A
new report released by the National Conference on Citizenship, The Saguaro
Seminar at Harvard University, CIRCLE, and the National Constitution Center,
finds that civic engagement may help decrease levels of unemployment,
contribute to economic resiliency, and help communities weather economic
recessions.
The
study found that there was a statistically significant negative relationship
between civic health and unemployment (the better the civic health, the lower
the unemployment rate) in U.S. states and metropolitan areas. The effects of
the civic health indicators were statistically significant even after
controlling for eight economic factors that other studies have shown to be
related to the recent economic downturn, such as housing inflation, the size of
state’s oil and natural gas industries, the proportion of high school
graduates, residential mobility, and state’s GDP.
Specifically,
the study found that a 1% increase in a state’s rate of working with neighbors was associated with a 0.26% decrease in the
unemployment rate, a 1% increase in attendance
at public meetings was associated with a 0.24% decrease in the unemployment
rate, a 1% increase in volunteering
was associated with a 0.19% decrease in the unemployment rate, and a 1%
increase in voter registration was
associated with a 0.10% decrease in the unemployment rate, controlling for the
economic indicators.
The
authors cite research on social capital and civic engagement to explain why
civic engagement matters for unemployment. Specifically, they argue that:
·
“participation
in civil society can develop skills, confidence, and habits that make
individuals employable and strengthen the networks that help them find jobs,”
·
that
“people get jobs through social networks” (e.g., Granovetter’s weak ties
argument),
·
that “participation in civil society spreads
information,”
·
that
“participation in civil society is strongly correlated in trust with other
people,”
·
that
“communities and political jurisdictions with stronger civil societies are more
likely to have good governments”
·
and
that “civic engagement can encourage people to feel attached to their
communities”
The
authors are careful to note that correlation does not necessarily imply
causation and that their results are intended to begin a discussion on the role
that civic engagement plays in economic development. Nonetheless, this is an
important study that should hopefully be part of any policy discussion in
states and local communities of the best way to create sustainable and
prosperous communities.
The
full report can be found on the NCoC website at: http://www.ncoc.net/unemployment
