Bram Lancee

Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Amsterdam

Social Capital and Social Participation

Project: Personality and Social Capital

Together with Marina Tulin and Beate Völker
While previous research has shown that personality shapes social networks, we know very little about the relationship between these important psychological characteristics and the creation of social capital. In this article, we argue that personality shapes individuals’ ability to create social capital, and we predict positive associations between each of the Big Five person- ality traits and social capital. We tested our hypotheses using the Social Survey of the Net- works of the Dutch, 2014, which contains data on about 1,069 respondents, including social capital and Big Five personality measures. Our findings showed that personality and social capital were related such that extraversion and openness predicted instrumental social cap- ital, and extraversion, emotional stability, and agreeableness predicted expressive social cap- ital. Conscientiousness benefited instrumental social capital when respondents were older or when social capital was accessed via weak ties. We discuss these findings in light of existing explanations of the creation of social capital.

Tulin, M., Lancee, B. and Völker, B. (2018). Personality and social capital. Social Psychology Quarterly,81(4) 295–318. pdf

Project: Volunteering over the Life Course

Together with Jonas Radl

This project analyzes the extent to which volunteering varies over the life course. Based on three different theoretical explanations (resources, interests, and role substitution), we analyze how changing socio-economic and family characteristics affect individual volunteering behavior. Drawing on longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, we compare estimates from between-effects and fixed-effects models to discriminate between variation in volunteering that is due to differences between social groups and changes over time.

Lancee, B. and Radl, J. (2014). Volunteering over the life course. Social Forces, 93(2), 833-862. pdf

Project: Job Search Methods and Immigrants’ Labour Market Performance. The Role of Bridging Social Capital

This project analyzes how changing job affects the occupational status and income of immigrants in Germany. I hypothesize that changes are more successful for migrants who have access to bridging social capital.

The findings suggest that changing job is more successful when migrants have contact with natives, suggesting that bridging social capital can be activated and converted into a better position on the labor market. Furthermore, the results suggest that the positive effect of bridging social capital operates mainly through help during the application process, rather than through direct referrals from friends or relatives.

Lancee, B. (2016). Job search methods and immigrant earnings. A Longitudinal analysis of the role of bridging social capital. Ethnicities, 16(3), 349-367. pdf

Project: Does rural origin affect contact with natives? A study of Turks in six European countries

Together with Verena Seibel

This project analyses differences in rural and urban origin in interethnic contact and the occurrence of interethnic marriages of Turkish immigrants in six European countries. We argue that differences in values and human capital mediate the relationship between rural-urban origin and contacts with natives.

Lancee, B. and Seibel, V. (2014). Does rural origin affect immigrants’ contact with natives? A study of Turks in six European countries. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 40(9), 1331-1353. pdf

Project: Income Inequality and Participation: A Comparison of 24 European Countries

Together with Herman van de Werfhorst

Previous research suggests that when there is a high level of inequality, there is a low rate of participation. Two arguments are generally offered: First, inequality depresses participation because people from different status groups have fewer opportunities to share common goals. Second, people may participate more in civic and social life when they have more resources. However, until now, these explanations have not been separated empirically.

The results indicate that the main effects of inequality manifest via resources at the individual and societal level. However, independent of these resources, higher inequality is associated with lower civic participation. Furthermore, inequality magnifies the relationship between income and participation. This finding is in line with the view that inter-individual processes explain why inequality diminishes participation.

Lancee, B. and Van de Werfhorst, H.G. (2012). Income inequality and participation. A comparison of 24 European countries. Social Science Research, 41(5), 1166-1178. pdf