Decline In Social Capital Research Articles

Resilience in the dust: The influence of sand and dust storms (SDSs) on residents' perception of urban green spaces: A qualitative study

Sand and dust storms (SDSs) cause significant challenges to arid and semiarid regions exacerbated by climate change. These natural hazards directly and indirectly impact human health, the environment, economies, and urban life. To explore residents' perceptions and lived experiences of SDSs and their effects on urban green spaces (UGSs), we conducted a qualitative study using Grounded Theory (GT) in Ahvaz, Iran. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 53 residents in various UGSs negatively affected by SDSs. Thematic analysis was employed to extract the codes after transcribing the interviews to develop the study model. The study revealed a core category: "the occurrence of dust as a crisis and danger in urban life," along with categories shedding light on the substantial influence of SDSs on various aspects of urban life. The study emphasized that citizens avoid UGSs during SDSs due to health risks, declining social interactions, reduced mobility, and increased confinement at home, all resulting in a diminished sense of belonging, social deprivation, and a decline in social capital. The findings underscore the urgent need for effective measures to control dust storms and mitigate their impact on urban life in urban management.

Indicators of community disaster fatigue: A case study in the New South Wales Blue Mountains

A succession of disasters affecting eastern Australia left communities, regions, and states with physical, mental, and resource exhaustion during 2019–2022. Fire, pandemic, and flood occurred in successive waves, hampering recovery efforts. We propose the phenomenon of community disaster fatigue to explain the failure of a community to recover, effectively function, and move forward following a series of disasters. To investigate indicators of community disaster fatigue, we undertook a case study in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales (NSW) and interviewed community leaders. The interviews were thematically analysed and then categorised through the application of the three overarching domains previously used to define community disaster fatigue: (A) defeatism, deterioration, and a lack of planning, (B) weakening health and wellbeing, and (C) corrosion of economic entrepreneurialism and decline in social capital. The results explain how disaster fatigue manifests in a diverse group of community leaders and the issues arising for their careers, volunteer workers, and communities. A major finding is that community disaster fatigue appears to be associated, on a collective level, with elements reflecting the breakdown of community resilience. Thus, as a contribution to practice, a theory of community disaster fatigue can also be useful in developing a strategy for building community resilience. Furthermore, the lack of surge funding, disengagement as a means of self-protection, and closure of local businesses, put the viability of the community at risk. Recent events indicate that closely occurring disasters should be factored into emergency planning, which is a realistic approach given the current trend of recurrent disasters in Australia.

Does migration experience reduce villagers’ social capital? Evidence from rural China

ABSTRACT In this study, we examine the impact of migration experience on return migrant’s social capital using household survey data from rural China. We first develop a simple model to describe rural household’s decision to invest in social capital and then empirically examine how migration experience affects social capital using village-level natural disasters as instrumental variables for migration experience. Our results show that villagers’ migration experience reduces both structural social capital and cognitive social capital. Compared with those who never worked out of their native villages, return migrants would practice fewer social interactions, information communication, trust building and reciprocal behaviours with relatives. We provide suggestive evidence that the decline in social capital may be caused by the higher expected mobility of return migrants.

Spatially neighborhood and socially non-neighborhood: illustrating social capital perception of neighbors around the apartment complex

ABSTRACT This study is to verify that apartment complexes influence social capital in Seoul. We collected the proportion of apartment complexes in autonomous districts and social capital variables such as cooperation with neighbors, community trust, and altruism of vulnerable people through the Seoul survey data for five years. The main results are as follows. First, as the ratio of apartment complexes increased, the level of social capital of community residents around the apartment decreased. In other words, the higher the proportion of area occupied by apartment complexes, which are gated communities in South Korea, the lower the level of social capital of the local community. Second, as the ratio of apartment complexes increased, the level of social capital of apartment complex residents increased. That is, as the area ratio of apartment complexes increased, the social capital level of the community residents decreased, while the social capital level of apartment complex residents generally increased. Third, as the size of the apartment complex grew, the negative impact on the social capital of residents in the community increased. It means that as the size of the apartment complex increased to 500 and 1000 households, the extent of the decline in social capital increased.

