Collectivist Model Research Articles

The Effect of Culture and Social-Cognitive Characteristics on App Preference and Willingness to Use a Fitness App

Fitness apps are persuasive tools developed to motivate physical activity. Despite their popularity, there is little work on how social-cognitive characteristics such as culture, household size, physical activity level, perceived self-efficacy and social support influence users’ willingness to use them and preference (personal vs. social). Knowing these relationships can help developers tailor fitness apps to different socio-cultural groups. Hence, we conducted two studies to address the research gap. In the first study (n = 194) aimed at recruiting participants for the second study, we asked participants about their app preference (personal vs. social), physical activity level and key demographic variables. In the second study (n = 49), we asked participants about their social-cognitive beliefs about exercise and their willingness to use a fitness app (presented as a screenshot). The results of the first study showed that, in the collectivist group (Nigerians), people in large households were more likely to be active and use the social version of a fitness app than those in small households. However, in the individualist group (Canadians/Americans), neither the preference for the social or personal version of a fitness app nor the physical activity level depended on the household size. Moreover, in the second study, in the individualist model, perceived self-efficacy and perceived self-regulation have a significant total effect on willingness to use a fitness app. However, in the collectivist model, perceived social support and outcome expectation have a significant total effect on the target construct. Finally, we found that females in individualist cultures had higher overall social-cognitive beliefs about exercise than males in individualist cultures and females in collectivist cultures. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Remembering Netizens: an interview with Ronda Hauben, co-author of Netizens: on the history and impact of Usenet and the Internet (1997)

Netizens, Michael and Ronda Hauben’s foundational treatise on Usenet and the Internet, was first published in print 25 years ago. In this piece, we trace the history and impact of the book and of Usenet itself, contextualising them within the contemporary and modern-day scholarship on virtual communities, online culture, and Internet history. We discuss the Net as a tool of empowerment, and touch on the social, technical, and economic issues related to the maintenance of shared network infrastructures and to the preservation and commodification of Usenet archives. Our interview with Ronda Hauben offers a retrospective look at the development of online communities, their impact, and how they are studied. She recounts her own introduction to the online world, as well as the impetus and writing process for Netizens. She presents Michael Hauben’s conception of “netizens” as contributory citizens of the Net (rather than mere users of it) and the “electronic commons” they built up, and argues that this collaborative and collectivist model has been overwhelmed and endangered by the privatisation and commercialisation of the Internet and its communities.

Filozofia polityczna jako narzędzie badania prawa

The article presents a methodological proposal, inspired by the concepts taken from “Political Liberalism” of John Rawls. The purpose of the article is to employ Rawlsian concepts of “public reason” and “social reason” to examine the reasonableness of positive law, i.e. the vision of fundamental justice and the concept of the general good that are manifested in law. The legislative process is seen as a kind of filter for contents representing the so-called background culture transferring it partly to the public reason. The examination of the reasonabless of positive law allows to check whether the law of a democratic community really reflects its goals, visions of the general good and values, or contradicts them. The presented methodology assumes a correction of the Rawlsian individualist vision, by distinguishing three models of reasonableness of law present in contemporary democracies and corresponding to three ways of understanding basic justice and the general good, i.e. the individualist, communitarian and collectivist model.

Ernst Plischke and Post-war Politics in New Zealand: The Case of Naenae

ABSTRACT Through his work for the first Labour Government in Wellington, Austrian-born émigré architect Ernst Plischke (1903–92) was directly involved with New Zealand politics in the 1940s. While he has appeared to others as a not outwardly political person, his professional life in New Zealand was directly tied to governmental decisions of the time. Particularly his duties in the town planning division of the Department of Housing Construction (1943–1947) meant that Plischke was not only involved with the politically initiated design of large-scale environments, but in this role he also actively took sides – for a somewhat more collectivist model of living than many New Zealanders favoured. By bringing together the existing debate about housing, dwelling and in particular the Community Centre in Naenae with Plischke’s design work and his own views, it may be possible to characterise more closely his interactions with New Zealand politics. It appears that despite being an “Enemy Alien,” Plischke’s attitude towards architecture and society was largely aligned with the positions of the first Labour Government for the quality of his work to be recognised.

