Research Information System
Joint IPSA Colloquium Programme Centre for the Study of Democracy and Diversity, Kingston, Canada, 12 - 14 October 2022, pp.1, (Summary Text)
In recent debates on ethnic diversity and social capital, there is controversy about whether ethnic diversity reduces social solidarity. Empirical research is far from a consensus. While some argue that ethnic diversity is the main cause of low level social capital, others argue that different factors are the root cause, such as economic inequality, political corruption, and spatial segregation.
I argue that actors of political system interfere and therefore direct social capitals of individuals, and, on a larger scale, the society. Policy makers and state implementations can create a perceived threat among minority or majority ethnic groups, and strengthen group boundaries. Thus, social capital instrumentalises as a "clubbish good" as Bourdieu described. In the case of Malaysia, which defines as a plural society, political system is centred around ethnic identities. Malaysians have high levels social capital within their ethnic groups contrary to low social capital at their country level. Social capital, therefore, operates like a clubbish good in Malaysia. I examined the political factors increase Malaysians’ threat perceptions that reinforce ethnic-groups’ social capital. Mainly, the main causes are found that policy preferences prioritizing ethnic identities, ethnicity-driven political discourses, institutional discriminations, and dominance of a certain ethnic group in different socio-political areas.