Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP6340
Authors: Keith Head; Thierry Mayer
Abstract: Using data on name distributions in 95 French departments observed from 1946 to 2002, we investigate spatial and social mechanisms behind the transmission of parental preferences. Drawing inspiration from recent work on social interactions, we develop a simple discrete choice model that predicts a linear relationship between choices by agents in one location and the choices made in neighbouring areas. We explain the shares of parents that give their children Saint, Arabic, and American-type names. In a second exercise we examine the effect of distance between locations on differences in name-type shares. In our last exercise we consider dissimilarity in actual names rather than name-types. Using Manhattan Distances as our metric, we find a steady and substantial decline in the importance of geographic distance. Meanwhile, differences in class and national origins have increasing explanatory power.
Keywords: conformity; cultural transmission; diffusion; geography; neighbourhood effects; social economics
JEL Codes: D190; F150; R100
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Decrease in importance of geographic proximity over time (R12) | Increase in significance of social class and national origin differences in naming practices (J15) |
| Geographic separation (R12) | Reduced influence on name selection (Y70) |
| Transmission of Arabic names (Y20) | Operates primarily through vertical intergenerational channels (L22) |
| Increase in popularity of saint-type names in neighboring departments (Z12) | Increase in local shares of saint-type names (Z12) |
| Increase in popularity of American-type names in neighboring departments (R23) | Increase in local shares of American-type names (R23) |