Social Capital Research Articles

The privilege of virtue and the need for reward: An examination of patronage, elites and power relations within civil society

This article considers the ideological discourses underpinning voluntary action of elites within civil society organisations. Drawing together literatures on elite reproduction, organisational recruitment and volunteer motivations we consider how patterns of patronage play out in Welsh urban and rural localities, and the interrelationships between cultural, social, political and economic capitals. Findings reveal senior volunteer recruitment to meet resource needs variously referring to meritocratic processes, achieving representation or garnering status, and new insights on rewards as an elite formation mechanism. The study identifies an inverse relationship between privilege and benefits, whereby the most privileged are attributed a stronger moral authority. This masks underlying social and political gains. Our findings have conceptual and practical implications: The research highlights complexity in elite reproduction and the importance of recognising the dual directional advances in symbolic capital. It also draws attention to established organisational cultures and the challenges associated with securing greater equality in practice.

Game over too soon: early specialization and short careers in esports

IntroductionEsports has become a global phenomenon, offering considerable professional opportunities, enhanced cognitive abilities, and strong social capital for young competitors. However, these benefits are often counterbalanced by significant challenges, including burnout, exploitation, and inconsistent governance, particularly for its predominantly young talent.MethodsIn this convergent mixed-methods study, we examine the factors influencing career longevity in esports by integrating a longitudinal analysis of 15,021 players’ records (1998–2023) and in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with ten key stakeholders in the Korean esports ecosystem.ResultsOur quantitative findings reveal an exponential increase in tournaments, prize money, and active competitors yet also expose a concerning trend: newer birth cohorts, especially those born after 1998, exhibit markedly shortened careers—with median durations approaching just 2 years. Complementary qualitative insights elucidate how early specialization, exploitative contractual practices, intense training regimens, and fragmented governance contribute to burnout and rapid career turnover.DiscussionTogether, these results underscore the urgent need for comprehensive policy reforms, including standardized contractual frameworks, holistic athlete support systems, and centralized regulatory oversight, to safeguard young talent and ensure the long-term sustainability of esports.

Gender politics, environmental behaviours, and local territories: evidence from Italian municipalities

We investigated the impact of female politicians on waste collection in Italian municipalities in different territories observed over the years 2010–2019. We used a staggered difference-in-differences design to obtain a causal interpretation of the estimated effects. We find that the majority of women in the municipal council positively influence pro-environmental individual behaviour. The impact of a female-majority council is heterogeneous by region and more pronounced in areas with lower social capital. Female politicians as catalysts for positive change fade after 5–6 years, likely due to persistent social norms locally, thus stressing the need for additional cultural actions with long-lasting effects.

Migrants’ (m)Othering Under a Neoliberal Gaze: An Ethnographic Inquiry on Multicultural Family Services in South Korea

This article takes South Korea (hereafter Korea) as the location of a proposed case study on migrant mothering in a neoliberal state . It attempts to elaborate how gendered nation-building initiatives deploy the concept of multiculturalism while selectively targeting female marriage migrants (FMMs), and how this very process reifies gender, ethnicity, and class inequity in everyday institutional practice. Guided by feminist scholars’ work on the feminization of migration and intensive mothering, and using ethnographic research as a method, this study examined the institutional reification of neoliberal multicultural policy . It explored how gendered neoliberal nation-building is translated into mundane practices at a multicultural family support center. Findings include that patriarchy and cultural paternalism pervaded both state policies and everyday practice by regulating service eligibility and constructing FMMs as victims in need of paternalistic supports. Meanwhile, migrant mothers remained under multiple levels of surveillance to receive services at multicultural family support centers and were pressured to perform ‘good mothering’ through a preoccupation with their children's language education. As a result, FMMs were otherized and inferiorized in terms of gender, class, ethnicity, and social status while their multicultural children were constructed as social capitals to be invested in for Korea's economic future.

