Local Ties Research Articles

Interaksi Sosial dalam Hubungan Muslim-Kristian di Kota Kinabalu dan Keningau, Sabah

The people of Sabah are known for their exceptional tolerance and ability to foster peaceful coexistence. Although socioreligious relations are deteriorating due to various factors, the situation in Sabah is quite different. This study explains how social interaction between Muslims and Christians in Sabah turns cultural understanding through family ties and neighbours/friends of other religions. A total of 234 respondents were involved in this quantitative case study in Kota Kinabalu and Keningau. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations and a chi-square test to describe the distribution of responses for variables of religions between Muslim and Christian respondents. The findings revealed that social interaction between Muslims and Christians in the studied areas was positive. Muslims and Christians practised cultural understanding during festivals and everyday activities. It might be argued that tolerance and mutual understanding across different religions are nurtured through the intertwining of contacts. The family bonding and local ties allow an unlimited connection, which helps to lessen religious gaps in understanding. This study concludes that religion should not be considered solely as a source of conflict but rather serves as a means of fostering a spirit of coexistence.

Bringing a justice lens to ocean access

AbstractMaritime spaces have transformed rapidly the last decades. Open waters and beaches have become restricted and sometimes privatized enclosures. Different forms of extractivism have led to biodiversity loss and in particular to declining fish populations. Additionally, large-scale coastal and marine infrastructure projects, such as deepening and widening of shipping channels, have destroyed important habitats. These profound socio-ecological transformations have had an impact on geographies of resource access and control and consequently on the ability of actors to access, use and benefit from coastal and marine space. Moreover, changes in the lending policies of local banks have posed additional and severe challenges for fishers’ ability to fish. Such processes effect in particular the livelihoods of coastal and small-scale fisher communities and consequently increase existing inequalities and injustices. We suggest to bring the literature on ocean justice and access and property into dialogue and develop a heuristic for analysing inequalities and justice claims. Based on qualitative case studies focussing on the Sicily (Italy), the Elbe estuary (Germany) and the Lofoten (Norway), we show that investigating access relations facilitates the identification of unequal societal relationships with nature. Our cases illustrate that power relations in which privatization processes and access relations are embedded, determine whether injustices can be translated into justice claims and how successful these claims are. Moreover, unequal socio-ecological relations are also influenced by what we call translocal justice. Translocal justice is often lost in processes of commodification, privatization and in the rescaling of political authority and power, as local ties and confidential relationships vanish.

Datum Alignment Between GNSS-IR Sea Level Estimations and Tide Gauges in Türkiye: A Vertical Local Tie Approach

Connecting Asia and Europe, Türkiye is vital for maritime transit, which requires continuous and precise sea level monitoring. Traditional tide gauges (TGs), while valuable, often have data gaps. GNSS-IR provides an alternative, though aligning it with TG measurements is challenging. This study introduces a method to estimate Vertical Local Tie (VLT) between the TG zero and the GNSS antenna phase centre, allowing GNSS-IR sea level estimates to be aligned with TG measurements. In disruptions, GNSS-IR can consistently supplement TG data. We validated this approach by evaluating a 1-year data from four GNSS stations namely, ARSZ, GADA, TRBZ, and YLVA involving in the Türkiye National Sea Level Monitoring System (TUDES) network. These stations are located on the coasts of the Mediterranean, Aegean, Black, and Marmara Seas, respectively. Compared with the TG measurements, ARSZ achieved the highest epoch-based correlation as 87.00%. For daily averages, the GADA and TRBZ showed a correlation of over 96% with TG data. Notably, TRBZ recorded the lowest daily average RMSE at 2.2 cm using the VLT-median approach. The results demonstrate that when VLT is utilized, well-configured GNSS stations, ensuring uninterrupted transmissions and appropriate data intervals, provide a reliable alternative or complement to TGs for sea level monitoring.

농촌 방문객, 그들은 관계인구인가 관광객인가?: 농촌 관계인구 특성에 관한 탐색적 연구

Purpose: This study examines the value of ‘relational population’ as a way to counteract rural decline. Rural areas are spaces of diverse values, but due to population decline, rural areas are facing a weakening of the community base and the disappearance of localities. The concept of relational population is introduced in the process of shifting policy goals from quantitative to qualitative population expansion. Methods: This study surveyed 3,000 adults to estimate the size of the rural relational population, examine their activity behaviour and institutional support, and analyse the differences in activity behaviour between rural relational population and rural tourists. Results: As a result, four groups were identified: (1) the rural relational population, (2) rural tourists, (3) potential relational population, and (4) the unrelational population. Among them, the rural relational population was found to utilise local social ties to stay for a longer period of time compared to one-time tourists. On the other hand, tourists have superficial behaviour in terms of using local social networks and low intention to stay. On the other hand, the majority of people are unrelational and preliminary relational population, and it seems that institutional support such as environmental improvement and urban-rural exchange policies are needed to expand population. Conclusion: Based on the findings, the study explored ways to expand the relational population in terms of policy and institutions, and proposed various practical tasks to revitalize rural areas in various ways.

