Social Capital Generation Research Articles

The public sphere and social capital: Unlikely allies in social media interactions?

The formative sociological concepts of the public sphere and social capital have traced similar paths through a range of social science scholarship over decades, evolving as new technology, such as connected Internet technologies, have altered the way society interacts. Interestingly, there is very little scholarship linking these two important theories. This conceptual paper examines the modest body of literature that has considered the public sphere and social capital in tandem. It offers a viewpoint that social capital generation could be a possible byproduct of rational-critical discourse in a public sphere-like space. Despite the reservations of Habermas himself about the ability of the Internet and social media to breathe life into his concept of the public sphere, this paper suggests that social media — notably Twitter hashtags — are a plausible place to look for evidence of social capital generation through deliberative democratic discussions.

Social capital and innovation: A comparative analysis of regional policies

This paper analyses how different forms of social capital are associated with different types of innovation across regional policy interventions. Taking the case of a continuum of three policy interventions incorporating both ‘hard’/traditional and ‘soft’/non-traditional innovation measures, the analysis finds that differing regional innovation programmes are connected with different forms of social capital generation. Significant associations are found between the types of innovation generated and differing forms of social capital. In particular, the elements of social capital associated with the benefits of social networks are positively related to softer forms of innovation. However, there is also evidence that the positive influence of social networks varies in strength across policy interventions, suggesting a strong contextual and environmental influence on this relationship. It is concluded that social capital should not be considered a panacea for increasing levels of innovative activity within regional policy programmes.

Wired to mobilize: The effect of social networking messages on voter turnout

Recent scholarship has documented the effect of online social networking on political participation, a relationship hypothesized to be due to the generation of social capital. This paper tests the hypothesis that impersonal get-out-the-vote messages delivered via an online social network can increase voter turnout. Specifically, this study uses a field experiment of randomly assigned students from a large southern public university to test the effect of exposure to political messages via Facebook on the likelihood of them voting in the November 2010 election. The results indicate that encouragements to vote delivered through a social networking site can have substantively large effects on political behavior.

Inclusion of Outsiders Through Sport

Abstract Social work strategy is increasingly applying sports and physical activity programs as a vehicle for the social inclusion of outsiders. The underlying assumption is that interactions between diverse social groups generate social capital, which can potentially function as a social lever for socially disadvantaged groups. Knowledge about how and when this levering process occurs is, however, insufficient. The generation and acquisition of social capital requires adequate qualities in the relationship between social entities. Hence, meticulous research is essential to expound on the mechanisms and circumstances under which the socially disadvantaged can benefit from social capital generated through sports and physical activity. The article is primarily based on qualitative interviews with different groups of socially disadvantaged people. The interviews were conducted as part of a large-scale investigation of participation in sports in socially deprived neighborhoods. Subsequently, the findings from the qualitative interviews were triangulated with findings from an assessment of documentation and evaluation reports covering about 200 projects, and findings from a scientific literature review. The findings suggest that strategies aiming at social inclusion through sports and physical activities need to take social context into consideration

Bound by inequality: The social capital of older Asians and Latinos in Phoenix, Arizona

This paper investigates how every day interactions within senior centers may be conducive to the generation of social capital that seniors can tap into, and how the creation of social capital is shaped by the social positions and physical location of the individuals involved. Based on 22 in-depth interviews and 15 months of field observations at two centers in Phoenix, one serving Asians and the other Latinos, we find that the presence of seniors in socially advantageous positions facilitates the flow of beneficial resources for other seniors. Seeming ethnic differences in the generation of social capital actually stem from the interaction of other forms of capital and the structure of opportunities for different groups, reflecting broader patterns in the reproduction of inequality. These observations may be policy-relevant with regard to the allocation of public resources in the face of fiscal crises.