Comparative Analysis of AI-Driven Marketing Strategies of the E-Commerce Industry in the Modern World

E-commerce organizations increasingly employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to reinforce consumer experiences, enhance marketing campaigns, and optimize overall business performance. This study focuses on providing an extensive analysis of AI-driven marketing strategies in the e-commerce sector in the contemporary world. This study employed bibliometrics analysis, which is a technique employed to comprehend the development and nature of a specific discipline by integrating, interpreting, and assessing existing sources and statistics. This paper compared and evaluated the myriad AI-driven marketing strategies adopted by e-commerce companies, highlighting their benefits, challenges, and potential implications for the sector. The findings exposed that e-commerce comprehensively employs experiential marketing, with a specific focus on the effects of Artificial Intelligence in virtual-based assistants. Besides, this study highlighted the instrumental role of Artificial Intelligence in terms of facilitating personalized experiences, strategic decision-making, and predictive algorithms, within marketing operations in e-commerce. Moreover, market research underscores the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence in distinct areas such as marketing and sales, data analysis, and comprehending consumer behavior. This study discussed diverse aspects of research and applications of Artificial Intelligence in different marketing domains. The research ascertained that integrated digital marketing examines the application of social media data for customer sentiment analysis and the employment of Artificial Intelligence algorithms in social media marketing. A significant volume of studies established that content marketing concentrates on the implications of Artificial Intelligence on content creation and targeting, and the company-level repercussions of Artificial Intelligence in marketing.

Connection and happiness: an interactive study of social media, social capital, and the subjective well-being of international students

The subjective well-being of international students is crucial for their adaptation and academic success in a foreign country. Based on online social capital theory, this study examines how social media use affects the subjective well-being of international students and explores the underlying mechanisms and the moderating role of college attachment. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 21 universities in China, yielding 474 valid responses, which were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that social media use significantly and positively predicts the subjective well-being of international students, as well as bridging, bonding, and maintaining social capital. Notably, only bonding social capital partially mediates the relationship between social media use and subjective well-being. Additionally, college attachment positively moderates the indirect effect of bridging social capital only, but it did not significantly moderate the relationship between social media use and subjective well-being. These results highlight that social media use can enhance the subjective well-being of international students through social capital. This effect is moderated by college attachment, providing valuable insights for relevant stakeholders.

Impact of FOMO on social media engagement and impulse buying of lifestyle products: mediation analysis

PurposeFear of Missing Out (FOMO) is characterized by the anxiety of missing out on others' experiences, and serves as a key motivator influencing consumer behavior on social media platforms. This study investigates how social media marketing (SMM) affects consumer purchase intentions for lifestyle products in India, with a particular focus on the mediating role of FOMO. Through empirical analysis of 367 Indian consumers, this research aims to provide insights into the interconnected dynamics of SMM, FOMO, and purchase intention in lifestyle products.Design/methodology/approachThis research adopts a quantitative approach, surveying 367 Indian consumers of lifestyle products in India. Utilizing structural equation modeling, the study assesses the relationships between social media marketing (SMM), Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), and consumer purchase intention. Data collection involves targeted surveys, and statistical analyses are employed to unveil the mediating role of FOMO in the SMM and purchase intention nexus.FindingsThe study reveals exciting evidence supporting the significant influence of social media marketing on both FOMO and consumer purchase intention for lifestyle products. Importantly, FOMO emerges as a key mediator, elucidating its role in bridging the relationship between SMM and purchase intention. The findings underscore the dual impact of social media, directly shaping purchase intention and indirectly influencing it through the lens of FOMO.Originality/valueThis study enriches the existing body of knowledge by elucidating the complex interplay between social media marketing, FOMO, and consumer behavior in India’s lifestyle product market. By identifying FOMO as a critical mediator, the research deepens the understanding of consumer decision-making in the digital era. The study’s originality lies in its theoretical contribution to consumer behavior literature, highlighting FOMO’s mediating role in the relationship between social media engagement and impulsive buying. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior, the research bridges existing gaps and provides practical implications for marketers.

MILLENNIALS VS. GEN Z: A COMPARATIVE STUDYONGREENPURCHASING BEHAVIOUR

AIM: This study compares the green purchasing behavior of Millennial's and GenZ, analyzing factors like environmental awareness, social responsibility, and marketingstrategies. Data from 114 respondents in Sriperumbudur was collected through surveys andinterviews using a mixed-methods approach. Statistical tests (Independent Samples T-Test &One-Way ANOVA) in SPSS showed no significant impact of age on green purchasing. Green marketing exposure had no major influence compared to traditional marketing. Millennials prioritize price and brand trust, while Gen Z follows social trends anddigital marketing. Social media and influencer marketing play a key role in promoting eco-friendlyproducts

Coproducing justice in public involvement: impact-led iterative development of a dance based community engagement project building relationships in marginalised communities