Ethos in Early Chinese Rhetoric: The Case of “Heaven”

Though applicable in many Western historical-cultural settings, the Aristotelian model of ethos is not universal. As early Chinese rhetoric shows in the example of cheng-yan or “ethos of sincereness,” inspiring trust does not necessarily involve a process of character-based self-projection. In the Aristotelian model, the rhetor stands as a signifier of ethos, with an ideology of individualism privileged, whereas Chinese rhetoric assumes a collectivist model in which ethos belongs, not to an individual or a text, but rather to culture and cultural tradition. This essay will be concentrating on the concept of Heaven, central to the cultural and institutional systems of early Chinese society, in an attempt to explore collective ethos as a function of cultural heritage. Heaven, it shall be argued, plays a key role in the creation of Chinese ethos. This essay will also contrast the logocentrism of Western rhetorical tradition with the ethnocentrism of Chinese tradition. The significance of Heaven in its role as a defining attribute of Chinese ethos is reflective of a unique cultural heritage shaped by a collective human desire in seeking a consciousness of unity with the universe. Just as there are historical, cultural, and philosophical reasons behind logocentrism in the West, so the ethnocentric turn of Chinese rhetoric should be appreciated in light of a cultural tradition that carries its own historical complexities and philosophical intricacies.

Development policies and politics in neoliberal times: policy mixes and transformative public-civil collaboration for sustainable collective wellbeing in Spain’s regions (1980s–2010s)

In the recent decades, neoliberal policies have prioritized economic growth to the detriment of social cohesion and the environment. Within these policy tendencies, some societies have attempted to promote sustainable collective wellbeing through comprehensive policy mixes. From an institutionalist economic sociology perspective, this article compares how the four regions in Spain with the highest economic growth have dealt with social cohesion and the environment. Based on quantitative and qualitative data, two models are found: the liberal cases of Madrid and Catalonia, focused on economic growth, and the collectivist cases of the Basque Country and Navarre, aimed at comprehensive wellbeing. Each model displays a configuration of politics (institutional power relations and the organization of socioeconomic interests) and policy mix (the relations between two sets of policies: economic development policies and comprehensive wellbeing policies). The policy mix of the collectivist model has generated higher sustainable collective wellbeing driven by transformative public-civil collaboration.

Testing the social exclusivity of marriage thesis in the context of high familism: do social involvement and support vary by marital status in Israel?

Studies have suggested that in individualistic societies, marriage constitutes an exclusive institution associated with reduced social involvement. This article tests this claim in a society that has experienced increased individualisation but has nevertheless remained highly familial. Analyses based on data from the Israel Social Survey show that married respondents were less involved with friends but more involved with family than their single counterparts. Results further revealed important differences by gender and between Jews and Israeli-Palestinians. No difference by marital status in involvement with kin was found for Israeli-Palestinian women, who also reported the lowest level of involvement with friends. The difference in involvement with friends was more pronounced among Israeli-Palestinians than Jews. Overall, findings indicate that Israeli society provides an interesting case that deviates from both the individualistic and collectivist models. Consistent with the new institutional approach to marriage, this article highlights the limitations of the exclusivity of marriage thesis.