Social Capital Trends in Germany in the Face of the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Research Note

This research note reports social capital trends in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is based on a comparison of survey data from 2017/18 and 2020/21, i.e., trends reported here inform about changes of social capital levels during the “second lockdown” of the pandemic, when containment policies were in effect throughout the country. Findings point to stable levels of in-group trust, out-group trust and prosocial attitudes. At the same time, sociability orientations are lower and society is generally perceived as less solidary. Members in voluntary organizations have more social capital compared to non-members—this difference is found before as well as during the pandemic. Regarding that changes are generally small, it can be concluded that the pandemic did neither strengthen social capital considerably, nor did it lead to a massive overall decline of social capital.

The Contribution of the Arts and Creative Economy to Social Capital: Evidence from the COVID-19 Pandemic

While there is a large literature about the importance of social capital and its impact on economic and social flourishing, much less is known about the relevance of the arts and creative communities as inputs to social capital. Using cross-sectional variation in the exposure of different counties to the arts and creative communities prior to the pandemic, we quantify how their employment declines are associated with social capital. We find that a 1 percentage point decline in arts employment growth between February and May 2020 is associated with a 0.16 standard deviation decline in social capital. We find even stronger effects when we focus on the creative economy at large, concentrated in the association with collective efficacy and shared norms within a community. Our estimates are robust to the inclusion of median household income, overall county employment growth, and state fixed effects. These results suggest that there is an open window for state and local policy interventions that promote economic development and social capital through the arts and creative communities.

An Update of Third Place Theory

Responding to a perceived decline in social capital in America, sociologists Oldenburg and Brissett offer the third place as a solution. While traditionally defined as social gathering places in the physical environment, recent studies have demonstrated that virtual environments may also serve as third places. This study analyzes the social media website Facebook to identify current socializing patterns. The goals of the present study are twofold: 1) to examine the characteristics of third places in virtual contexts as evidenced in existing literature and 2) to identify new third place characteristics that illustrate the evolution of third place characteristics using Facebook as a model. Findings provide support for updating third place characteristics in order to encompass both virtual and physical environments. Results reinforce the idea that present-day socializing trends better represent a different paradigm than existing theories and provide definitions for new evolving third place characteristics.

The social legacies of conflict: The mediating role of mental health with regard to the association between war exposure and social capital of Burundian refugees.

Objective: There is an often-hypothesized link between war exposure and social capital. Empirical studies testing this linkage, however, show mixed results. One potential influential factor that might explain these mixed results is impaired mental health, which includes a number of symptoms and behaviors that are associated with impaired social interactions. Method: To examine the influence of mental health on the relationship between war exposure and social capital, we used a mediation framework. Data were collected from 460 Burundian refugees in three Tanzania refugee camps. Result: Our results showed an overall positive effect of war exposure on social capital. In addition, war exposure may increase mental health problems (posttraumatic stress symptoms and general psychological distress), which in turn was related to a decline in social capital. Conclusions: Policymakers and scholars examining the consequences of war and armed conflict should consider not only the direct effects of war exposure but also the indirect effect of mental health impairments. Treating trauma-related mental health problems may not only improve individual well-being but may also improve social capital, influencing the livelihoods of entire communities affected by armed conflict.

Challenges and Supports to Aging in Place in a Gentrifying Context

Neighborhoods play a central role in healthy aging, with changes to neighborhoods having a profound impact on older adults’ ability to age in place. Using gentrification as an indicator of neighborhood change and applying the theoretical framework of the Environmental Press model (Lawton and Nahemow, 1973), this study examined the relationship between changing environments, affordable housing, and environmental attributes that support and hinder the health and well-being of older adults. A qualitative, case-study approach was used to interview low-income, majority Black older adults in a gentrifying area of Washington DC. 32 individuals (16 in non-profit and 16 in for-profit affordable housing) aged 55 and older participated in semi-structured interviews on perceptions of gentrification, neighborhood change, and challenges and supports to aging in place. Transcripts were then analyzed using the framework method of analysis. Although participants generally reported that gentrification improved their neighborhood’s built environment, many attributed it to a decline in social capital. Affordable housing provided an ability to age in place, though participants expressed uncertainty over their long-term ability to age in the context of continuing change. These findings suggest that while the physical changes accompanying gentrification may support older adults’ ability to age in place, its detrimental impact on social capital further increases their risk for social isolation. While affordable housing may enable older adults to age in place, fostering a greater sense of permanence and well-being will require additional policies that both increase accessibility to the physical amenities provided by gentrification and preserve older adults’ social capital.

