France (2022)
Working Paper: The Economic Incentives of Cultural Transmission: Spatial Evidence from Naming Patterns Across France (2022)
Working Paper: The Economic Incentives of Cultural Transmission: Spatial Evidence from Naming Patterns Across France (2022)
Working Paper: The Economic Incentives of Cultural Transmission: Spatial Evidence from Naming Patterns Across France (2022)
Working Paper: The Economic Incentives of Cultural Transmission: Spatial Evidence from Naming Patterns across France (2021)
Working Paper: The Economic Incentives of Cultural Transmission: Spatial Evidence from Naming Patterns across France (2021)
Working Paper: The Economic Incentives of Cultural Transmission: Spatial Evidence from Naming Patterns across France (2021)
Working Paper: The Economic Incentives of Cultural Transmission: Spatial Evidence from Naming Patterns across France (2021)
Working Paper: The Economic Incentives of Cultural Transmission: Spatial Evidence from Naming Patterns across France (2013)
Working Paper: The Economic Incentives of Cultural Transmission: Spatial Evidence from Naming Patterns across France (2013)
Working Paper: The Economic Incentives of Cultural Transmission: Spatial Evidence from Naming Patterns across France (2013)
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