The Internet and Social Capital

In one study, we find that access to broadband internet in the household increases societal engagement and social contacts. The results refute the widespread prejudice that the internet may lead to social isolation in the real world. Methodologically, the study exploits variation in the access to broadband internet stemming from a mistaken technology choice of the state-owned telecommunication provider in East Germany after reunification that hindered broadband internet roll-out for many households.

Research paper:

Surfing Alone? The Internet and Social Capital: Evidence from an Unforeseeable Technological Mistake (with S. Bauernschuster and O. Falck). Journal of Public Economics 117: 73-89, 2014

Material available only in German

Newspaper article:

Internet macht gesellig. Frankfurter Rundschau, 23.11.2010, p. 23

A contribution about our research results:

Offliner sind einsamer. Beitrag auf Spiegel Online vom 15.11.2010 über unsere Forschung zu Internet und Sozialkapital

Non-technical contributions:

Kein Grund für Innovationsfeindlichkeit und Kulturpessimismus: Das Internet erodiert nicht die Grund­lagen unserer Gesellschaft (with O. Falck and S. Bauernschuster). ifo Schnelldienst 64 (12): 10-12, 2011

Schadet Internetnutzung dem Sozialkapital? (with S. Bauernschuster and O. Falck). ifo Schnelldienst 63 (21): 11-17, 2010