An American Disgrace

An American Disgrace

Bowling Alone, Rigor, and the Decline of Social Capital in Academic Service

Bowling Alone, Rigor, and the Decline of Social Capital in Academic Service

Analysis of social capital and political development in Iran under the Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad governments

Cohesion and solidarity in the trust relationship network play an important role in determining the identity and legitimacy of a political system. In a society where people have relations based on trust and solidarity, the possibility of public participation in decision-making, its beginnings, and consolidation of democracy is perhaps the most important characteristic of the greater political development. In this article, we seek to answer the question of the role of social capital in the political development of the Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad governments in Iran. Following in-depth assessments, it is concluded that not only have the Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad governments failed to strengthen social capital in society, but also a decline of social capital in society can be discerned.

Effects of the decline in social capital on college graduates’ soft skills

Both businesses and recent college graduates in the United States attribute the lack of soft skills in recent college graduates to the colleges’ inability to prepare students for the workforce. This article explores the literature on social capital, human capital and social learning theory, offering an alternative hypothesis for why recent graduates are missing soft skills: namely, that it is the decline in social capital that is influencing the graduates’ ability to master those skills. Through the process of building social capital, college students gain the cultural and behavioural information and sensitivity they need to learn soft skills. College graduates are no longer accessing this experience; as a result, businesses and graduates are suffering the consequences of a decline in social capital. Therefore, the results of this study give rise to the hypothesis that the decline in social capital at the macrosocial level is negatively influencing recent college graduates’ formation of soft skills. This may be due to the decrease in building social capital through face-to-face interaction, rather than due to colleges not preparing graduates for success in the business environment.

Autocratic Rule and Social Capital: Evidence from Imperial China

This paper explores the impact of autocratic rule on social capital—defined as the beliefs, attitudes, norms and perceptions that support cooperation. Political repression is a distinguishing characteristic of autocratic regimes. Between 1660–1788, individuals in imperial China were persecuted if they were suspected of holding subversive attitudes towards the state. A difference-in-differences approach suggests that in an average prefecture, exposure to those literary inquisitions led to a decline of 38% in local charities—a key proxy of social capital. Consistent with the historical panel results, we find that in affected prefectures, individuals have lower levels of generalized trust in modern China. Taking advantage of institutional variation in 20th c. China, and two instrumental variables, we provide further evidence that political repression permanently reduced social capital. Furthermore, we find that individuals in prefectures with a legacy of literary inquisitions ar are more politically apathetic. These results indicate a potential vicious cycle in which autocratic rule becomes self-reinforcing through causing a permanent decline in social capital.

On kindness of strangers in tourism

Putnam captured the world’s imagina-tion by invoking the metaphor of a solitary bowler to represent a chronic drop in voluntary associationmemberships, including organized bowling leagues, a trend he characterized as havingdestructive impli-cations for the social fabric of America. In alerting scholars and policymakers to changes in the terrain ofcommunity relations, Putnam called for greater attention to the intensifying corrosion of generalizedtrust and reciprocity, values he regarded as crucial to the facilitation of social cooperation. Putnambelieved the dramatic decline in social and civic engagement meant relative strangers were less likelyto interact, thereby failing to build meaningful relationships and generate the social capital necessaryfor a well-functioning society. By social capital, Putnam (1993, p. 167) meant ‘‘features of social organi-zation, such as trust, norms, and networks, that can improve the efficiency of society by facilitating coor-dinated actions.’’ In many ways, Putnam simply refashioned an age-old idea in a new way: the decline ofsocial capital, he observed, marked a significant loss of community.The purpose here is to argue that Putnam’s work can be uniquely forwarded in tourism studieswithin an emerging civic framework of tourism and positive psychology (the study of what makes lifeworth living). To be sure, social capital has emerged as a growing area of interest in tourism research,focusing on (1) tourism business networks, management, and economic development (see Hall T Jones, 2005; McGehee, Lee, O’Bannon, & Perdue, 2010; von Friedrichs Grangsjo G Zhao, Ritchie, & Echtner, 2011); (2) community engagement in tourism destina-tions (see Moscardo, 2008; Okazaki, 2008); and (3) social tourism issues (see McCabe, 2009;Minnaert, Maitland, & Miller, 2009). Nevertheless, tourism scholars remain surprisingly silent onsocial capital in the civic sense that Putnam invoked it.If anything, tourism experiences are routinely characterized as being complicit in the loss of com-munity that Putnam bemoaned. Bauman (2000) described tourism as symptomatic of developing‘‘peg’’ communities—that is, ‘‘. . . communities formed by the act of hanging individual concerns on