Financing the Luso-Atlantic Slave Trade, 1500–1840

Between 1500 and 1840, ships under Portuguese colors embarked more than 5 million enslaved men, women and children from the coasts of Africa. Despite its position as the preeminent slave trading empire in the Atlantic World, no studies have systematically traced the evolution in maritime investment practices in Portugal and its American colonies which propelled this massive forced transportation of captive Africans. Beginning with Portuguese merchants’ earliest forays into Atlantic trade, on the West African island of Cabo Verde in the fifteenth century, maritime cargoes were collectively owned through the distribution of small shares. Drawing on medieval Mediterranean precedents, these collective, legally constructed partnerships opened early transoceanic trading opportunities to a diverse group of traders, colonists, and mariners, creating a decentralized mercantile trade which diffused profits throughout slave trading communities. Slaving merchants in Salvador da Bahia adopted this collectivist model of investment by the early eighteenth century, converting commercial disadvantages into a prosperous and durable trade which wove together the economic interests of a heterogeneous cross-section of Salvador’s inhabitants—including merchants, their families and slaves, and mariners—within the business of slaving. This article traces the persistence of this financial strategy, and argues that it enabled the longevity of the transatlantic slave trade in Salvador.

Patriarchy from Margin to Center: Discipline, Territoriality, and Cruelty in the Apocalyptic Phase of Capital

Colonial intervention in what I have called the village world (Segato 2015) has minoritized everything regarding women. The term minoritization refers to women's representation and collective position in social thought: minoritizing women means relegating all issues related to them to the realm of the intimate, the private, the particular, that is, treating theirs as minority (and consequently minor) issues. Such minoritization of women is the result of a historical transition to colonial modernity. This transition was driven at first by the process of conquest and colonization led by the overseas metropolis and then later by the administration of the Criollo-elite constructed state. Therefore, this process can also be described as criollization. The transition to colonial-modernity—the current rapid expansion of the state-business-media-Christianity front—intrudes into the mode of existence of the village world and has a massive impact on interpersonal relationships and the organization of gender relations in societies that are still governed by communitarian or collectivist models of coexistence, or where a communitarian fabric can still be found that, if not unscathed, is at least recognizable and vital. In its wake, that transition integrates different peoples in the mass of the national “citizenry.” Considering transformations in the gender system, the history of the patriarchal structure is indispensable for understanding the social shift introduced by modernity. Correctly reading what this transition has meant and how intervention has readjusted and eroded preexisting hierarchies allows us to understand a number of current phenomena that affect society as a whole, phenomena that cannot be expressed or contained by the term the woman problem.

Cultural aspects of the formation of administrative law principles: from antiquity to modern times

In modern science of administrative law it’s common to distinguish two models: a closed one corresponding to the authoritarian model of governance and an open model that reflects the nature of European administrative law in the developed democracies. Accordingly the systems of governing the states and societies are constructed: at one pole – the company that can be called collectivist (closed), on the other – individualistic society (open). In the article a direct link between these types of companies and types prevailing in their societies’ cultures is emphasized – both in space and on the grounds, and in time. According to Dutch researcher G. Hofstede, all cultures are classified as individualistic or collectivist. In individualistic societies, people are guided by their own interests and goals. Among the main values of such companies dominate respect for human rights and the high value of individual human life. In contrast to such societies collectivist ones provide a full «immersion» of the birth of the benefit of the group (family, clan) in exchange for security (although often a relative). Own interests almost are not counted if are inconsistent with or not supported by the group. According to the classification of G. Hofstede, there are 8 types of crops, including 5 types of crops are of low or moderate hierarchy and high level of individualism and personal freedoms, 2 types – with high levels of the hierarchy, low individualism, 1 type – with a moderate level of hierarchy and individualism. It was established that the above list of top 5 types correspond to representations of those countries where the open model of European administrative law, while others – closed and partially closed model of administration. Similar correlations can be traced in time (in a historical context). For example the ancient individualistic society can serve as Ancient Greece, above all, the Athenian democracy. Hellenic tradition presents us with the phenomenon of the free citizen, who is an independent private owner, and with the same economically independent owners forming civil society, subordinating state institutions. Such type of society corresponding to the cultural traditions of the Greek civilization, which is of particular importance, is the individual, personal creativity. Collectivism is not omnipotent; it co-existed in a dialectical confrontation with individualism, with a high value card (there is no doubt that this value is in Greece and in the ancient world as a whole was significantly higher than in the Ancient East). Correlation is also evident cultural, administrative and legal traditions of the Middle Ages, including the medieval town (in connection with the Magdeburg right), collectivist (closed) model of culture and management in Russia and effective denazification of Germany, a factor which acts, in particular the rejection of the Nazi German cultural tradition.