Exploring youths' perceptions of the hidden practice of youth work in increasing social capital with young people considered NEET in Scotland

This small-scale research explores the generation of social capital in young people growing up in one urban area and one rural area in Scotland via community-led youth work projects that aim to re-engage young people categorised as NEET (Not in Employment Education or Training). By looking at their varied and complex biographies, it considers young people's experiences and perceptions of their communities and their transitions from education to the workplace. Using social capital as a theoretical lens, we examined the impact that youth work can have not just on these important transitions but also upon the young people themselves. By visiting two different sites of engagement we were able to explore whether the type of initiative (media or sports) or place (urban or rural) had an impact on the generation of capital for young people. The youth work practice in both areas acted as a glue between the young people and their communities, creating opportunities where the two could be bound together and relationships created. This occurred in both sites regardless of the area or type of initiative and confirmed in this study that youth work acts as a site of capital building.

Impact of Goal Orientation Theory on Social Capital: The Implications for Effective Team Cooperation in Uzbekistan Textile Industry

The aim of the investigation was to identify and explain impact of performance orientation and learning orientation on the elements of social capital. A research model was based on goal orientation and social capital theory. A critical literature review on cooperation, social capital and goal orientation was conducted and the foundation for research was built. Ultimately cooperation within research and development teams in textile industry in Uzbekistan was assessed. Findings suggest there is a positive impact of learning orientation on social capital. However, there is no significant influence of performance orientation on any element of social capital. Furthermore, the study confirms the value of social capital in explaining cooperation. Along with these findings, integration of goal orientation theory and social capital theory in the cooperation context is a major contribution of the research. The study helps managers and team members to better understand the importance of social capital generation on projects and in organizations. The developed concept can be used as a framework for facilitating cooperation for governments, research institutions, academic institutions and companies. There are also implications in the domains of staffing, training, organizational culture and motivating employees.

The effects of social capital on team performance: A study of RD departments in Uzbekistan

The aim of the investigation was to explain impact of various dimensions of social capital on cooperation. In the attempt we constructed a research model by utilizing social capital theory. Ultimately cooperation within research and development teams in textile industry in Uzbekistan was assessed. A survey method was applied and a questionnaire was developed and administered to. Structural Equation Modelling together with multiple regression was used to test the predictive value of our model on the sample of 170 Research and development department members. Findings suggest there is a large positive impact of social capital on cooperation. Therefore, the study confirms the value of social capital in explaining cooperation. The study helps managers and team members to better understand the importance of social capital generation on projects and in organizations. The developed concept can be used as a framework for facilitating cooperation for governments, research institutions, academic institutions and companies.

An Analysis of Social Capital Generation among Coalfield Residents in Harlan County, Kentucky

An Analysis of Social Capital Generation among Coalfield Residents in Harlan County, Kentucky

Resurrecting social infrastructure as a determinant of urban tuberculosis control in Delhi, India.

BackgroundThe key to universal coverage in tuberculosis (TB) management lies in community participation and empowerment of the population. Social infrastructure development generates social capital and addresses the crucial social determinants of TB, thereby improving program performance. Recently, there has been renewed interest in the concept of social infrastructure development for TB control in developing countries. This study aims to revive this concept and highlight the fact that documentation on ways to operationalize urban TB control is required from a holistic development perspective. Further, it explains how development of social infrastructure impacts health and development outcomes, especially with respect to TB in urban settings.MethodsA wide range of published Government records pertaining to social development parameters and TB program surveillance, between 2001 and 2011 in Delhi, were studied. Social infrastructure development parameters like human development index along with other indicators reflecting patient profile and habitation in urban settings were selected as social determinants of TB. These include adult literacy rates, per capita income, net migration rates, percentage growth in slum population, and percentage of urban population living in one-room dwelling units. The impact of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program on TB incidence was assessed as an annual decline in new TB cases notified under the program. Univariate linear regression was employed to examine the interrelationship between social development parameters and TB program outcomes.ResultsThe decade saw a significant growth in most of the social development parameters in the State. TB program performance showed 46% increment in lives saved among all types of TB cases per 100,000 population. The 7% reduction in new TB case notifications from the year 2001 to 2011, translates to a logarithmic decline of 5.4 new TB cases per 100,000 population. Except per capita income, literacy, and net migration rates, other social determinants showed significant correlation with decline in new TB cases per 100,000 population.ConclusionsSocial infrastructure development leads to social capital generation which engenders positive growth in TB program outcomes. Strategies which promote social infrastructure development should find adequate weightage in the overall policy framework for urban TB control in developing countries.