BackgroundPublic involvement must include people from diverse backgrounds, or it risks exacerbating health inequalities in prioritising the needs of the majority culture. Public involvement as a process tends to exclude people by being tailored to fit the norms of the dominant culture; therefore simply removing barriers to participation is unlikely to be effective as is the case in other areas of science engagement. Rather it is necessary to go beyond redistributive justice (fair distribution of resources, opportunities, and benefits within health research) towards relational justice (developing respectful, reciprocal relationships and fair treatment within the research process and seeking to develop models of involvement that are meaningful and appealing to all groups).MethodsAn action research approach was applied to the iterative development of an arts based participatory community engagement project to engage South Asians in Leicester, particularly women from inter-sectionally deprived neighbourhoods. Seven action research cycles were completed between 2017 and 2024, of which the first five are reported here. Data collection and analysis are summarised in Supplementary Table 01 and a project summary can be seen in Supplementary Fig. 01.ResultsThe impacts of the project were considerably broader than simply developing engagement with, and access to under-represented communities. The project was empowering for participating women and supported the development of social capital. It is emphasised that this is an impact associated with participatory community engagement that moves in the direction of coproduction.DiscussionCommunity engagement using an arts-based approach was effective at engaging under-represented communities in health science involvement. It also offered the potential to build social capital that impacted health inequalities in tangible ways aligned with macro-level policy. Community engagement can also therefore be viewed as an efficient use of investment in offering significant added value.

Schools in the role of the family – Kolping pedagogy in Hungary

AbstractThe success of church-based schools is proved by the students' results and with the low rate of dropout according to previous researches. Nevertheless, there are neither international, nor Hungarian studies about Kolping pedagogy and its pioneer character that makes it a special actor among the faith-based schools, which aim to reduce the rate of student drop-out. In our study, we search for the specific characters of Kolping pedagogy in the schools' institutional documents. We investigated eight Hungarian secondary grammar and vocational schools' house rules, operational and organisational regulations, and pedagogical programmes (N = 8/8/8) with one method of content analysis which is document analysis. In the documents Adolf Kolping's community-building philosophy can be found according to the four pillars that have their roots in the history of the 19th century. The schools' general pedagogical principles want to solve modern social phenomena, and create chances for low SES students. Our results show that – even if with different methods (fitting to the institutions' individual characters) – but every document includes the Kolping characters with different aims and tasks. These are fulfilled by several pedagogical methods, first of all by community building. Just like in case of every type of church-based schools, intragenerational community networks are important chances for generating social and cultural capital.

Research on ASUS's Marketing Strategy in China

Asus, as the world's leading manufacturer of computer motherboards and laptops, its subsidiary brand ROG has faced the challenge of declining profit growth in recent years. In today's world, digital marketing is already the key to growth. ROG has shown different digital marketing strategies in different regions. This article reveals ASUS's digital marketing strategies in the Chinese market through literature review and case analysis. By analyzing ROG's digital marketing strategy, this article explores the advantages and disadvantages of ROG's digital marketing strategy and proposes targeted suggestions. ROG currently has mature strategies and systems in search engine marketing and display marketing, but it does not pay enough attention to the characteristics of different social media platforms and user group preferences in social media marketing, resulting in poor marketing effects. By improving user profiles and increasing the relevance of marketing, it helps to improve the effectiveness of social media marketing. At the same time, the allocation of marketing budgets should be adjusted to increase ROG's return on investment, further improving ROG's overall digital marketing effectiveness.

A Study of Subway’s Social Media Marketing Strategy

In the context of the continuous development and popularization of Internet technology, social media has gradually become a key part of the enterprise marketing system. It is vital to unlock and inspire brand potential by optimizing the social media program. 4P strategy analysis and SWOT analysis on Subway restaurant have gained remarkable attention in earlier research. However, previous studies fail to address the issues of Subway in China focusing on the perspective of social media marketing. The main purpose of this paper was to focus on uncovering what impede the expansion process of Subway China and how Subway will succeed in its Chinese market expansion by utilizing effective social media marketing strategies. The findings indicate that problems including intense competitiveness, inadequate localization and unsatisfactory social media operation are needed to be tackled, followed by further analyses eliciting several instructive suggestions revolving around the optimization of the social media marketing strategies of Subway China. Brand image promotion, interactivity enhancement and data analysis regarding to social media marketing strategies are proposed in this paper, aiming at providing referable approaches leading to a prospective future of Subway China.

