Capital Benefits Research Articles

U.S. Public Opinion About the Personal Development and Social Capital Benefits of Sport: Analyzing Components of the Great Sport Myth

Beliefs that sport participation inherently leads to personal development and social capital benefits are essential components of the Great Sport Myth (GSM). The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which U.S. adults embrace these components of the GSM. Also, we sought to better understand the extent to which primary groups, social stratification indicators, and sport experiences pattern beliefs in the personal development and social capital benefits of sports. Data were collected through a large national U.S. survey, the National Sports and Society Survey, and analyzed with multiple regression analyses. Findings suggest that most Americans espouse beliefs in the personal development and social capital benefits of sports. Furthermore, primary groups, stratification indicators, and positive sport experiences consistently appear to shape beliefs about these aspects of the GSM.

Exploring the perception of quality of life in urban daily commuting for sustainable urban transport in Bangkok, Thailand

AbstractQuality of life (QoL) in daily travel is increasing in popularity as a research topic since transportation infrastructures and services are instrumental in accessing basic services and social capital benefits in areas such as public health, employment, housing, etc. This accessibility has consequently led to improved QoL for the Bangkok population. In this study, the evaluation of the perception of QoL during the daily travel of Bangkokians in Sukhumvit District, Thailand is conducted using face-to-face interview questionnaires with 500 respondents. The structural equation model (SEM) is employed to quantify QoL and its related multidimensional determinants. Four statistically significant factors affect QoL from the travel perspective: (1) accessibility (p-value 0.001), (2) travel cost (p-value 0.05), (3) environment (p-value 0.05), and (4) information (p-value 0.05). Interestingly, accessibility was found to have the most influence on QoL in daily travel. Therefore, policymakers are recommended to consider the degree to which QoL may be affected to establish transportation policies that are more acceptable, practical, and efficient.

THE EFFECT OF INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN ASEAN COUNTRIES: DYNAMIC PANEL DATA ANALYSIS

This article examines the impact of infrastructure development on economic growth in ASEAN countries using dynamic panel data analysis. The research is motivated by the significant economic transformation in the Southeast Asian region, largely driven by infrastructure development, which has improved connectivity, efficiency, productivity, job creation, and sustainable growth. The analysis considers various sectors including transportation, energy, and communication, and incorporates factors such as education, health, and access to infrastructure. Using the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and data from the World Bank from 2002 to 2022, this study investigates the extent to which infrastructure investment contributes to economic growth. The results show a positive and significant relationship between infrastructure development and economic growth, emphasizing the need for policymakers to prioritize infrastructure investment along with institutional reforms to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth. The findings underscore the critical role of infrastructure in improving economic performance and the importance of quality institutions in maximizing the benefits of infrastructure capital in ASEAN countries

Social Capital, Import Competition, and Vaccine Uptake

Abstract This research note examines the relationship between social capital, economic globalization, and COVID-19 vaccines in U.S. counties. The author argues that the positive health benefits of community-level social capital can be undermined by import competition. Leveraging data from U.S. counties this note shows that the positive correlation between community social capital and vaccine uptake is lower in communities harder hit by import competition. This is however only the case for bridging and not for bonding social capital. These findings indicate that economic globalization can undermine the positive health impact of community social capital which has implications for inequalities in public health as well as responses to major health crises.

How educational leaders can maximise the social capital benefits of inter-school networks: findings from a systematic review

PurposeEducators need to engage in continuous learning to ensure that their knowledge and practice responds to the changing needs of society and students. Collaborative approaches, in which social capital resource is exchanged, can serve as an effective way of facilitating such learning. With this systematic review, the authors identify the opportunities and benefits inter-school social capital networks might bring by exploring: (1) what inter-school networks are available internationally for primary and secondary schools, (2) the features and activities present within inter-school networks and (3) evidence of impact of inter-school network activities.Design/methodology/approachFor this study, the authors employed a systematic review methodology. The review comprised the five stages of the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: PRISMA, 2021) protocol. The study findings derived from 111 research outputs (from a total of 1,221 originally identified).FindingsThe review highlights a number of different inter-school networks and their diverse purposes as well as key network features, such as the actors present in networks and the activities network participants engage with. At the same time, however, the authors only identify limited reliable evidence of the impact of inter-school networks.Originality/valueThe study fills a knowledge gap by exploring, for the first time, the presence, features of inter-school social capital networks available to school leaders as well as investigating the impact of these networks.