The role of Local Action Groups in the formation of human, social and economic capital of rural areas

The main objective of Local Action Groups (LAGs), in accordance with the principles of LEADER, as implemented in EU Member States, and who were formed under this approach is to conduct such activities which contribute to the generation and reinforcement of human and social capital in local communities as well as to activate local community members. Importantly LAGs are entities through which the financial resources provided by EU programmes, are distributed to partnership areas for the purposes of development and the improvement of living conditions of their inhabitants. The present article studies various types of capital (human, social, economic) which is accumulated within analysed territorial partnerships as well as their potential to reinforce the existing supplies of these types of capital and generate new capital supplies in local communities.

Water rituals as a source of (Christian) life in an African Independent Church: To be healed and (re)connected.

African Independent Churches (AICs) are to a large extent paperless churches. This means that for the biggest part liturgical documents do not exist and that a study of their worship must entail a study of their enacted rites which will include recordings and transcriptions of verbal expressions such as sermons. This article focuses on AIC worship in South africa, with special attention to the role of so-called water rituals. In this article the main aim is an attempt to discern what the role of these water rituals are in the worship of this AIC and in the generation of social capital. Thus, after a description of the ritual data, the water rituals are analysed by making use of both anthropological and theological theory, especially the work of Mary Douglas and Gerhardus van der Leeuw.

Can Rural Development Projects Generate Social Capital? A Case Study of Ricinodendron heudelotii Kernel Marketing in Cameroon

Social capital is an important pillar of farmers’ livelihoods and its importance for sustainable rural development has been recognised. Nevertheless, the creation of social capital through external interventions remains challenging. This study investigated the generation of social capital within a rural development project of the World Agroforestry Centre to promote Ricinodendron heudelotii (Baill) Pierre ex Pax. kernel commercialisation. Combining quantitative and qualitative measurement techniques, the change in social capital over a period of 5 years was evaluated. Households of project villages were compared to control households. Project households increased their social assets significantly at different levels. Development interventions thus enhanced social capital, this improvement was mutually reinforced by a positive change in other farmer livelihood assets, in particular financial capital. This study reveals the complexity of social capital generation through external intervention and its implications for farmer livelihoods specifically and development work in general.

Social Capital and Small Business Competitiveness: Evidence from Cross-Section Tourism Data

The paper analyses the effect of social capital generation processes and, in particular, network business relations, on the competitive performance of tourism enterprises. Drawing from an evolutionary perspective, we measure the performance of firms through measuring their productive efficiency. The applied methodology involves a two-stage Data Envelopment Analysis model based on which, a non-parametric production function is estimated in order to measure each firm’s technical and scale efficiency level, at the first stage, while at the second stage, various Tobit models are estimated in order to identify the role of three distinct types of networks as determinants of differential levels of technical and scale efficiency. Overall, analysis indicates that the effect of networking activity upon performance is a complex issue structured by the nature of networks, their focus, the local/extra-local setting they are developed at, and the ability of firms to manage knowledge for building successful entrepreneurial decisions.

스마트기기와 SNS 활용이 사회자본 형성에 미치는 영향 연구

본 연구에서는 스마트기기 및 SNS의 활용이 사회자본의 형성에 미치는 영향을 설문조사를 통해 실증적으로 분석하였다. 분석 결과, 스마트기기는 다양한 커뮤니케이션 방식을 제공함으로써 교량적 사회자본을 확장할 수 있는 기반을 마련해 주고 있다. SNS는 오프라인에서 형성된 사회적 관계를 온라인으로 확장시킴으로써 결속적 사회자본을 강화하고 있으며, 온라인 커뮤니티 구축을 통한 사회적 관계의 확장을 이끌어내어 교량적 사회자본을 증대시키고 있다. 반면, 스마트기기를 이용한 SNS의 활용은 사회자본의 증대와 관련이 없는 것으로 나타났으나, 사람들의 사회활동의 참여를 활발하게 함으로써 복합적인 사회자본을 형성하는 것으로 나타났다.