The importance of neighborhood offending networks for gun violence and firearm availability

Abstract The salience of neighborhoods in shaping crime patterns is one of sociology’s most robust areas of research. One way through which neighborhoods shape outcomes is through the creation and maintenance of social networks, patterns of interactions and relationships among neighborhood residents, organizations, groups, and institutions. This paper explores the relationship between network structures generated through acts of co-offending—when two or more individuals engage in an alleged crime together—and patterns of neighborhood gun violence and gun availability. Using arrest data from New York City, we create co-arrest networks between individuals arrested in the city between 2010 and 2015. We analyze these network patterns to, first, understand the overall structure of co-offending networks and, then, assess how they impact neighborhood levels of gun violence and gun availability. Results show that local and extra-local networks play a central role in predicting neighborhood levels of shootings: neighborhoods with a greater density of local ties have higher shootings rates, and neighborhoods that share social ties have similar rates of violence. In contrast, the network dynamics involved in gun recoveries are almost entirely local: co-offending patterns within neighborhoods are strongly associated with the level of gun recoveries, especially the clustering of co-offending networks indicative of groups. Contrary to previous research, spatial autocorrelation failed to predict either shootings or gun recoveries when demographic features were considered. Social-demographic characteristics seem to explain much of the observed spatial autocorrelation and the precise measurement of network properties might provide better measurements of the neighborhood dynamics involved in urban gun violence.

Communities, places and inequality: a reflection

Abstract This commentary examines the meanings and potentials of community in addressing inequality. It reviews the characteristics of place as well as those of social ties that make for creative economic and welfare outcomes. The commentary leans towards innovations in the social economy, community assets, and decentred political capacities, noting the limitations of measures focusing on strengthening local social ties alone. It sees such steps as supplements to governmental initiatives to strengthen local asset markets and welfare provisions, and not as substitutes.

More Than Aging in Place: “Aging in Networks” in Singapore

Aging in place has become a popularly accepted logic and practice in both the academic and policy domains. Older adults’ preferred facilities and social networks, however, might not always be situated in the residential neighborhoods where their homes are located. While recognizing the value of aging in place, this article argues that geographical proximity should not be conflated with aging well, nor should a spatially delimited place be the only locus of “community.” We propose the concept of aging in networks to capture a range of social networks in the life-worlds of older adults, including those that extend beyond their neighborhoods. We combine qualitative and geographic information systems (GIS) methods (i.e., qualitative GIS) to analyze three types of activity spaces observed among older adults in Singapore. Our analysis elicits the reasons why older adults use facilities and cultivate social networks both within and beyond their neighborhoods. This approach highlights the importance of studying and supporting both the local and extralocal ties of older adults. The article draws on qualitative GIS research (interviews and Global Positioning System tracking) with fifty older adults in two neighborhoods in Singapore (from a wider survey with 1,199 older adults).

The Important of Management Functions in Sustainable MICE

This study aims to analyze the importance of management functions in sustainable meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibition activities at Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach. The informants in this study were the director of events, assistant director of events, and business development executive who purposively determined. Data collection is carried out through observation, literature study, interviews, group discussions, and documentation. The results reveal that sales teams managed meeting, incentive, conference, and exhibition activities have made significant strides in implementing sustainable practices in various aspects of meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions. Many aspects have been successfully integrated, such as local souvenirs, adoption of renewable energy, electronic registration, and health and safety promotion still need improvement. The gap arises from the scale of events, resource limitations, and technical constraints. A comprehensive analysis of the implementation of sustainable meeting, incentive, conference, and exhibition management functions shows the establishment of strong local community ties, innovation in menu variations, prioritizing environmentally friendly practices, collaborating with local craft entrepreneurs, optimizing technology and social media, maintaining environmentally friendly commitments, and recommending the use of digital-based media in various management functions. The implementation of this management function supports improving the hotel's ability to achieve sustainable meeting, incentive, conference, and exhibition activities.