The impact of social capital on the public general education governance

Scientists from a variety of disciplines have recognized social capital as a valuable resource in Vietnam since the early 2000s; nevertheless, this kind of capital can only exist when it is observable and the benefits of social capital can be quantified (Uphoff & Wijayaratna, 2000). As seen by the poor engagement in social activities and social media networks, social capital is actually very restricted in Vietnam’s state general education schools. This makes it difficult to raise the standard of instruction and learning objectives. This study aims to investigate the influence of social capital on the advancement of public general education. By analyzing the structural equation model (SEM), the study’s survey method uses a questionnaire with a scale of 488 teachers and employees in public general education. As shown in the result, social capital impacts not only directly and positively but also indirectly on the development of public general education through intermediary factors such as in-school knowledge transfer, school brand, and training service quality. The study makes several recommendations to increase social capital in order to set the groundwork for the growth of public general education in Vietnamese schools, based on these findings.

Women Breaking into the South Korean Film World: A Study of Female Filmmakers in the 1990s

In the 1990s, four women made their debut as film directors in South Korea. Considering that there were only five female directors from the beginning of Korean film history in 1919 until the 1980s, their debut was a remarkable phenomenon. This change was due to the structural innovation of the South Korean film field that began in the mid-1980s. With the collapse of the apprenticeship system, networks of cinephiles such as the Munhwawon sedae functioned as a new source of relational capital. In order to deepen our understanding of the emergence of the celluloid ceiling in South Korea, this study focuses on the experiences of three women filmmakers who made their first feature films in the 1990s: Yim Soon-rye, Lee Jeong-hyang, and Byun Young-Joo. Compared to male directors who had equivalent cultural and academic capital, and who entered the field during the same period, these women directors were unable to acquire sufficient relational capital to promote their careers as directors. It was the authorities of the field, such as film festivals and the media, that acknowledged them and established their reputations, allowing them to release their first films in the South Korean cinematic field. In other words, even in the new system, women remained excluded from the benefits of relational capital in the South Korean cinematic field, and they could only find their place as directors by demonstrating exceptional individual abilities.

Community social capital, police performance, and trust in the police: Choices of policing styles in China

Abstract Recent empirical studies have underscored the crucial link between police performance and trust in the police. Nevertheless, the association between police performance and trust in the police under various conditions deserves more attention. Moreover, the collective meaning of social capital is largely omitted from previous studies on the impact of social capital on trust in the police. The current study explores how police performance impacts public trust across varying levels of community social capital. Using factor analysis and multilevel binary logistic regression on data from a survey of 997 respondents in Xiamen, China, the current study found that both police performance and community social capital significantly enhanced trust in the police, while community social capital moderated the relationship between police performance and trust in the police. As community social capital increases, the importance of procedural fairness in building police trust grows, whereas the impact of outcome effectiveness diminishes. Findings of the current study advocate for a tailored approach to policing: communities rich in social capital benefit from a focus on procedural fairness (process-oriented policing), whereas those with lower social capital prioritize the effectiveness of outcomes (outcome-oriented policing).

Deconstruction of ESG Impacts on US Corporate Bond Pricing: The Cost of Capital Benefits Across Industry Sectors

Deconstruction of ESG Impacts on US Corporate Bond Pricing: The Cost of Capital Benefits Across Industry Sectors