Apprenticeships and Regeneration: The Civic Struggle to Achieve Social and Economic Goals

ABSTRACT Apprenticeship has always played both a social and economic role. Today, it forms part of the regeneration strategies of cities in the United Kingdom. This involves the creation and management of complex institutional relationships across the public and private domains of the civic landscape. This paper argues that it is through closely observed analysis of these meso-level developments (in contrast to studies of national systems) that we can reveal how the sustainability of vocational education and training initiatives depends on the generation of civic social capital in the pursuit of collective goals. At the same time, the path-dependent nature of the clustering of social and economic inequality in urban post-industrial settings remains a constant reminder of the scale of the problems confronting all those involved.

Social Capital in Online Crowdsourcing Participation: An Empirical Study

Online crowdsourcing has become a new innovative business model through Internet. In order to extend its application, this paper attempts to find the motives of the use of online crowdsourcing, and from the view of social capital, we also try to verify the perceived social capital generation by participating online crowdsourcing. By survey data from the crowdsourcing platform , the empirical results indicates that learning, direct compensation, self-marketing and social motives are motives to activate the participation in outsourcing activities. Participation not only can increase firm’s innovation capability but also accumulate social capital of the crowdsoucing community formed by online participants.

On the Increase of Social Capital in Degrowth Economy

The present work provides a theoretical analysis oriented to link the social capital to the concept of degrowth. Defined by Schneider et al., 2010 as “an equitable downscaling of production and consumption that increases human well-being and enhances ecological conditions at the local and global level in the short and in the long term”, the concept of degrowth leads to a radical criticism of the neoclassical approach of economic growth and propose an alternative socio-economic paradigm based on the concept of “reciprocity work”. Constituted by a mix of social work, unpaid activities, self-production and co- operation among individuals, “reciprocity work” is assumed to be able to increase the social capital by promoting conviviality, mutual sustain and social relationships. In recent years, academic, political and social debates have been oriented to investigate the concepts of degrowth and the related impacts on social capital and well-being. The objective this paper is twofold. On one side, it provides a theoretical analysis in an attempt of explaining the concept of degrowth, that of reciprocity work and the implications for the social capital formation. On the other side, it reviews the main studies that investigate the social capital generation in a context of degrowth.

Social capital and innovation in the services sector

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to analyze the role of social capital on innovation through the analysis of the selective nature of network alliances in the tourism sector which is subject to a complex competition – cooperation context.Design/methodology/approachThe paper approximates social capital via active and purposeful engagement in network alliances and estimates several probit models in order to test for the effect of social capital on innovation activity using cross‐section tourism data for Greece.FindingsOverall results indicate that a firm's knowledge base is conducive to innovation activity. Nevertheless, the explanatory power of knowledge base variables weakens once the underlying social capital generation mechanisms are taken into consideration. The selective nature of network links is also evidenced.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of cross‐section data might be viewed as a limitation. Nevertheless, the robust methodological approach and the very satisfactory fit of the estimated econometric model allow for the findings to be a contribution in the field and a reliable comparison basis for future evidence.Practical implicationsThe study provides us with useful insights as regards the selective nature of network alliances and their effect upon the innovative activity of tourism firms. Also, the importance of such findings to managerial decision‐making processes is evident as firms are themselves responsible for participating in successful, high impact, network alliances.Originality/valueInnovation in tourism is a critical aspect of the sector's growth potential. Yet, research in tourism innovation and the factors that are conducive to innovation is rather limited. In that sense the paper makes a contribution to the existing body of knowledge.

Generating trust? Sport and community participation

This article explores the claim that generalized trust and community participation are positively associated and reports results from a survey that collected data on individuals’ involvement in sport and non-sport community organizations. Data were collected on levels of involvement in community sport and other non-profit community organizations, selected demographic variables and the standard measure of generalized trust. The analysis included an estimation of the direction of causality between involvement and trust and indicated that sport membership led to trust elevation. The findings support the arguments of Stolle and others: that joining community organizations creates heightened trust. Further, sport membership was a strong and significant predictor of trust. The findings have implications both for policy-related social capital interventions and the theory of social capital and trust generation.