Are ethnic cleavages associated with deep di§erences in culture between groups? Many people think so.
In poor countries, often characterized by a high level of ethnic diversity, concerns arise that groups with
heterogeneous values, norms and attitudes - the broad set of traits that we will refer to as "culture" -
may be unable to agree on policies, the provision of public goods and the broader goals of society. In
rich countries, debates rage over multiculturalism and whether population movements brought about
by globalization and modernity will result in cultural divisions and the breakdown of social consensus.
Underlying these debates is an assumption that people agree within groups and disagree across groups,
so that cultural heterogeneity and ethnic heterogeneity are two sides of the same coin. Yet, there is little
quantitative research on the links between ethnicity and culture.