Level Of Capital Research Articles

Ecosystem leadership in catalyzing the emergence of entrepreneurial ecosystems: social capital perspectives

PurposeThe level of social capital is a crucial indicator of the evolutionary stage of entrepreneurial ecosystems. While prior studies have highlighted the role of leadership by anchor organizations in building networks within nascent entrepreneurial ecosystems, there is limited understanding of how these organizations develop bonding and bridging social capital and how their leadership catalyzes the early evolution of ecosystems. Against the background, this study endeavors to unravel the role of anchor organizations performing ecosystem leadership as creators of social capital in the early stages of ecosystem development, with a specific focus on bonding and bridging social capital.Design/methodology/approachThe study applied explorative qualitative research methods to examine two distinct entrepreneurial ecosystems – one in Latin America and the other in Southern Africa. These locations were chosen because a single anchor organization played a visible role in ecosystem leadership during the early phases of evolution in both instances.FindingsThe study reveals a tripartite sequence of steps that anchor organizations take to instigate social capital at the ecosystem level (1) creating bonding social capital, (2) creating bridging social capital and (3) converting bridging into bonding social capital. The study formulates a theoretical framework that elucidates how anchor organizations perform ecosystem leadership to create social capital, thereby generating initial evolutionary forces within ecosystems. By discerning context-specific dimensions in each ecosystem, the study identifies essential considerations for generalizing its findings.Practical implicationsFor anchor organizations, specifically startup support entities strategically dedicated to fostering local entrepreneurial ecosystems, key insights can be gleaned from this study to cultivate a burgeoning startup community, serving as a catalyst for early-phase ecosystem development. For policymakers seeking to cultivate thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems in their regions, the study provides insights into distinct approaches for leveraging anchor organizations in social capital development.Originality/valueThis study revealed strategic functions of ecosystem leadership in creating social capital, which catalyze early ecosystem evolution. Furthermore, by contrasting two different emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems, this study particularly highlights how contexts can enable or constrain ecosystem leadership in social capital creation activities. This study also illuminated the cycle mechanisms of creating bonding and bridging social capital and converting bridging into bonding social capital. This finding extends the recent discussions on the transition from bonding to bridging social capital.

The cross‐lagged relationship between parent–child relationship and psychological capital in Chinese Adolescents: Gender differences

AbstractAdolescence is a critical developmental period characterized by rapid changes in psychological capital and significant challenges in parent–child relationships. However, dynamic studies investigating the interaction between parent–child relationships and psychological capital remain limited. This study adopts a cross‐lagged longitudinal design to explore the dynamic relationship between parent–child relationships and psychological capital, with a particular focus on the moderating role of gender. Using a cluster sampling method, a 1‐year follow‐up survey was conducted with 993 adolescents from four middle schools in Sichuan Province, China. The results revealed the following: (1) Boys demonstrated significantly higher levels of psychological capital compared to girls. Over the 1‐year period, psychological capital increased in both boys and girls. However, only boys experienced a significant decline in father‐son relationships, while changes in parent–child relationships among girls were not significant. (2) The cross‐lagged relationships between parent–child relationships and psychological capital exhibited gender differences. For boys, psychological capital predicted both father‐son and mother‐son relationships. For girls, a bidirectional predictive relationship was observed between father‐daughter relationships and psychological capital. These findings suggest that boys with higher levels of psychological capital are more likely to cultivate strong parent–child relationships, while for girls, positive traits and father‐daughter relationships mutually reinforce one another. These insights provide practical implications for mental health education in middle schools.

Analysis of the problems and potential of the development of family entrepreneurship in the Russian Federation

Purpose: of the study is determining the prospects and conditions for the development of family entrepreneurship in modern Russia.Methods: the study of the research subject area within the framework of systematic and interdisciplinary approaches was carried out using content and logical analysis of scientific and expert publications, as well as the use of general scientific methods of abstraction, generalization and classification and specialized techniques for processing and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data using expert and statistical methods.Results: the relationships between the categories “family” and “economy” have been clarified. The mechanism of interaction of the family enterprise with the business environment of the national socio-economic system is analyzed. The state and tasks of institutionalization of the family enterprise are characterized. An empirical assessment of the dynamic and structural characteristics of the functioning of the family enterprises in the field of small and medium-sized enterprises has been carried out. The changes in the characteristics of the profile of the household behavior model in the areas of production and consumption of goods are analyzed including the identification of an increasing priority of private financing of educational services to increase the level of intellectual capital of families. The key trends in the development of family entrepreneurship have been identified. A conceptual approach to the identification of problem areas and the selection of priority areas for the development of family entrepreneurship is proposed.Conclusions and Relevance: based on the analysis of the mechanism of interaction between family and economic institutions, the participation of the family enterprise in the reproductive process of the national economy is characterized. The values underlying family relations objectively contribute to strengthening the stability of the economy and the stability of society. The prospects for the development of family entrepreneurship depend to a certain extent on the institutionalization of the concept of "the family enterprise" in the Russian legislation. An empirical assessment of the structural and dynamic characteristics of the functioning of family entrepreneurship guides the development of necessary state support measures, taking into account the identified regional uneven saturation of the local economy with the family enterprises, which makes it possible to identify reserves and areas of growth for the potential of Russian family business.

