Local Ties Research Articles

From Community to Public Familiarity: Neighborhood, Sociability, and Belonging in the Neoliberal City

Current urban neoliberalism processes have shaped and changed contemporary cities, including the local scale’s built environment and social relations. This article aims to study how such transformations affect local sociability by analyzing the effects of neighborhoods’ morphology and socio-demographic characteristics on different forms of interactions and how they affect the sense of belonging. Taking the Metropolitan Area of Santiago, Chile, as a case study, we gathered secondary data on urban morphology and surveyed ten neighborhoods to measure sociability patterns. The results obtained from multilevel logistic regression models show that time living in the neighborhood and public pedestrian space is the most critical factor affecting neighborhood sociability. Moreover, instead of local ties, public familiarity is the form of sociability with the most substantial effects on a sense of belonging. We conclude that recent neighborhoods, formed by neoliberal urbanization, tend to discourage neighborhood sociability and a sense of belonging.

Transnational and Local Co-ethnic Social Ties as Coping Mechanisms Against Perceived Discrimination - A Study on the Life Satisfaction of Turkish and Moroccan Minorities in the Netherlands.

Perceived ethnic discrimination is known to decrease minorities’ life satisfaction. This research investigates the extent to which minorities’ local and transnational co-ethnic social ties mitigate the negative effects of perceived discrimination on life satisfaction. Put differently, focusing on the experiences of Turkish and Moroccan minorities, we discuss whether co-ethnic social ties, both locally and transnationally embedded, can be considered as coping mechanisms against perceived discrimination. Furthermore, we investigate whether these mechanisms work differently for first- and second-generation minorities. Using Netherlands Longitudinal Life-course Study, we reveal that perceived discrimination is positively associated with local co-ethnic social ties in Netherlands which consequently predicts higher life satisfaction for both generations. Surprisingly, we also show that only among the second generation perceived discrimination is associated with stronger transnational co-ethnic social ties, but not the first generation. Having these transnational ties however are beneficial for life satisfaction of both generations. Consequently, we highlight the importance of recognizing transnational embeddedness of minorities and studying the effects transnational co-ethnic social ties on subjective well-being outcomes especially for second-generation minorities.

Cohesion in the Narrative Writing of Young EFL Learners: Correct and Incorrect Use of Local Cohesive Ties

This study examines the correct and incorrect use of local cohesive ties and local cohesion errors in the written narratives of eleven- to twelve-year-old Spanish learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at different proficiency levels. The study was carried out with pairs who collaboratively wrote a narrative text in response to a picture prompt. The young learners’ written texts were examined to identify their correct and incorrect use of four categories: lexical, referential, conjunctive and temporal cohesion. The results show that higher and lower proficiency learners are significantly different in their use of the causal conjunction because, personal pronouns and noun phrases containing possessive, definite, indefinite and zero determiners. The two groups also differ in their incorrect use of pronouns, simple verb forms and noun phrases containing definite, indefinite and zero determiners. Attention is drawn to the need to explore the diversity in young learners’ use of cohesion and some pedagogical implications are drawn.

Move or perish? Sticky mobilities in the Swiss academic context

This article uses a context of increasing institutional demand to be geographically mobile to examine how early-career researchers move across borders. I explore the case of Swiss academia, a particularly competitive and attractive environment with the highest levels of inbound and outbound mobility in Europe. In line with the aims of the European Research Area, an EU programme created in 2000 to foster a pan-European academic labour market, Switzerland funds scientific mobility and promotes extended research trips abroad as tools to boost collaboration and research excellence. Therefore, Swiss institutions have valued mobility for professional and personal development. In the meantime, they have raised concerns about female academics not being mobile and the potential consequences of their local family ties on career inequalities. In this study, I explore how early-career researchers experience mobility and how their personal accounts challenge institutional definitions of being mobile or immobile. I draw on a qualitative analysis of 65 semi-structured interviews conducted for two EU research projects on early-career academics from various backgrounds. I show how empirical data question the traditional—and often gendered—mobile/immobile dichotomy. I also highlight how mobility practices are normalised by the interviewees. Moreover, using the concept of stickiness, I describe a subtle range of sticky-to-stretchy mobility experiences influenced by both structural and individual factors. Finally, through the figure of the geoccasional worker, I question romanticised visions of mobility and stress the need to reconsider mobility as a (gendered) precarity issue rather than as a female problem.