Development in Digital Capitalism: Challenges and Prospects of Nepal

This study delves into the challenges and possibilities surrounding the establishment of digital capitalism in Nepal. Utilizing a secondary data analysis methodology, it examines the current state of digital capitalism in the country and identifies the key obstacles and opportunities. The theoretical framework employed incorporates concepts like transnational informational capitalism, digital governance, and actor-network theory to comprehend the dynamic relationship between labor, technology, and capitalism in the digital era. The findings indicate that while Nepal has witnessed growth in internet penetration and mobile phone usage, there are still significant disparities in digital access and infrastructure between urban and rural areas. The challenges faced include inadequate digital infrastructure, limited consumer trust and awareness, and the need for more robust regulatory frameworks. Nevertheless, Nepal also holds promising prospects for digital capitalism. The increasing availability of smart-phones a techno-literate youth population, and government initiatives aimed at promoting digital literacy and entrepreneurship contribute to the country's potential in this area. The study underscores the significance of digital capitalism for Nepal's economic development and provides recommendations to policymakers, entrepreneurs, and researchers on how to foster an environment that facilitates the growth of digital capitalism. By addressing the challenges of digital infrastructure, building consumer trust, and strengthening regulatory frameworks, Nepal can harness the benefits of digital capitalism, leveraging it as a catalyst for economic progress in the country.

How social capital affects innovation, marketing and entrepreneurial orientation: the case of SMEs in Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam)

Social capital, embedded in the networking relationship, is critical for firm performance. SMEs, especially in emerging economies, should effectively use their limited resource and network relationships to deal with increased uncertainties in the business environment. Accordingly, this paper investigates the effect of social capital on innovation, marketing communication expenditure, and entrepreneurial orientation (EO). The research employs a binary logistic model based on data collected from a survey of 645 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam. The survey focused on SMEs in Ho Chi Minh City, which is the biggest city in Vietnam and accounts for one-third of the country’s gross domestic product. The research found significant evidence of the benefits of social capital on innovation, marketing communication expenditure, and EO. Specifically, we found significant relationships between personal network and marketing communication expenditure, between a business network with innovation and EO, and between network range and marketing communication expenditure. This research has important implications for managers and government agents. SMEs managers should effectively use what they receive from network relationships to improve the performance of firms. The findings clarify the characteristics of networks constituting social capital. Moreover, we respond to the call for more empirical study in the emerging economy.

Foreign direct investment, human capital and export diversification in Africa: A panel smooth transition regression (PSTR) model analysis

This paper investigates the role of local human capital in facilitating the export diversification improvement effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) in African countries. To this end, we use a panel smooth transition regression (PSTR) model which is able to deal with the heterogeneity issue associated with the cross-country data. Based on a sample of 30 African countries over the period 1996–2019, the results show that there is a minimum threshold of human capital beyond which the export diversification enhancing effect of FDI is unlocked in African countries. In other words, only countries located above a certain threshold of human capital benefit from the positive effect of FDI on export diversification. These results suggest that policymakers in African countries should focus on improving the conditions for acquiring local human capital (education and health) in order to extract economic gains from FDI.

B - 44 Social Capital and Aging across Cultures: Examining the Mediating Effects on the Cognitive Functioning-Functional Ability Relationship in Baltimore and Mumbai.

Examine social capital (social support, social network) as a mediator of the cognitive functioning and functional ability relationship in older adult populations. Examine this relationship cross-culturally, with culture as a moderator of the mediation model. 75 community dwelling participants recruited across India and the United States. Cognitive function was measured using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Functional ability was evaluated using the Duke OARS Multidimensional Functional Abilities Questionnaire and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS). Social network and social support were evaluated using the Lubben Social Network Scale and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Process Macro (Hayes & Rockwood, 2017) was used to examine the mediation and moderated mediation models. The internal consistency of the MoCA and OARS were below acceptable ranges in the Indian sample. Indian participants reported more social support than U.S participants, however, there were no differences in social network. Social support predicted functional ability as measured by the WHODAS, F(1, 63) = 4.34, p = 0.04, but not the OARS. Social network predicted functional ability as measured by both the WHODAS, F(1, 57) = 8.33, p = 0.006, and the OARS, F(1, 62) = 4.98, p = 0.03. Results suggested that social capital was not a significant mediator of the relationship, and that culture was not a significant moderator. Limitations due to small sample size indicate need for further exploration of the potential benefits of social capital on cognitive and functional ability across cultures. Important to consider appropriateness of measures when working with non-normative groups.