The Relationship between Social Capital and the Market Integration of Farms – Examples from Central and Eastern Europe

The economic situation of farms is determined by a number of factors, which have been widely described in the literature. One factor is market integration, which shapes the farmer’s position in the food supply chain. The involvement of farmers in the integration may be related to their social capital, although this hypothesis has not been fully verified. Thus, the aim of the article is to assess the relationship between the level of social capital and the market integration of farms in selected Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. The analysis includes Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Serbia and Moldova, and the sample consists of a total of 3160 farms. Data were collected personally by the authors through face-to-face interviews with farm managers. Based on these data, the authors’ market integration index was calculated and the level of social capital of farms was determined. A comparative analysis of average market integration indices for farms with different degrees of social capital was then carried out separately for each country. The Mann-Whitney U-test and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used to determine the significance of differences. The findings reveal that the highest value of the market integration was recorded for those farmers who were most strongly ‘socialised’, i.e. who participated in long-life education, took part in social events and were members of various organisations. A very important implication of this is that by strengthening social capital, farms aim to strengthen integration into the market, which can consequently lead to improved economic performance. Therefore, mitigating regional disparities and increasing the average level of agricultural performance in CEE countries should include measures to increase social capital on farms, i.e. providing workshops, training, and exhibitions, as well as supporting agricultural producer organizations, promoting rural housewives’ circles, and organising social events, among others. Such activities can be financed both from the second pillar of the common agricultural policy and from local government budgets. The contribution of the research focuses on the rarely undertaken subject matter of the relationship between social capital and market integration in farms. The added value consists of 1) a comparative analysis of five CEE countries and 2) an estimation of the authors’ indicators of social capital and market integration of farms, which could be used in the future for similar research.

A reassessment of human capital convergence and its determinants: evidence from a cross-country analysis

ABSTRACT Despite significant improvements in enrolment rates in developing countries over recent decades, global disparities in human capital persist. This study re-examines whether human capital levels are converging globally or if countries tend to cluster around multiple steady-state equilibria. The empirical exercise identifies two distinct steady states: one with higher levels of human capital and another with lower levels. This study finds that a country’s initial human capital level is crucial in determining which steady state it converges to. Countries with extremely low initial human capital tend to converge to the lower steady state. Additionally, this study highlights public spending on education, economic growth, population growth, access to bank credit, and openness as key factors influencing human capital disparities across countries.

A Review of McFarland USA (2015) Movie in the Context of Leadership and Psychological Capital

The study aims to examine the general leadership characteristics, leadership development and leadership style of the Jim White character in the McFarland USA (2015) movie in the context of leadership, the psychological capital levels of the team players coached by the White character in the context of psychological capital, and the development of psychological capital together with White's leadership. In addition, revealing the relationship between leadership and psychological capital based on characters is another aim of the study. In line with these aims, the content analysis method, one of the qualitative research methods, is used. As a result of the content analysis, it is concluded that the character White possesses leadership traits and tends to exhibit servant leadership among leadership types. In terms of psychological capital, it is concluded that the psychological capital levels of team players are quite low before White's leadership, but their psychological capital levels improve with the influence of White's leadership. It is also concluded that team players contain content related to four dimensions of psychological capital (hope, optimism, resilience, self-efficacy).

Consolidating poverty alleviation and rural revitalization from the perspective of industrial assistance: China