An Uncommon Wealth . . .Transforming the Commons With Purpose, for People and Not for Profit!

The overemphasis on individualism in much normative entrepreneurship discourse belies the powerful role played by local level and communal forms of barter, culturally based collectivist models of organization, social enterprise, and other forms of co-investment. Following Rindova et al., we argue innovation in entrepreneurship can be an emancipatory process with broad change potential to bring about new economic, social, institutional, and cultural environments. New forms of productive social relations and cooperative effort generate new ways of liberating individual and collective existence. However, the dark side of entrepreneurialism also casts its shadow over the pursuit of an idealized commons. Romanticizing forms of collective entrepreneurialism as a means for elevating vulnerable groups may have contrary effects, especially for those already socially and economically marginalized. Theorizing entrepreneurship from a critical perspective, we draw on Laclau’s emancipation–oppression dualism. We explore the contradictions and potentialities of locally based communal entrepreneurship as expressions of a dynamic tension, which is simultaneously both transformative and exploitative in orientation.

Governance Beyond Government

Our methods of governance are shifting. We increasingly rely on an interconnected web of public, private, and nonprofit actors working across organizational, institutional, and sectoral boundaries to deliver public services. Our understanding of these new practices, however, is reliant on models of individual rationality and social behavior developed for hierarchical organizational forms. I argue that collectivist models of decentralized, self-organizing social forms may advance our understanding of modern governance practices and balance tensions in three areas: perspectives on organizations (structure or process), between individual liberty and collective responsibility, and whether increasing freedom or control over individuals enhances organizational efficiencies.

Communication and shared information

Strawson style counterexamples to Grice’s account of communication show that a communicative intention has to be overt. Saying what overtness consists in has proven to be difficult for Gricean accounts. In this paper, I show that a common explanation of overtness, one that construes it in terms of a network of shared beliefs or knowledge, is mistaken. I offer an alternative, collectivist, model of communication. This model takes the utterer’s communicative intention to be a we-intention, a kind of intention with a distinctive content that cannot be reduced to an intention in favor of an individual action. I show that the collectivist model can explain overtness in terms of a general feature of we-intentions, namely the requirement that the participants in a shared activity are to intend to act in accordance with meshing subplans.

A comparative analysis of restructuring employment relationships in Qantas and Aer Lingus: different routes, similar destinations

This paper examines the experiences of Qantas and Aer Lingus. The two companies have a shared history as national, ‘legacy’ (full-service) carriers and strategically important, ‘benevolent’ employers. More recently, both airlines have been forced to change in the face of competition from low cost carriers (LCCs) and external threats to their existence. In this paper, we examine how the two airlines have reacted to these pressures. We look at the role played by institutional frameworks and competitive circumstances in determining industrial relations strategies. The entry of LCCs and changes (or potential changes) to ownership structures through privatization and takeover bids have led to downward pressure on pay and conditions at both airlines. Accordingly, a key issue considered is whether a collectivist model of employment relations can survive in the face of low cost competition.

Local Initiatives Functioning as a Condition of Rural Development of the Czech Countryside

Local Initiatives Functioning as a Condition of Rural Development of the Czech Countryside Rural development is closely connected with the development possibilities of residential locations. Broken social ties are projected into its earlier development. The socialist way of life (from the end of the WW II until the end of the eighties) was ideologically formed by collectivist models. Social organisations were highly formalised and controlled from above. Thousands of new social organisations have emerged in the villages and in towns since 1989, mostly involving cultural, sports and social activities. Civil initiatives were slow in winning recognition in rural areas and some types of initiatives are still missing. A new impulse for their progress was the accession of the Czech Republic into the EU in 2004. Information is drawn from the sociological research projects of the Sociological Laboratory, Czech University of Life Sciences.