VLBI measurement of the vector baseline between geodetic antennas at Kokee Park Geophysical Observatory, Hawaii

We measured the components of the 31-m-long vector between the two very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) antennas at the Kokee Park Geophysical Observatory (KPGO), Hawaii, with approximately 1 mm precision using phase delay observables from dedicated VLBI observations in 2016 and 2018. The two KPGO antennas are the 20 m legacy VLBI antenna and the 12 m VLBI Global Observing System (VGOS) antenna. Independent estimates of the vector between the two antennas were obtained by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) using standard optical surveys in 2015 and 2018. The uncertainties of the latter survey were 0.3 and 0.7 mm in the horizontal and vertical components of the baseline, respectively. We applied corrections to the measured positions for the varying thermal deformation of the antennas on the different days of the VLBI and survey measurements, which can amount to 1 mm, bringing all results to a common reference temperature. The difference between the VLBI and survey results are 0.2 ± 0.4 mm, −1.3 ± 0.4 mm, and 0.8 ± 0.8 mm in the East, North, and Up topocentric components, respectively. We also estimate that the Up component of the baseline may suffer from systematic errors due to gravitational deformation and uncalibrated instrumental delay variations at the 20 m antenna that may reach ± 10 and −2 mm, respectively, resulting in an accuracy uncertainty on the order of 10 mm for the relative heights of the antennas. Furthermore, possible tilting of the 12 m antenna increases the uncertainties in the differences in the horizontal components to 1.0 mm. These results bring into focus the importance of (1) correcting to a common reference temperature the measurements of the reference points of all geodetic instruments within a site, (2) obtaining measurements of the gravitational deformation of all antennas, and (3) monitoring local motions of the geodetic instruments. These results have significant implications for the accuracy of global reference frames that require accurate local ties between geodetic instruments, such as the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF).

Assessing the collaboration and network additionality of innovation policies: a counterfactual approach to the French cluster policy

AbstractWhereas most collaboration-based innovation policies aim at fostering efficient ecosystems of innovation, evaluations of the behavioral impact of such policies remain few and far between. Relying on external-to-the-policy network data to build a counterfactual approach, this article addresses three main evaluation issues: do cluster policies make firms more collaborative? Do they encourage local ties? Do they induce network additionality? Focusing on French data, our results suggest that cluster policies may have difficulty in increasing the centrality of agents within knowledge networks.

Long-term trends in intergenerational proximity: Evidence from a grandchild design.

Competing claims exist about how the geographic distance between parents and their adult children has changed historically. A classic modernisation hypothesis is that people currently live further away from their parents than in the past. Others have argued for stability and the remaining importance of local family ties, in spite of a long‐term decline in co‐residence of adult children and parents. The current paper uses a novel design that relies on reports by grandchildren to study long‐term changes in intergenerational proximity in the Netherlands. The analyses show that there has been a clear and continuous decline in intergenerational proximity between the 1940s and the 1990s. Mediation analyses show that educational expansion and urbanisation are the main reasons why proximity declined. No evidence is found for the role of secularisation and increasing international migration. Proximity to parents declined somewhat more strongly for women than for men.

The Kesennuma Study in Miyagi, Japan: Study Design and Baseline Profiles of Participants.

To clarify the association between psychosocial problems and frailty in the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and to develop strategies for preventive long-term care in the community, we launched the Kesennuma Study in 2019. This report describes the study design and the participants' profiles at baseline. The prospective study comprised 9,754 people (4,548 men and 5,206 women) randomly selected from community-dwelling independent adults aged 65 to 84 who were living in Kesennuma City, Miyagi. The baseline survey was conducted in October 2019. It included information on general health, socio-economic status, frailty, lifestyle, psychological factors (eg, personality, depressive moods), and social factors (eg, social isolation, social capital). A follow-up questionnaire survey is planned. Mortality, incident disability, and long-term care insurance certifications will also be collected. A total of 8,150 questionnaires were returned (83.6% response rate), and 7,845 were included in the analysis (80.4%; mean age 73.6 [standard deviation, 5.5] years; 44.7% male). About 23.5% were considered frail. Regarding psychological and social functions, 42.7% had depressive moods, 29.1% were socially isolated, and only 37.0% participated in social activities at least once a month. However, 82.5% trusted their neighbors. While local ties were strong, low social activity and poor mental health were revealed as issues in the affected area. Focusing on the association between psychological and social factors and frailty, we aim to delay the need for long-term care for as long as possible, through exercise, nutrition, social participation, and improvement of mental health.