Declines in Trust in Others and Confidence in Institutions Among American Adults and Late Adolescents, 1972–2012

Between 1972 and 2012, Americans became significantly less trusting of each other and less confident in large institutions, such as the news media, business, religious organizations, the medical establishment, Congress, and the presidency. Levels of trust and confidence, key indicators of social capital, reached all-time or near-all-time lows in 2012 in the nationally representative General Social Survey of adults (1972–2012; N = 37,493) and the nationally representative Monitoring the Future survey of 12th graders (1976–2012; N = 101,633). Hierarchical modeling analyses separating the effects of time period, generation, and age show that this decline in social capital is primarily a time-period effect. Confidence in institutions is also influenced by generation, with Baby Boomers lowest. Trust was lowest when income inequality was high, and confidence in institutions was lowest when poverty rates were high. The prediction of a sustained revival in social capital after 2001 seems to have been premature.

Community Action and Tiger Conservation: Assessing the Role of Social Capital

Tiger conservation often requires local-level support to avoid facing serious political challenges. In order to address the political challenges, the social capital of communities can be utilized to create community action and to help understand local dynamics. We studied the social capital in two villages bordering Corbett Tiger Reserve, India. Our results indicate that social capital of local communities is a significant determinant of potential for community action to support or oppose tiger conservation outcomes. Our results also indicate that specific components of social capital (solidarity, reciprocity and cooperation, networks, and mutual support) were critical in this potential community action. Further, the data suggest that the decline of social capital was led by the financial disparities created by unplanned growth of tourism outside the reserve boundaries. We suggest that policy and management interventions should consider social capital of local communities and ways in which it may support tiger conservation in India.

Exploring Possible Theoretical Linkages between Social Capital Decline and Increased Political Elite Polarization

This paper explores possible theoretical linkages between a decline in social capital as characterized by Robert Putnam, and the rise of political polarization among elites as characterized primarily by Marc Hetherington. It reviews theory and analysis in scholarly works, with an emphasis on two pathways at the macro level. The first pathway uses political trust to link social capital and political elite polarization outcomes. This paper shows that there is a theoretical foundation for potentially linking social capital to political trust and, in turn, linking political trust to polarized outcomes from political elites. The second linkage, which is supported both theoretically and empirically, is through the pathway of economic inequality. It demonstrates a plausible linkage between declining social capital and political inequity; and between political inequity and polarized political elite behavior. This paper proposes both of these linkages should be further explored empirically to confirm if causality does exist.The stakes for understanding and “getting it right” are high for policy and decision-makers. Disparities in participation and influence could weaken the fundamental underpinnings of American democracy.

Rethinking the Decline in Social Capital

This study investigates trends in social capital in the United States since the 1970s. The literature suggests that variations in social capital are associated with both individual attributes and macro-level economic conditions. Yet, others argue that after controlling for these features, large-scale changes in social capital are evident across birth cohorts and over time. While previous studies have identified a number of individual and societal factors that influence social capital, I note that the common modeling approach used is inappropriate for examining the interaction between national and individual-level data as well as the simultaneous influence of period- and cohort-based effects. I therefore utilize a multilevel model to reassess the different theories of the origins and determinants of social capital. The evidence presented casts doubt on past studies that see a general erosion in social capital as well as those that view the decline as stemming from generational replacement.

Social capital and terrorism

Many studies of terrorism explain the use of violence against civilians with political or economic forces, often relegating social variables to the margins. Social factors, specifically societal-level social capital, play a far more important role in explaining patterns of terrorist activity than previously recognized. Social capital can exert pressures that act as both restraint and catalyst for terrorism, making explicit exposition of these differential effects critical. Analysis shows that higher stocks of social capital positively correlate with the number of terrorist groups, but the average attack activity of those groups increase as measures of social capital decline. The complex relationship makes it difficult to draw simple policy implications, but it does offer insight into the role that social dynamics play in terrorist activity.