What human kinship is primarily about: toward a critique of the new kinship studies

The claims of the so‐called ‘constructionist’ position in kinship studies are examined with reference to a recent article by Susan McKinnon. McKinnon's analysis is shown to be deeply flawed, primarily because she pays no attention to the phenomenon of focality, now widely established in cognitive science. Instead, she is trapped in unsupportable collectivist models of human kinship. It is argued that these models are part of a misguided critique of the Western European Enlightenment.

Power, Identity, and Collective Action in Social Exchange

Our research aims to bring collective action back into the study of structural determinants of power in social exchange. Previous research has focused primarily on the bargaining power of actors whose locations in exchange networks confer different risks of exclusion. We argue that structural position affects not only bargaining power but also the ability of low-power actors to organize against unequal bargaining power. We hypothesize that collective action among low-power actors is facilitated by identification with others who are structurally disadvantaged. We test two identity-theoretic expected utility models that specify how actors in a mixed-motive coalition game might take into account the payoffs to others in structurally equivalent positions. In the utilitarian model, actors maximize the greatest good to the greatest number. In the collectivist model, actors also seek to minimize in-group inequality. Results show some support for the utilitarian model among female participants and strong support for the collectivist model among both males and females. We speculate about causes of gender differences and identify directions for future exchange-theoretic research on social identity and socially embedded collective action.

The Flow Model of Intrinsic Motivation in Chinese: Cultural and Personal Moderators

Flow Theory predicts that state intrinsic motivation peaks in activities characterized by the simultaneous perception of high challenges and high skills. Self-Determination Theory predicts that the flow model is more descriptive of persons who have more trait intrinsic motivation. Both theories postulate that the flow model is substantially invariant across cultures. Drawing from cross-cultural research pointing out the comparatively more prudent and knowledge-based approach that Chinese students adopt toward learning and exploration, it was hypothesized that for Chinese the optimal challenge/skill ratio is biased toward skills, and that the bias is stronger for those Chinese who have a more collectivist model of the self. The Experience Sampling Method was used to measure state intrinsic motivation in everyday activities on samples of 269 Hong Kong Chinese college students and 533 U.S. 12th graders. Chinese participants also completed the Work Preference Inventory, measuring trait intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, and Gudygunst's Self-Construal Scale, measuring independent and interdependent self-construals. Multilevel modeling indicated that the optimal challenge/skill ratio is biased toward skills in both samples, but the bias is markedly stronger in the Chinese sample. In the Chinese sample, a high level of trait intrinsic motivation and a low level of interdependent self-construal offset the bias. Findings reveal a cultural variation of the flow model in that Chinese tend to experience the highest level of state intrinsic motivation in mastery-practice (low-challenge/high-skill) conditions rather than in flow-conducive (high-challenge/high-skill) conditions, and this variation is partially explained by the internalization of collectivist values. The findings call for a multi-cultural development of Flow Theory and Self-Determination Theory.

Translating Theoretical Ideas into Modern State Reform

Reform ideas inspired by the new institutional economics have swept the world. This article examines three perspectives on organizing government and civil service. The individual-economic model draws on market theories. It emphasizes institutional arrangements designed to harness individual self-interest to achieve overall efficiency. The collectivist model stresses a centralized state, collective goals, and cultural integration. The pluralist model celebrates a vital group life and sees heterogeneous interests as properly reflected in a public sector characterized by institutional variety. We analyze the three as guides to reform, with emphasis on the individual-economic model, and argue that each applies best under certain conditions.

Paying for Professionalism: Industrial Relations in Australian Rugby Union

Rugby union in Australia, since the advent of professionalism in 1995, has found itself adopting a collectivist model of industrial relations. That is, wages and employment conditions have been determined by collective bargaining between the various Australian sport unions (the employers) and the Rugby Union Players’ Association. Two collective bargaining agreements have been negotiated in Australian rugby union. This review examines the rise of player associations in professional team sports, both in Australia and overseas, the peculiar circumstances which combined to produce Australian rugby union's collectivist model, and the contents of the two collective bargaining agreements.