Bridging distance: Transnational and local family ties in refugees’ social support networks

Abstract This study examines the familial ties in the social support network of refugees in Germany. It investigates whether distance to family plays a role in the provision of emotional and informational support and how this relationship is moderated by social network services (SNS). Using data from the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees (N = 5237), the paper provides evidence for a family-centred network. Increasing distance to family is generally negatively associated with receiving support. However, the strength of support from the partner and sibling is less affected by distance than support from parents. Findings indicate that emotional support can generally be conveyed across greater distances, while informational support, often entailing location-bound aid, is not as easily transmittable. This study contributes to the understanding of refugee networks as transnational families with intergenerational differences in support. It also refines the depiction of support dynamics as being multifaceted and potentially limited due to fragmented contacts.

Local Ties in Spatial Equilibrium

Someone who lives in an economically depressed place was probably born there. And having workers with local ties who prefer to live in their birthplaces leads to smaller migration responses in depressed places. Smaller migration responses lead to lower real incomes and make incomes more volatile, a form of hysteresis. Local ties can also persist for generations. Subsidies to economically depressed places cause smaller distortions, because few people want to move to depressed places. Finally, subsidies to productive places increase aggregate productivity, as they induce more migration. (JEL J22, J23, J31, J61, R23, Z13)

Talking while walking but not with the locals: Social support and domesticity in public space before and during COVID-19 in Berlin, Germany

ABSTRACT How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed the spatiality of social support? Did people turn to local ties when they were requested to stay at home, and what impact has this had on the public life of neighborhoods? This paper explores these questions using survey data collected in four neighborhoods in Berlin, Germany, in 2019 and 2020. We show that people received more support in their neighborhoods—but not necessarily from their neighbors. They left their residences more often to digitally contact others in local public spaces. The COVID-19 restrictions in Berlin increased the importance of neighborhoods understood as openly accessible space. Drawing on Lofland’s idea of realms, we argue that this increase may be read as an intensified privatization of public space, as people left their homes to communicate with others on their digital devices, creating a growing sense of domesticity outdoors.

Neighbors with benefits: How politicians' local ties generate positive externalities when bureaucratic oversight is limited

AbstractExisting literature suggests bureaucrats shirk when political oversight is limited or inefficient. When civil servants engage in multitasking, elected office holders have neither the capacity nor the incentives to monitor bureaucrat–citizen interactions. I argue that under such circumstances, public servants prioritize responding to local anomalies which are located in the immediate vicinity of politicians. Using a novel dataset on geolocated citizen problem reports from 40 urban municipalities in Hungary (N = 24,149), matched against addresses of mayors, I find that proximity to mayors' domiciles is associated with more prompt responses from authorities. Results suggest politicians' local roots generate positive externalities for their neighbors, as civil servants are incentivized to put those reports on the back burner which are the most invisible for their political principals. Further analyses suggest response speed is also positively associated with incumbent mayors' re‐election chances. The findings refine our understanding on political oversight of bureaucrats and voters' expectations about likely behavior of locally embedded civil servants.

Constituency Focus in Party‐Centered Systems: How Individual, Party, and District‐Level Factors Shape Parliamentary Questions in South Africa

What drives MPs' constituency focus in party‐centered systems? Party‐centered systems are expected to offer fewer incentives for constituency‐focused behavior as it is parties rather than candidates that primarily drive competition. However, MPs in these systems may find good reason to cater to constituents’ interests as it allows them to attain multiple goals and satisfy competing principals. This study develops a theoretical model of constituency focus comprising individual, party, and district‐level factors and tests it in South Africa, a party‐centered system. Drawing on 22,724 questions submitted by MPs to the parliament between 2006 and 2023, as well as biographic data and interviews, it demonstrates that variation in MPs' constituency focus is explained by their level of electoral vulnerability, and to a lesser degree their seniority and local ties. Moreover, whether MPs belong to clientelistic parties and their constituency is a party stronghold are also relevant factors. The findings highlight the importance of incentives that go beyond electoral institutions and reaffirm the relevance of constituency links in party‐centered systems.