Exploring the Role of Social Capital in Traditional Market Survival Amid Urban Retail Transformation

This study investigates the survival strategies of traditional markets amid the rise of modern retail establishments. Utilizing an ethnographic approach, the research explores how traditional markets in South Kalimantan, Indonesia, leverage personalized service, flexible pricing, and strong community ties to maintain customer loyalty. Findings highlight the significant role of social relationships, trust, and economic adaptability in sustaining these markets. Despite competitive pressures from modern retail, traditional markets thrive by embedding economic transactions within cultural and relational frameworks. Manual thematic analysis of interviews, participant observations, and documentary sources revealed that vendors employ relational labor and adaptive practices to foster resilience. This study underscores the importance of preserving traditional markets as vital components of urban culture, community life, and inclusive economies.

Social networks of neighbourhood inhabitants, residents of a care facility, and nursing staff: a case study in two long-term care facilities in the Netherlands

BackgroundThe pressure on long-term care (LTC) facilities, because of population ageing and personnel shortages, may be relieved by using the social network resources that are already available to the facility. The aim of this study is to give insight in existing social networks and relationships between residents and their family members, care staff and persons in the local communities of nursing homes.MethodsIn this paper we describe these social networks and the relationships of which they consist in two nursing homes in the Netherlands, thereby illustrating the social capital of both facilities.ResultsThe results show there are multiple direct and indirect relationships between nursing staff, family members of residents and inhabitants of the neighbourhood.ConclusionsAlthough it may be difficult for residents with dementia to maintain their social networks as part of their illness, there are numerous ties that attest to the social roles of persons with dementia in the community. These ties can be used to provide person-centred care, but are also an important resource in finding and retaining personnel and volunteers.

Citizens’ initiative for connected healthcare in the Netherlands: a case study using semi-structured interviews

BackgroundA broad governance trend encouraging citizens to take greater responsibility for their health has led to an increased need for Citizen Initiatives (CI)s in healthcare and welfare. These initiatives utilize informal and formal resources and networks to deliver healthcare and often interact with local governments through collaborative forms such as co-creation. Despite its potential, co-creation in healthcare remains relatively underexplored.MethodsUsing a qualitative design, we investigated the perspectives of key stakeholders of a healthcare CI and a municipal government to increase and informalize health and welfare through reablement.ResultsWe show that the CI collaboration centres on three main themes: (1) creating a shared CI vision, (2) capacity of citizens and municipal workers to collaborate, and (3) addressing elements required for a sustainable collaboration. Mechanisms of control, municipal boundary setting, and opaque decision-making were regarded as factors hindering collaboration. In contrast, commitment, understandable communication, boundary crossing social capital, and political support are considered important CI collaboration facilitators.ConclusionsTo conclude, healthcare and welfare CI and municipality co-creations benefit from a clear and shared vision and methods, empowered stakeholders, and mitigated power imbalances. Future studies should develop new accountability structures and safeguards for citizens with limited participation abilities, especially when municipalities participate in health or welfare CIs.

Externally appointed chief executive officer’s compensation, risk-taking behaviour, and the moderating role of CEO’s social capital: UK evidence

Purpose This paper aims to examine the influence of chief executive officers’ (CEOs) social capital on the association between various compensation measures and their strategic risk-taking behaviour. Design/methodology/approach This study analysed 682 firms by applying a two-step system generalized method of moments and staggered difference-in-difference (S-DID) estimation techniques to uncover the links between executive compensation, strategic risk and social capital. Findings This study finds that CEO social capital strengthens the relationship between various forms of compensation and strategic risk, while weakening the relationship between option compensation and strategic risk. This paper also finds that an extensively networked CEO may exhibit a diminished inclination towards change as their tenure progresses. Further tests using S-DID reveal a decline in the relationship between compensation and strategic risk in firms transitioning from well-connected long-tenured insider to outsider. The findings remain robust after addressing endogeneity concerns using propensity score matching and entropy balancing. Research limitations/implications The findings underscore the significance of considering externally appointed CEOs’ career trajectories as continuous processes, especially when analysing their propensity for strategic change. This complements prior studies on CEO succession highlighting the significance of social capital for externally appointed CEOs. Practical implications As boards of directors frequently turn to CEO succession in pursuit of change in strategy, the findings suggest that they should not only assess CEO tenure but also the new CEO’s level of social capital when evaluating their propensity for change. Consequently, boards must take a more comprehensive approach to evaluating CEO experiences. Originality/value While this paper confirms that social capital moderates the relationship between compensation and strategic risk, it also reveals how this effect varies across different compensation types and stages of CEO tenure. Notably, it focuses on UK firms, highlighting context-specific dynamics in CEO succession and risk-taking behaviour.

Social capital and regional influences: key predictors of unmet dental care needs among older adults in South Korea.

