Transforming social cohesion into informal social control: Deconstructing collective efficacy and the moderating role of neighborhood racial homogeneity

This study investigates the relationship between perceptions of social cohesion and informal social control within U.S. urban neighborhoods and adds neighborhood racial homogeneity to investigate the ways in which racial homogeneity may contribute to effects on informal social control, as theorized by social disorganization researchers. Data from the Annie E. Casey’s Making Connections initiative (level 1) and the 2010 decennial census (level 2) were used. In total, 3,868 household responses were nested within 75 different census tracts. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was conducted to model level 1 and level 2 effects on informal social control. Results indicate a positive relationship between perceived social cohesion and informal social control. The relationship between social cohesion and informal social control was moderated by neighborhood racial homogeneity, indicating that homogeneity positively influenced the relationship. We conclude by providing recommendations for future researchers and community builders with a particular emphasis on attending to neighborhood-level effects.