Assets of foreignness in a regulated industry

Purpose Foreign subsidiaries incur substantial institutional conformity costs because they have to respond to host-country institutional pressures (Slangen & Hennart, 2008). The purpose of this paper is to study this type of cost from institutional and regulatory perspectives. The authors argue that these costs decrease when the host country adopts concepts of international regulations that multinationals may be familiar with due to their own home country regulation experience. This prior regulatory experience gives foreign subsidiaries an advantage of foreignness (AoF), which can offset their liability of foreignness (LoF). Design/methodology/approach This study compared the returns on assets of 35 domestic firms with those of foreign subsidiaries in the Brazilian energy industry between 2002 and 2021, using regression dynamic panel data. Findings The existence of a relationship between the international regulatory norm and the Brazilian regulator has transformed the LoF into an advantage of foreignness to compete with local energy firms. The results also suggest that the better the regulatory quality of the subsidiary’s country of origin, the better its performance in Brazil, as it can reduce compliance costs. Finally, the greater the psychic distance between Brazil and the foreign subsidiary’s home country, the worse its performance. Research limitations/implications The research suggests that one of the keys to competitiveness in host countries is local regulatory ties. Prior international regulatory experience gives foreign subsidiaries an asset of foreignness (AoF). This result complements the current institutional and regulatory foreignness studies on emerging economies (Cuervo-Cazurra & Genc, 2008; Mallon et al., 2022) and the institutional asymmetry between home and host country (Mallon & Fainshmidt, 2017). Practical implications This research suggests that one of the keys to competitiveness in host countries is local regulatory ties. Prior international regulatory experience gives foreign subsidiaries an asset of foreignness (AoF). This result complements the current institutional and regulatory foreignness studies on emerging economies (Cuervo-Cazurra & Genc, 2008; Mallon et al., 2022) and the institutional asymmetry between home and host country (Mallon & Fainshmidt, 2017). The practical implication is that the relationship between conformity costs, capital budget calculation and strategic planning for internationalization will be related to the governance quality of the home country of multinationals. The social implication is that a country interested in attracting more direct foreign investment to areas that need foreign technology transfer and resources may consider adopting international regulatory standards. Social implications The social implication is that a country interested in attracting more direct foreign investment to areas that need foreign technology transfer and resources may consider adopting international regulatory standards. Originality/value This research discuss firm and local regulator tie is one of core competitiveness in host countries (Yang and Meyer, 2020). This study also complements the current institutional and regulatory foreignness studies in emerging economy (Cuervo-Cazurra & Genc, 2008; Mallon et al., 2022). Second, prior regulatory experience of multinational enterprise in similar environment can affect its foreign affiliate performance (Perkins, 2014). Third, this study confirms current literature that argues that knowledge and ability to operate in an institutionalized country can be transferred from parent to affiliate. In the end, this study investigates whether AoF persists when host governments improve the governance of their industries.

Pandemic Stories From the Margins: Migrant Experiences of Social Exclusion During COVID-19

This paper utilises the concepts of social exclusion and precarity to explore the situation of migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on European countries, we first demonstrate how migrants were more likely to experience exclusion prior to the crisis and how they were further marginalised due to the public health measures. Second, we show how inadequate government support exacerbated the exclusion of migrants. Finally, we explore social ties of migrants during the pandemic, with a focus on local and transnational ties. The paper is based on qualitative data collected as part of the European Union (EU)-funded project RESISTIRÉ, which examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable groups across Europe. Over 100 narratives with migrants were gathered during the project, and these were analysed to explore the multiple social exclusions experienced by migrants, as well as the ways they coped with being on the margins of receiving societies.

Integrating Jiang Han Ping Yuan Shadow Puppetry into Education for Cultural Protection and Literacy Development

Jiang Han Ping Yuan Shadow Puppetry, a traditional Chinese performing art rooted in Hubei Province’s cultural heritage, embodies intricate shadow play, music, and storytelling. This research aims to explore the efficacy of integrating Jiang Han Ping Yuan Shadow Puppetry into education for cultural protection and literacy development among students. Conducted in Qianjiang City, the birthplace of Jiang Han Ping Yuan Shadow Puppetry, the study employs a multidisciplinary approach, drawing on ethnomusicology, historical theory, and the anthropology of music. Two key informants, selected for their expertise and local cultural ties, provide insights into the historical development, artistic characteristics, and cultural resilience of this shadow puppetry. Through a meticulous analysis of historical aspects, artistic features, props, and cultural practices, the research uncovers the rich tapestry of Jiang Han Ping Yuan Shadow Puppetry. Findings suggest that despite challenges such as declining popularity and economic factors, the art form has persisted, showcasing adaptability through reforms and innovations. Recommendations include curriculum development, community engagement, and awareness initiatives to strengthen the role of Jiang Han Ping Yuan Shadow Puppetry in literacy programs and cultural preservation.