Access to dental services is essential for improving quality of life, and social capital plays a key role in facilitating that access. This study aimed to identify individual- and regional-level factors, including social capital, that predict unmet dental care needs among older adults. We analyzed data from 59,414 older adults obtained from the 2023 Korea Community Health Survey and the Korean Statistical Information Service, employing a 2-level multilevel model. The dependent variables comprised 3 types of unmet dental care needs: overall, due to lack of acceptability, and due to economic reasons. Twelve independent variables, including social capital and other individual and regional factors, were examined. The prevalence of unmet needs was 14.15% overall, 8.70% for acceptability reasons, and 4.85% for economic reasons. Lower individual social capital was associated with higher odds of unmet dental care needs, whereas regional social capital factors demonstrated no significant association. Residing in regions with higher fiscal independence ratios was related to an increased likelihood of economic unmet needs (odds ratio [OR], 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09 to 1.52). In contrast, a greater density of dentists per 10,000 population was inversely associated with overall and acceptability-related unmet needs (OR, 0.82 for both; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.92 and 0.73 to 0.93, respectively). Individual social capital and specific regional factors-namely, fiscal independence and density of dentists-may represent important determinants of unmet dental care needs among older adults. Policy interventions aimed at reducing unmet needs should consider these variables.

The Exploratory Study of Business and STEM Students’ Perceptions of LinkedIn

Our study examines whether there are differences mainly between business students and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students’ perceptions of LinkedIn when they use LinkedIn to construct their professional and social identity, as a social capital, as a platform for building relationship with trust, as a platform of professional or business opportunities, and as an interactive learning resource. Our study employs a survey among college students at two different settings of public and private universities in the U.S. The findings reveal that there are no significant differences in business students or STEM students’ perceptions of LinkedIn as a social capital, or as a platform of building relationship with trust, or as a platform of professional career development. However, our findings reveal that business and STEM students have different perceptions and usage of LinkedIn as a resource for interactive learning. Our study benefits college students to utilize LinkedIn effectively in their learning and career. Our study fills the gap to examine the differences between young business students and STEM students’ perceptions of LinkedIn at two higher educational institutions.

Economic Inequality and Mental Health: Causality, Mechanisms, and Interventions.

Almost all countries in the world have witnessed a rapid increase in levels of economic inequality, a measure of the distribution of income and wealth across the population, since the advent of neoliberal economic policies in the 1970s. In this review, we conceptualize inequality as an ecological construct and discuss why it matters for the mental health of populations and for individual clinical outcomes. We then discuss some of the key mechanisms through which economic inequality influences mental health beyond poverty itself: social comparison and social capital. We also consider how the effect might vary across specific vulnerable groups in the population, such as young people and minoritized communities. Finally, we discuss methodological challenges in studying the relationship between inequality and mental health and conclude by outlining future research directions and possible interventions at the governmental, community, and individual levels to mitigate the negative mental health consequences of economic inequality.

Evaluating social marketing efficacy: the case of the Chinese anti-food waste law to reduce food ordering

Purpose This study aims to determine the effects of three social marketing elements – law (a penalty for excessive waste), education (use of the national Clean Your Plate slogan) and marketing (providing multiple portion sizes) – within the 2021 Chinese Anti-Food Waste Law (CAFWL), to evaluate whether these retailer actions can reduce consumers’ food ordering. It assessed three alternative dependent variables related to food ordering – total number of dishes ordered, net number of dishes ordered (accommodating meal size ordered) and total meal cost. Design/methodology/approach Using a hypothetical food ordering scenario involving 1,609 respondents in China, this study undertook a 2 × 2 × 2 experiment combining the three elements of social marketing within the CAFWL, to determine the direct and interaction effects of these three elements on the alternative dependent measures of food ordering behaviour. Findings Each of the three elements of social marketing had a significant main effect, reducing total dishes ordered and net dishes ordered. The education message and penalty for excess food also reduced meal costs. Only the marketing intervention (alternative portion sizes) and a penalty (for excess waste) had a significant interaction across the measures. Research limitations/implications This study examined food ordering behaviour and did not assess waste. Past research has found that those who order more waste more, and thus there is support that the waste reduction benefits should arise. Social implications By integrating education, penalties and marketing strategies within the 2021 CAFWL, the findings demonstrate how targeted actions can effectively reduce food waste and influence social norms towards more responsible consumption behaviour. Originality/value There have been few attempts to test the efficacy of all three social marketing elements – law, education and marketing – and the interplay among these interventions’ strategies on consumers ordering. This work investigates the efficiency of these elements within the CAFWL and supports its application by using actual consumers in China.