Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/243368 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
WIDER Working Paper No. 2021/42
Publisher: 
The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Helsinki
Abstract: 
The contact hypothesis posits that having diverse neighbours may reduce one's intergroup prejudice. This hypothesis is difficult to test as individuals self-select into neighbourhoods. Using a slum relocation programme in India that randomly assigned neighbours, I examine the effects of exposure to other-caste neighbours on trust and attitudes towards members of other castes. Combining administrative data on housing assignment with original survey data on attitudes, I find evidence corroborating the contact hypothesis. Exposure to more neighbours of other castes increases inter-caste trust, support for inter-caste marriage, and the belief that caste injustice is growing. I explore the role of friendships in facilitating these favourable attitudes. The findings shed light on the positive effects of exposure to diverse social groups through close proximity in neighbourhoods.
Subjects: 
contact hypothesis
intergroup contact
caste
slum relocation
India
JEL: 
C83
R38
Z13
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
ISBN: 
978-92-9256-980-8
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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