INTEGRATING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INTO THEIR MARKETING STRATEGY: PRACTICES OF LEBANESE AGRI-FOOD INDUSTRIES

Amidst technological growth and its environmental implications, there’s a global push for sustainable development using ethical methods that benefit both the planet and humanity. This underscores a rising corporate trend towards sustainability. Adopting this approach requires fresh methods and technologies to influence behavior changes. Consequently, marketing, when aligned with sustainability principles, becomes a pivotal tool for businesses transitioning to sustainable practices. The food industry, like other sectors, is not exempt from these considerations. This article focuses on examining how food industries in Lebanon are incorporating sustainable development principles into their marketing strategies. By studying their approaches, we aim to identify the level of integration of sustainability within the marketing practices of these industries, identify gaps, and to bring the future scientific research directions in marketing management. Thus, this research is conducted following the post-positivist paradigm and following a hypothetical-deductive approach. Hence the qualitative research and expert evaluation used to collect data due to its applicability to the context of the study. The target respondents are managers of the agri-food industries in order to measure the good practices of sustainable development of these industries and their Marketing strategy based on the 4Ps. Lebanon’s distinct challenges, from environmental to economic, call for specialized solutions. Achieving sustainability involves grasping local nuances, engaging stakeholders, and connecting different sectors. Sustainable marketing emphasizes local products and community ties, offering potential for significant change. The study indicates agri-food businesses mainly focus on environmental and economic elements. Yet, the research faced hurdles, like the pandemic, highlighting the need for context-awareness.

Social ties in and out of the neighbourhood: Between compensation and cumulation

The central question addressed in this article is how social ties within and outside the neighbourhood are articulated in different contexts for various population groups. Two major perspectives emerge from the literature on personal networks, neighbourhood effects, and neighbourhood-based social capital. The first assumes a compensation mechanism, whereby local and extra-local ties flourish at each other’s expense. The second considers that these two types of ties can be cumulated. After presenting the interpretations and empirical data that support these two perspectives and highlighting the persistent ambiguity on the issue, they are tested with the support of an original survey of 2572 people in 14 neighbourhoods in the Paris and Lyon metropolitan regions. A range of indicators for social ties is used to build two indices, one for local ties and one for extra-local ties. The article then examines variations between these indices as a function of individual characteristics and contexts to test whether compensation or cumulation exists between the local and extra-local ties. The main findings are, first, that local and extra-local ties each evolve along one dimension. In particular, working-class social ties do not appear to have a specific pattern. Second, compensation exists, but cumulation of local and extra-local ties is predominant. Lastly, this cumulation is a factor of inequalities. It benefits those with the most resources in terms of income, qualifications and occupation, as well as the residents of upper-class or gentrified neighbourhoods. Geographical origins also play a role for the descendants of immigrants, who establish fewer extra-local ties.

Capital social, como pilar para el desarrollo y mejoramiento de la gestión y la sostenibilidad; estudio de caso Yunguillaity; Yunguilla case study

This article focuses on showing the results obtained within the community of Yunguilla, said community went from an extractivist model to a sustainable development model, this change focuses on the existence of a strong organization of the inhabitants of the community, which which in a theoretical conception is known as “social capital”. These community ties have simultaneously allowed the integration of other family and local ties that, although they did not represent a strong organization, have enabled their integration with other networks close to the community and at a national and international level. The theoretical and methodological approach is focused on understanding the strong and weak ties that coexist in a territory and how, based on these ties, a community social capital is consolidated that favors the consolidation and evolution of a new administrative model based on processes as well as on development within the community of Yunguilla.

BUILDING THE COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY-ACADEMIC TEAM, DESIGNING OBJECTIVES, AND GETTING FUNDED

Abstract Having attended the Former Dementia Caregiver Re-Entry Initiative since 2019, its benefits were readily apparent but two limitations were identified: 1) two facilitators (i.e., Wolfe and Fairbanks) cannot serve the millions of Bereaved Dementia Caregivers in the US alone and 2) members have primarily been non-Hispanic White. These realizations inspired efforts to bring the group to more Bereaved Dementia Caregivers. The present community-created model of helping Bereaved Dementia Caregivers deserved community-integrated leadership if that model was to be effectively adapted and disseminated. Our team’s ambition is to bring the group to racially and ethnically minoritized Bereaved Dementia Caregivers, broadly. However, we felt that we could most effectively do this in stages. Rather than trying to figure out how to make the model fit for all people, we homed in on African Americans, with whom we had many local ties. We also took a step back (at the behest of Ms. Frazier) to not only ask about how to adapt the model for a need we assumed existed, but also to explore the strengths of African American communities and ask if unmet needs existed. This model had the benefits of intellectual humility, respect for the persons we were working with, and strengthened the value of our funded research (i.e., even if we found there weren’t unmet needs, we would be able to learn of strengths that we might be able to share with other communities who do have unmet needs).