With the successful completion of the battle against poverty, the Chinese government now faces the critical challenge of further consolidating the outcomes of poverty alleviation while simultaneously advancing comprehensive rural revitalization. Ensuring an effective connection between poverty alleviation efforts and the rural revitalization strategy has become a key priority. Poverty alleviation focused on eliminating absolute poverty by providing targeted assistance, whereas rural revitalization seeks to promote comprehensive development through inclusive and sustained support. In contrast to the former’s focus on specific households, rural revitalization not only considers welfare benefits but also emphasizes the importance of efficiency. In this context, industrial assistance emerges as a critical factor in bridging the gap between poverty alleviation and rural revitalization, as it significantly impacts both income growth and distribution. Thus, an important issue for policymakers is how to design effective industrial support policies that balance the need for raising income levels with the goal of reducing income disparities, addressing both efficiency and welfare concerns. Accordingly, this paper focuses on the scope of industrial assistance and examines the differential impacts of various industrial assistance targets on household income and income inequality among farmers, using panel survey data from Yunnan Province for empirical analysis. The research found that as the proportion of low human capital groups in industrial assistance targets decreases, farmers’ income increases and income inequality among farmers increases, as opposed to providing industrial assistance only to low human capital groups. This may be because reducing assistance to groups with low human capital, while improving overall income growth, has led to a widening income gap between different groups, as more resources tend to be directed toward those with higher levels of human capital. For this research area, the empirical results show that if only households listed in the poverty registration system are considered as low human capital groups, it is more reasonable for low human capital groups to account for 50% of industrial assistance targets, at which ratio both welfare and efficiency objectives can be achieved. If marginal households are also considered as low human capital groups, this ratio can be further increased.

Deeper Effects of fiscal multidimensional poverty reduction: household characteristics, financial lags and elite capture.

The governance of multidimensional relative poverty is a key challenge in rural poverty alleviation in the new era, as well as an important practice of the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in China. Based on provincial fiscal and financial data as well as data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this article employs multilevel linear regression and structural equation modeling to empirically examine the impact and mechanisms of fiscal investment in agriculture on multidimensional relative poverty among farmers. The research results indicate that fiscal investment in agriculture can effectively alleviate multidimensional relative poverty among rural households, and this conclusion still holds after the robustness and endogeneity tests of traditional measurement and Double Machine Learning. However, differences in household characteristics affect the performance of fiscal poverty alleviation. Households in the central and western regions, with larger family sizes, younger members, and lower levels of education, exhibit higher policy responsiveness. In terms of mechanisms, digital inclusive finance and social capital serve as important channels for fiscal multidimensional poverty reduction. However, attention should be paid to the positive lag effect of digital inclusive finance and the risk of "elite capture" in households with low levels of social capital. Accordingly, the article recommends that fiscal spending should be increased and made more efficient, with precise policy measures, strengthened institutional coordination, and efforts to cultivate optimal levels of social capital. While the article is limited by data availability to allow for a more in-depth and complex discussion, it still provides insights for fiscal strategies aimed at building high-quality shared prosperity.

Social capital and regional innovation in the aftermath of crisis: evidence from Italian provinces

Abstract This paper investigates how regions’ innovation responses to economic crises vary with their level of social capital. Combining the literature on innovation along the business cycle with that about the role of social capital in spurring regional innovation, we argue that higher social capital levels should enhance the regions’ innovative resilience to crises, particularly for their bridging social capital. Using a diff-in-diff approach on Italian provinces (NUTS3) with respect to the 2007 recession, we find that provinces with higher bridging social capital exhibit lesser drops in innovation post-crisis, confirming expectations. However, bonding social capital does not show a similar effect.

Financial inclusion, entrepreneurial activity and the moderating role of human capital: new cross-country evidence

PurposeThis study aims to reexamine the moderating role of human capital on the effect of extended financial inclusion (FI) for entrepreneurship, using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for a sample of 42 countries from 2006 to 2017.Design/methodology/approachThis study distinguished between actual and perceived human capital. Actual human capital was measured through formal education while perceived human capital was captured by self-perceived capabilities for business start-ups. The moderating role of human capital was captured by the interaction terms between FI and human capital to investigate how the effects of FI on entrepreneurship vary with levels of human capital. The estimation used the panel-corrected standard error estimators and the two-step system generalized method of moments estimators.FindingsHigher levels of formal education decrease the positive effect of extended FI on entrepreneurial activities. Individuals with high levels of self-capability do not leverage FI for entrepreneurial activities as much as those with lower levels of perceived capability. The results are robust to different estimation methods and different forms of actual human capital.Research limitations/implicationsBoth financial and human capital matter for new business formation worldwide. The findings suggest that FI policies must account for the decreasing effect in response to high levels of human capital. Future research should explore different measures of entrepreneurial performance, various types of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship across gender groups to gain deeper insights into strategies for promoting entrepreneurship.Practical implicationsEducation strategies should focus on specific types of education, such as entrepreneurship education with financial literacy, rather than traditional academic curriculum, to foster entrepreneurship knowledge, skills and creativity. Likewise, entrepreneurship support schemes should aim to nurture and share appropriate levels of self-efficacy, avoiding excessively high self-efficacy, which is deleterious to the benefits of FI for entrepreneurial activities.Originality/valueThis study offers novel evidence of the decreasing effects of FI on entrepreneurial activities in response to increased actual and perceived human capital.