Entrepreneurial Views and Rural Entrepreneurial Potential: Evidence from Greece

The recent financial crisis in Greece seems to have structured a trend towards rural renaissance. This trend might be considered a chance for rural empowerment to emerge as a ‘residual’ phenomenon drawn from a return to the periphery propensity. With a view to provide insights on such possible rural empowerment, we analyse individuals’ intentions towards entrepreneurship in rural areas. At the empirical level, we assess rural entrepreneurial potential and then we test for the factors that are conducive to it under an adopted operationalization of the n-tuple helixes approach to regional development. We employ data from two sources (micro level data from the Eurobarometer survey and contextual data from the Regional Accounts of the Hellenic Statistical Authority). Bootstrap logistic regression techniques provide robust empirical evidence of the importance of various sets of parameters including actor characteristics and actions, local community ties, civil services quality, the political environment, and the regional socio-economic structure. The predominant role of pecuniary concerns manifests the strong impact that the economic environment exerts on individuals’ views towards entrepreneurship. On the other hand, individuals seem to view crisis as a chance for the private sector to develop under less protectionism and trustworthy civil services.

ILRS Reference Point Determination Using Close Range Photogrammetry

A global geodetic reference system (GGRS) is realized by physical points on the Earth’s surface and is referred to as a global geodetic reference frame (GGRF). The GGRF is derived by combining several space geodetic techniques, and the reference points of these techniques are the physical points of such a realization. Due to the weak physical connection between the space geodetic techniques, so-called local ties are introduced to the combination procedure. A local tie is the spatial vector defined between the reference points of two space geodetic techniques. It is derivable by local measurements at multitechnique stations, which operate more than one space geodetic technique. Local ties are a crucial component within the intertechnique combination; therefore, erroneous or outdated vectors affect the global results. In order to reach the ambitious accuracy goal of 1 mm for a global position, the global geodetic observing system (GGOS) aims for strategies to improve local ties, and, thus, the reference point determination procedures. In this contribution, close range photogrammetry is applied for the first time to determine the reference point of a laser telescope used for satellite laser ranging (SLR) at Geodetic Observatory Wettzell (GOW). A measurement campaign using various configurations was performed at the Satellite Observing System Wettzell (SOS-W) to evaluate the achievable accuracy and the measurement effort. The bias of the estimates were studied using an unscented transformation. Biases occur if nonlinear functions are replaced and are solved by linear substitute problems. Moreover, the influence of the chosen stochastic model onto the estimates is studied by means of various dispersion matrices of the observations. It is shown that the resulting standard deviations are two to three times overestimated if stochastic dependencies are neglected.

The networked refugee: The role of transnational networks in the journeys across the Mediterranean

AbstractThe experience of migrants crossing the Mediterranean has been represented as that of passive components of large‐scale human flows driven by conflicts, migration policies and smuggling. This article proposes a reflection on the advantages of using a social network lens to better understand these experiences at a micro‐ and meso‐level, bringing to the fore the personal and relational dimensions. By examining the narratives of people who reached the coasts of Sicily (Italy) via the Libyan route, the article highlights the key role of local and transnational ties at every single juncture of these very long, often serendipitous journeys. The concept of ‘journey’ is used to frame this analysis, but also to debunk some of the deterministic, static and Euro‐centred assumptions, which have characterized mainstream narratives and some scholarly debates. Thus, the refugee journey emerges as a fluid process characterized by the continuous deconstruction and reconstruction of social networks.

Success Factors for the Foundation of Municipal Utilities in Germany

More than 150 municipal utilities (so-called Stadtwerke) were established in Germany from the beginning of the millennium, bringing the total number of Stadtwerke currently established within the country to approximately 900. With responsibility for more than half of the supply of electricity, gas and heat in Germany, these Stadtwerke play a central role in the transformation of the energy sector, or Energiewende. In addition, due to their local and regional ties, Stadtwerke have a particular role to play in energy politics, the economy and across society. This article focuses on the motives behind, and grounds for, the current wave of newly established Stadtwerke. Further, it discusses the factors that were critical to the successful formation of new Stadtwerke in recent years. The results of our survey indicate that the establishment of municipal Stadtwerke is a suitable measure to implement the energy transition at the local level, whereby the concept of public value has a high level of importance for the local decision-makers. Collaboration and cooperation, as well as a resilience-oriented strategy, are important success factors for new Stadtwerke.