Social Vulnerability and the Prevalence of Opioid Use Disorder Among Older Medicare Beneficiaries in U.S. Counties.

Recent research has investigated the factors associated with the prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD) among older adults (65+), which has rapidly increased in the past decade. However, little is known about the relationship between social vulnerability and the prevalence of OUD, and even less is about whether the correlates of the prevalence of OUD vary across the social vulnerability spectrum. This study aims to fill these gaps. We assemble a county-level data set in the contiguous United States (U.S.) by merging 2021 Medicare claims with the CDC's social vulnerability index and other covariates. Using the total number of older beneficiaries with OUD as the dependent variable and the total number of older beneficiaries as the offset, we implement a series of nested negative binomial regression models and then analyze by social vulnerability quartiles. Higher social vulnerability is associated with higher prevalence of OUD in U.S. counties. This association cannot be fully explained by the differences in the characteristics of older Medicare beneficiaries (e.g., average age) and/or other social conditions (e.g., social capital) across counties. Moreover, the group comparison tests indicate correlates of the prevalence of OUD vary across social vulnerability quartiles in that the average number of mental disorders is positively related to OUD prevalence in the least and the most vulnerable counties and social capital benefits the less vulnerable counties. A perspective drawing upon contextual factors, especially social vulnerability, may be more effective in reducing OUD among older adults in U.S. counties than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Resilience in development: Neighborhood context, experiences of discrimination, and children's mental health.

An understanding of child psychopathology and resilience requires attention to the nested and interconnected systems and contexts that shape children's experiences and health outcomes. In this study, we draw on data from the National Survey of Children's Health, 2016 to 2021 (n = 182,375 children, ages 3- to 17 years) to examine associations between community social capital and neighborhood resources and children's internalizing and externalizing problems, and whether these associations were moderated by experiences of racial discrimination. Study outcomes were caregiver-report of current internalizing and externalizing problems. Using logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics of the child and household, higher levels of community social capital were associated with a lower risk of children's depression, anxiety, and behaviors. Notably, we observed similar associations between neighborhood resources and child mental health for depression only. In models stratified by the child's experience of racial/ethnic discrimination, the protective benefits of community social capital were specific to those children who did not experience racial discrimination. Our results illustrate heterogeneous associations between community social capital and children's mental health that differ based on interpersonal experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination, illustrating the importance of a multilevel framework to promote child wellbeing.

Adolescent social capital:An intergenerational resource?

There is abundant literature about the benefits of social capital in youth, but less is known of the origins of social capital. This study explores whether adolescents'social capital is shaped by their parents'social capital, their family's socioeconomic status (SES), and the socioeconomic profile of their neighborhood. The study uses cross-sectional survey data gathered from 12 to 13-year-old adolescents and their parents (n = 163) in Southwest Finland. For the analysis, adolescents'social capital was disaggregated into four dimensions: social networks, social trust, tendency to receive help, and tendency to provide help. Parents'social capital was measured both directly (parents'self-reports) and indirectly (adolescents'perceptions of their parents'sociability). The associations with the hypothesized predictors were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results suggest that social capital is not directly intergenerationally transmissible the way some biologically heritable traits are. Yet, parents'social capital shapes youngsters'perception of their sociability, and that, in turn, predicts each dimension of adolescents'social capital. Family SES is positively related to young people's reciprocal tendency, but the pathway flows indirectly through parents'social capital and adolescents'perception of parents'sociability. Conversely, a disadvantaged socioeconomic neighborhood is directly negatively associated with adolescents'social trust and tendency to receive help. This study suggests that, in the studied Finnish, relatively egalitarian context, social capital is (at least partly) transmissible from parents to children, not directly, but indirectly through the mechanism of social learning.

Civic involvement in deprived communities: A longitudinal study of England.