The Mediating Effect of Compassion on the Relationship Between Psychological Capital and Therapeutic Spiritual Care Among Oncology Nurses in Türkiye: A Mediation Model Analyses.

This study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of oncology nurses' compassion on the relationship between psychological capital and therapeutic spiritual care. A total of 201 Turkish nurses (aged> 18 years) working in an oncology clinic in Türkiye were investigated. Data were collected between January and May 2022 using the snowball method. The data collection process involved a descriptive information form, the Psychological Capital Scale, the Compassion Scale, and the Nurse Spiritual Care Therapeutics Scale. The PROCESS macro for SPSS was used to test the mediation model. The results revealed that oncology nurses' compassion plays a partially mediating effect in the relationship between psychological capital and therapeutic spiritual care. Psychological capital positively predicts compassion, and psychological capital and compassion positively predict therapeutic spiritual care. Nurse leaders should pay attention to the compassion and psychological capital of oncology nurses who provide spiritual care and offer solutions to help these nurses exhibit high levels of compassion and psychological capital.

Big cities fuel inequality within and across generations.

Urbanization has long fueled a dual narrative: cities are heralded as sources of economic dynamism and wealth creation yet criticized for fostering inequality and a range of social challenges. This paper addresses this tension using a multidisciplinary approach, combining social sciences methods with satellite imagery-based spatial pattern analysis to study the US urban expansion over the past century. We examine the impact of physical urban spatial characteristics (size, population density, and connectedness) on equality of opportunity, measured through intergenerational mobility, as well as its association with levels of income, wealth, and social capital. Our findings confirm that contemporary cities, particularly population-dense and expansive ones, are indeed divisive forces-acting as centers for income and wealth generation but failing to deliver equal opportunities for economic mobility. Perhaps surprisingly, this polarizing dynamic is a recent phenomenon. In the past, the most urbanized regions performed well in terms of income creation and equality of opportunity. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that the mid-20th century marked a pivotal shift toward more unequal and less inclusive patterns of urban growth.

Carbon reduction scenarios and potential analysis of China's information and communications technology industry.

Carbon reduction scenarios and potential analysis of China's information and communications technology industry.

Exploring the Coexistence Between New Quality Productive Force Developments, Human Capital Level Improvements and Time Poverty from a Time Utilization Perspective

The development of new quality productive forces and the improvement of human capital have significantly improved people’s material and spiritual living standards. However, this has not brought people time affluence. Time poverty is related to lower happiness and physical health, and should be of concern. This paper theoretically analyzes the relationship among new quality productive forces, human capital level and time poverty, and conducts an empirical study based on the data from the Residents’ Life Time Allocation Survey from 2006 to 2021. The results show that more than 40% of individuals feel time poverty. Under the combined influence of new quality productive forces and human capital level, individual work time is still increasing, while leisure time is decreasing, which has contributed to increased time poverty. Individuals participate in more leisure activities in less leisure time, so they do not fully enjoy their leisure time. Moreover, with the improvement of new quality productive forces and human capital level, individuals are more inclined to participate in cultural appreciation, educating children, amateur learning, etc., activities. These activities are more like the extension of work time, so that people feel that leisure time is dominated. All these effects are significantly different in terms of gender, marital status, occupation, family size and income.

Community Social Capital in Supporting Ecosystem Recovery in Rawa Kidang of Way Kambas National Park

Ecosystem recovery plays a central role in environmental and forest conservation efforts, including efforts made in a conservation area that is a national park. This effort requires support from the communities living around the national park. Therefore, the presence of the community can become a form of capital, which is generally referred to as social capital and will determine the success of a program. Elements of social capital consist of trust, norms, and networks is one form of capital that is very valuable in addition to economic capital, physical capital, and human capital. The purpose of this research is to analyze the level of social capital that exists in the community and how the characteristics of respondents affect social capital. This research is located in Labuhan Ratu VII Village, Labuhan Ratu Subdistrict, East Lampung Regency from November to December 2023. Based on the results of the analysis, it is known that the trust element and the social network element are in the medium category, while the norm element is in the high category. Education and length of stay are respondent characteristics that influence community social capital in supporting ecosystem recovery in Rawa Kidang, Way Kambas National Park (WKNP). Increasing social capital can be done through two characteristics that affect community social capital in the form of informal education such as training. People who live for a long time will affect the sustainability of WKNP so training can be carried out for a long period of time in a structured and intensive manner towards sustainable WKNP management. The results of this study can be a consideration for WKNP managers in implementing Permen LHK policy no 14 of 2023 concerning business and/or activity arrangements in nature conservation areas, nature reserve areas and hunting arks because they must have a strong social foundation.