Virtually Together: Developing a Local Social Network for Neighborhoods

The paper presents the main preliminary findings of GEITONIA research project (Growing and Enabling of Information Technologies for Online Neighborhoods: Implications and Applications). Focusing on the development of a local social network for neighborhoods of Nea Smyrni community in Attica (Greece), the main results of an exploratory mixed methods research study, are discussed. The local social network is a non-commercial social medium that operates as a mobile application. Residents of the local community will have the opportunity to use the application for a pilot period, create their virtual neighborhoods, interact with other neighbors, and expand local social ties in a continuum of physical and virtual spatialities. Moreover, taking into consideration residents’ perceptions, demands and visions, regarding a local social network for their neighborhoods, the research project aims to enhance the rule that sets the focus on the users, as co-creators and co-producers of communication technologies.

Why Do Ruling Parties Extend Authoritarian Rule? Examining the Role of Elite Institutions and Mass Organization

A number of studies show that autocracies with ruling parties are more long-lived than those without. Much of the literature attributes this to party institutionalization at the elite-level, which is said to reduce elite schisms. Others point to the ability of grassroots party organizations to mobilize mass support. There is very little empirical research that examines these different mechanisms. This paper fills that gap using new data from the V-Party database, which provides detailed expert-coded information on the attributes of all autocratic ruling parties between 1970 and 2019. I find that both mass-based organization (e.g. well-developed networks of local branches and strong ties to social organizations) and elite-level institutionalization (e.g. depersonalized, collective control over candidate nominations) are associated with regime longevity, but the findings for mass organization are stronger and more robust. The findings suggest that mass organization is one of the main factors that makes party-based autocracy so durable.

Интеграция российских городов в глобальные экономические сети (2010–2020)

The article presents the network approach to the study of cities; in particular, it substantiates how cities are embedded in global economic networks through corporate networks of major multinational companies. The peculiarities of the integration of Russian cities into global economic networks are revealed, stressing the context of the evolution of inter- and intra-regional inequality over the period from the early 1990 s to 2020. The focus of this study is to analyze the effects of the 2014– 2016 economic crisis, caused in part by international economic sanctions, which in turn played an important role in the behavior of multinational companies in Russia and in assessing the attractiveness of the Russian market for further foreign investment. The empirical part of the paper is done in a case study strategy and focuses on Kaluga, one of Russia's most successful cities in attracting foreign companies. Based on a series of interviews with representatives of foreign automotive cluster companies operating in Kaluga, the main factors of Kaluga's success in attracting foreign investment are identified, as well as opportunities and barriers for the activities of these companies. In particular, it has been determined that a favorable economic and geographic location and personal guarantees from the regional governor for business security are the most important and sufficient conditions for Kaluga's successful integration into global economic networks. It was also possible to determine that local social ties do not play a key role in obtaining economic aid from the state in times of crisis (referring to crises 2014–2016 and 2020-present).

정치적 연계와 권력거리 문화차원이 중국기업의 CEO 해임에 미치는 영향

CEO dismissal is one of the most important decisions in that it critically impacts firm performance. According to the theoretical lens of power circulation theory, power determines the rate of CEO dismissal. Drawing on this theory, this study investigates the impact of political ties and power distance on CEO dismissal within the Chinese context. The current article advances existing research and theory by addressing these two underexplored areas, namely, power circulation theory-related factors such as political ties and power distance, as determinants of CEO dismissal within the Chinese context. Our results display that the two power factors, political ties and power distance, are essential determinants of CEO dismissal in China. Specifically, we find that these two factors decrease the likelihood of CEO dismissal in China. This study also finds that local political ties have a more significant impact on CEO dismissal than do central political ties.

