Social Interactions and Labor Market Outcomes in Cities

33 Pages Posted: 31 Jan 2011

See all articles by Yves Zenou

Yves Zenou

Stockholm University; Monash University - Department of Economics; Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IUI); IZA Institute of Labor Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

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Date Written: June 12, 2008

Abstract

We develop a model where information about jobs is essentially obtained through friends and relatives, i.e. strong and weak ties. Workers commute to a business center to work and to interact with other people. We find that housing prices increase with the level of social interactions in the city because information about jobs is transmitted more rapidly and, as a result, individuals are more likely to be employed and to be able to pay higher land rents. We also show that, under some conditions, workers using more their weak ties than strong ties to find a job receive a higher wage. We finally demonstrate that workers living far away from jobs pay lower housing prices but experience higher unemployment rates than those living close to jobs because they mainly rely on their strong ties to obtain information about jobs.

Keywords: Weak Ties, Labor Market, Social Networks, Land Rent

JEL Classification: A14, J60, R14

Suggested Citation

Zenou, Yves and Zenou, Yves, Social Interactions and Labor Market Outcomes in Cities (June 12, 2008). IFN Working Paper No. 755, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1750086 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1750086

Yves Zenou (Contact Author)

Stockholm University ( email )

Universitetsvägen 10
Stockholm, Stockholm SE-106 91
Sweden

Monash University - Department of Economics ( email )

Australia

Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IUI) ( email )

P.O. Box 5501
S-114 85 Stockholm
Sweden

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

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