The Impact of Agricultural Digitization on Land Productivity: An Empirical Test Based on Micro Panel Data

Digital technology has transformed agriculture by changing traditional production methods and resource allocation. This paper investigates how agricultural digitization affects land productivity, based on farm household data. Findings indicate that agricultural digitization significantly enhances land productivity, with results remaining robust under sensitivity and endogeneity tests. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the positive effects are more pronounced for larger landholdings, lower levels of human capital, and older farming populations. Mechanism analysis indicates that agricultural digitization improves land productivity by optimizing resource allocation, reducing pollution, enhancing risk resilience, and facilitating the adoption of new technologies. These findings provide valuable insights for developing countries pursuing agricultural digital transformation.

Analysis of the Influencing Factors of Digital Transformation on Enterprise Innovation and Development

Based on the data of Chinese listed companies from 2007 to 2022, this article deeply analyzes the catalytic effect of digital transformation on enterprise innovation and development. Research has found that digital transformation significantly promotes the improvement of enterprise innovation capabilities, and exhibits heterogeneity among different types of enterprises. After sufficient robustness testing, this conclusion still holds true; When financing constraints are high, the promotion effect of digital transformation on enterprise innovation is stronger, that is, digital transformation can effectively alleviate the financing constraints of enterprises and empower enterprise innovation; The level of human capital can positively regulate the promoting effect of digital transformation on the high-quality development of enterprises. This study not only enriches the theoretical framework of the relationship between digital transformation and enterprise innovation development, but also provides useful references and inspirations for enterprises to implement digital transformation and enhance innovation capabilities.

Individuals with disabilities in grassroots football clubs: volunteering and social capital

Volunteering might be a leisure activity that supports the development of social capital of individuals with disabilities in organized sports. This study investigates the link between having a disability (i.e., physical, mental, or both), the likelihood and extent of volunteering, and the level of social capital in grassroots football clubs. We further examine a moderating effect of volunteering hours on the relationship between having a disability and social capital. Drawing on leisure constraints theory, individuals with disabilities are assumed to have a lower probability to volunteer than able-bodied individuals. Also, we hypothesize that individuals with disabilities perceive their social capital as lower than able-bodied individuals. Based on the motivational model, we assume that sport volunteers with disabilities perceive a higher social capital if they volunteer more hours. Data were collected via an online survey in seven European countries and targeted at adult volunteers and members in football clubs (n = 16,989 volunteers). Results of regressions show that having a physical disability is significantly negatively associated with the probability to volunteer in a football club. Further, having either a physical or mental disability is significantly negatively related to an individuals’ social capital level. The moderation analyses indicate that volunteers having both types of disabilities perceive a higher social capital if they volunteer more hours per month.

How do intermediary organizations affect cultivated land conservation in China: the mediating role of land tenure stability

Economic pressure frequently prompts farmers in developing regions to prioritize immediate financial returns over long-term land conservation. This study examines how land intermediary organizations affect Chinese farmers’ willingness to conserve cultivated land. Using bounded rationality and property rights theories, we conducted quantitative research involving 564 farmers across five provinces in mainland China. The results show that intermediary organizations improve farmers’ willingness to conserve land, mediated by land tenure stability. Notably, both human capital (education level) and social capital (village cadre status) negatively moderated the impact of intermediary organizations’ involvement in farmers’ willingness to conserve cultivated land. The results of this study indicate the necessity of improving land conservation practices, considering the role of institutional support and individual characteristics of farmers. In terms of policy implications, there is a need to adapt intermediary services to align with the capital levels of farmers, enhance the security of land-use rights by streamlining registration procedures, and implement targeted information systems and incentive schemes. Limitations of this study include its cross-sectional design and potential regional variations.

Social capital in the Italian regions at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparison of different composite indicators

ABSTRACT Empirical evidence demonstrates social capital to have important implications for many different social phenomena, but identifying the best way to measure it continues to represent an important challenge for researchers. This paper aims to compare the levels of social capital across the twenty Italian regions at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic using three composite indicators, namely: the additive system, the Mazziotta Pareto index method, and the Pena distance method. Social capital is conceptualized according to the communitarian perspective. The data were collected in the year 2021. The results show that although the levels of social capital are distinct in northern vs southern Italian regions, the northern regions are actually not as homogeneous as in the past. Lombardy and Piedmont ranked much lower than some of the other adjacent northern regions. Furthermore, the Mazziotta Pareto index method is more robust than the additive and Pena distance methods.