Beyond Partisanship: Outperforming the Party Label with Local Roots in Congressional Elections

While factors like partisanship are increasingly decisive in congressional elections, they do not fully explain variation in constituency support between similarly situated incumbents. I argue that legislators’ reelection success is also influenced by the depth of their local, pre-Congress roots in the district they represent. I theorize that this local connection offers practical advantages to incumbents, such as built-in grassroots political infrastructure in their districts. Shared local identity also allows legislators to relate to their voters on a dimension that is uniquely suited to cross-cut partisanship and qualify them to represent their particular constituents. Therefore, I argue that local roots outperform their district’s partisan expectations – and more specifically, their party’s presidential nominees. Using an original dataset of nearly 3,000 House incumbents from 2002 to 2018 and novel measures of their preexisting local roots in their districts, I find that deeply rooted incumbents outperform their party’s presidential nominees in their districts by an average of about five additional points, even after controlling for partisanship and other crucial factors. I also find that this impact grows as the depth of local roots among a district’s voters increases. These results indicate that even in an era of congressional politics largely defined by partisanship and presidential loyalty, dyadic district connections like local ties can break through and affect legislators’ standing among their constituents.

Investigating the Attachment in Urban Residential Environments (Case Study: Tehran Navvab District)

The attachment to a place can be described as a meaningful relationship between person and place, an emotional bond that people consider to be worthwhile as a setting to return. Attachment to a place is an indicator by which one can measure the degree of distinction of that place among people compared to other places. these distinctions are the result of a variety of material and spiritual factors, including the environment, physical and architectural environment, the social environment and types of activities, the level of culture and history, personal and psychological dimensions (perception, cognition, and feeling). Attention to the identity of places that play an essential role in the socio-humanitarian and urban structure is essential in today's society. Social events in residential districts of cities play a vital role in the vivacity of their inhabitants. The present study explores the attachment to the neighborhood among the inhabitants of the Navvab residential district between Komeyl Street and Mortazavi Street. The present study was a survey method in which data was collected using questionnaires and interviews. The main questions of the present research are, how is the status of neighborhood attachment among residents in the Navvab district? What is the effect of this phenomenon? How can the attachment in people be enhanced by designing the environment? What are the potential capabilities of the environment, and what is the impact of planning on improving the neighborhood? Findings indicate that the variables of local social ties, access to facilities and educations, the sense of security and social order, age of people have a high impact on the attachment to the residential district. Also, people who are more satisfied with their neighborhood are likely to have more attachment to their neighborhood identity. Indigenous people living in the neighborhood (the effect of the length of stay) have more attachment to their neighborhood than non-indigenous people. The more the security of inhabitant of the neighborhood, the more the attachment of the inhabitants becomes.

Disentangling social support mobilization via online neighborhood networks.

This paper proposes and tests a theoretical model to investigate the mechanism underpinning local social support exchange via online neighborhood networks (ONNs). We drew on community psychology, social support, and social media literature and used a survey conducted in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium among 561 ONN users (nfemales = 409; 72.9%) between 18 and 82 years old (Mage = 43.73; SDage = 15.37). We found that engaging in online neighboring behaviors was associated to both online and offline neighborhood sense of community. Subsequently, these provide access to perceived local social support and the intention to mobilize local social support online. The latter was predominantly explained via the path along online sense of community. ONNs facilitate local bridging behavior, connecting otherwise distinct local networks and ties. At the same time, online neighboring behaviors provide the normative context that supports the exchange process.

Are we expecting too much from the private sector in flood adaptation? Scenario-based field experiments with small- and medium-sized firms in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Adaptive governance approaches emphasize the crucial role of the private sector in enabling climate change adaptation. Yet, the participation of local firms is still lacking, and little is known about the conditions potentially influencing firms’ adaptation decisions and mechanisms that might encourage private sector engagement. We address this gap with an empirical analysis of the willingness of manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to participate financially in collective flood adaptation in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), a hotspot of future climate change risk. Using scenario-based field experiments, we shed light on internal and external conditions that influence potential investments in collective initiatives and explain what role SMEs can play in flood adaptation. We find that direct impacts of floods, perceived self-responsibility, and strong local ties motivate firms to participate in collective adaptation, whereas government support, sufficient financial resources, and previously implemented flood protection strategies reduce the necessity to act collectively. Here, opportunity costs and the handling of other business risks play a decisive role in investment decisions. This study shows that although private sector engagement appears to be a promising approach, it is not a panacea. Collective initiatives on flood adaptation need formal guidance and should involve local business networks and partnerships to give voice to the needs and capacities of SMEs, but such initiatives should not overstretch firms’ responsibilities.