This study aims to understand how community material deprivation is related to associational membership amongst neighbourhood residents. We posit that aside from personal characteristics and willingness to engage, experiences of neighbourhood deprivation are strongly correlated with how much people devote themselves to associational membership. We identify three mechanisms through which community deprivation can determine individual participation in political, civic, and work voluntary associations: social cohering, norms of obligation, and activated dissatisfaction. We link individual panel data from Understanding Society from 2010 to 2019 with the English Index of Multiple Deprivation at the neighbourhood level. This study finds that neighbourhood deprivation is associated with lower norms of civic obligation which, in turn, lowers a person's propensity for engagement. Individuals with low income and education are less likely to participate in voluntary associations in the first place, therefore the contextual role of neighbourhood deprivation exerts a further external negative pressure on civic participation. We find that membership in political organizations is an exception whereby it is positively associated with neighbourhood deprivation. The results imply that given the many economic and social capital benefits of associational involvement (Putnam, 2000), collective deprivation can produce an additive pattern of economic disadvantage which is reinforced through a lack of social participation.

Evaluation of the role of clean energy technologies, human capital, urbanization, and income on the environmental quality in the United States

In today's world, environmental concerns are at the forefront of countries' considerations, along with economic priorities. In this context, countries face the challenge of developing and directing their investments in clean energy technologies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly affordable and clean energy. Does the development and diffusion of clean energy technologies contribute to improving environmental quality? This study addresses this question by examining the effects of clean energy technologies on sustainable environmental quality as expressed by the load capacity factor (LCF). In this context, the study explores the United States (US), as the largest economy and one of the leading countries investing in clean energy, considering the role of human capital, urbanization, and economic growth. To this end, this paper applies the novel augmented autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model to annual data from 1974 to 2018. The long-term empirical results show that (i) Clean energy technologies have no effect on the LCF; (iii) human capital supports environmental quality; (iv) urbanization has an adverse effect on environmental quality; (v) increasing economic growth worsens environmental quality. Overall, the empirical results suggest that while clean energy technologies should support sustainable environmental quality, this is unfortunately not the case in the US. Therefore, the US policymakers need to take improvement actions to ensure that clean energy technologies contribute to sustainable environmental quality and that the community reaps the environmental benefits of human capital.

Associations of Cooking Skill with Social Relationships and Social Capital among Older Men and Women in Japan: Results from the JAGES.

The health benefits of social relationships and social capital are well known. However, little research has examined the determinants of social relationships and social capital. We examined whether cooking skill was associated with social relationships and social capital in older Japanese people. We used 2016 Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study data on a population-based sample of men and women aged ≥ 65 years (n = 21,061). Cooking skill was assessed using a scale with good validity. Social relationships were evaluated by assessing neighborhood ties, frequency and number of meetings with friends, and frequent meals with friends. Individual-level social capital was evaluated by assessing civic participation, social cohesion, and reciprocity. Among women, high-level cooking skill was positively associated with all components of social relationships and social capital. Women with high-level cooking skill were 2.27 times (95% CI: 1.77-2.91) more likely to have high levels of neighborhood ties and 1.65 (95% CI: 1.20-2.27) times more likely to eat with friends, compared with those with middle/low-level cooking skill. Cooking skills explained 26.2% of the gender difference in social relationships. Improving cooking skills may be key to boosting social relationships and social capital, which would prevent social isolation.

Greening human capital towards environmental quality in Ghana: Insight from the novel dynamic ARDL simulation approach

Numerous studies on the factors influencing Ghana's environmental quality have been undertaken. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study has been conducted on the relationship between green human capital and environmental quality in Ghana. This study aims to address this knowledge gap by exploring the influence of green human capital on environmental quality in Ghana within the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) framework. Modern econometric techniques are employed for accurate and trustworthy analyses based on data collected from Ghana from 1990 to 2019. The results reveal that all the study variables are first differenced stationary and co-integrated in the long run. Therefore, the novel dynamic autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) simulation is adopted to examine the connections between the variables. The findings demonstrate that increasing green human capital degrades environmental quality in the short term while green human capital benefits environmental quality in the long term. Further, the investigation validates the EKC hypothesis in Ghana. It is recommended that stronger initiatives and policies be established to address the detrimental consequences of environmental deterioration caused by incompetent human capital, and that life-long green education be continuously reinforced so that human knowledge and skills keep updated with zero-emission milestones.