Notion Of Social Capital Research Articles

Leveraging social capital for the recovery and regeneration of the ecotourism sector in Cameroon

ABSTRACT This paper examines leveraging social capital to regenerate the ecotourism sector in Cameroon. Using a qualitative approach, in-depth interviews were held with local community leaders, governmental stakeholders, and NGOs. These informants possessed nuanced knowledge of the state of ecotourism in the region, thus constituted integral stakeholders in the ecotourism–community–social capital nexus. The findings of the study indicate that notions of social capital can be leveraged in the traditional hierarchy of communities to influence support for regenerating the sector. This can also address problems affecting the successful (re)development of the sector, stemming from the geopolitical crisis, where levels of trust (associated with social capital) in national authorities may be influenced by traditional authorities, like community leaders. The novelty and theoretical contribution of this paper lie in its unique conceptualisation of regeneration of ecotourism, through the lens of social capital and the nuanced geopolitical situation which contextualises the landscape.

Cultural management as an element of strategy of development of school social capital

Besides various proposals of solving current problem with education crisis, some new economic and social concepts appear, which are related to the notion of social capital. This article attempts to analyse conditions of social capital formation in the school as well as some factors that support its development. Particular attention is given to cultural management, which is perceived as a determinant of effective development of informal values and ethical standards common for the school community. In the conclusion it is pointed out that the supreme value of such strategic management of social capital is building relationships based on trust and partnership. This creates innovative organizational culture of school community. Its characteristic features are: a future orientation, elasticity and ability to act proactively. Thus, social capital becomes a bearer of cultural values that cause positive changes in the dominating cultural system of contemporary education. The article presents the following implications for practice or educational policy: educational policy makers can familiarise themselves with the main dimensions of the social organisation of the school, which in management theory are the basis for the growth of the social capital of the school ; Administrators can take action to develop an innovative organisational culture for the school community, adapted to current and future changes in the school environment as an organisation ; Educators can improve the individual educational environment of each pupil through cyberlearning space, which is now becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to existing methods of shaping the social capital of the school ; The participants of the educational process should together take part in the development of innovative structures of the educational community’s relational bonds through cultural management which formats the organisational culture of the school’s social capital as a system of meanings understood by the pupils and collectively accepted by them.

The Filipino “Backer System” in the Maritime Industry: The Privileged Access to Seafaring Jobs

Drawing from the narratives of twenty-eight global Filipino seafarers and two Crewing Managers, this paper analyzes how Bourdieu’s notion of social capital is utilized through the Filipino “backer system”. The “backer system” refers to a legitimated practice in the maritime industry where an applicant seeks a backer or a patron to recommend him to a manning agency to launch his seafaring career. This practice, however, is governed by characteristics that define the power relations among the social actors. The backer system emphasizes why strong ties matter – how the utilization of family social capital and ethnic ties mobilizes a jobseeker’s career and how prospective seafarers usually access these ties. As social capital is a network of trust and reciprocity, the Filipino value of utang na loob reflects the nature of the transaction enclosed in the “backer system”. Utang na loob refers to debt of goodwill where one who receives favor from another is morally required to return the favor. However, as polarizing as it is, the principle of utang na loob is shaped as symbolic capital and symbolic violence. As a capital, it transforms a disadvantaged position into an advantaged one, where economic and instrumental gains are received. When the transaction becomes abusive and exploitative, it becomes symbolic violence. Premised on an unequal endowment of social capital, the “backer system” reproduces inequality, where those with merit and cultural capital fail to advance their careers because their social capital is non-existent or inadequate.

The Social Benefits of a City Whitewater Park

The purpose of this study was to examine the social benefits whitewater paddlers derive from a city whitewater park. Many communities are investing great sums of time and money in the development of whitewater parks, with the expectation that these parks will generate social benefits for park users and their surrounding communities (Moorman et al., 2007; Podolak, 2012). This study sought to determine the nature and scope of these benefits, framing social benefits in terms of Putnam’s (2000) notion of social capital. The researchers used a qualitative case study research design and means-end analysis to conduct the study. The Salida Whitewater Park in Salida, Colorado served as the site for this study, and interviews were conducted with 25 whitewater paddlers at this location. The findings reveal key themes identified in the data related to the notion of social capital, as well as the positive influence that whitewater parks can have in promoting the development and maintenance of social capital among park users and their surrounding communities.

Two notions of social capital

ABSTRACT We propose a model that reconciles two aspects of social capital: social capital as reciprocal sharing of favors within a selected group vs. social capital as trust that lubricates transactions in societies. The core assumption is that individuals have productive potentials, e.g., innovations, that can not be put at use autonomously. However, individuals can associate in a club to match productive innovator-implementor dyads among the members. For a given club, allowing one new member has the effect of a) an increased pool of innovations and b) an increased pool of potential implementers. Whether a particular member supports the expansion of the club depends on whether she expects to be an implementor or an innovator. When expansion of membership is decided by vote, both small exclusive clubs and open clubs encompassing the whole society can emerge. The outcome depends both on the voting protocol, on the distribution of innovator and implementer skills, and on the maximal potential club size. Moreover, identical environments may generate multiple equilibrium club sizes. In which of these the society ends up depends on the initial conditions and on the voting protocol.

Economic Intuition to Social Capital: Household Evidence from Jimma Zone, South-West Ethiopia

The notion of social capital is noble in social science literatures and recently getting noteworthy attention in economics. Its economic relevance has also been well documentedin empirical studies. In this paper, we established relationshipsbetween the stock of household social capital and annual net income following approach for binary logit. Besides, we examined the relative economic importance of general viz special stocks of social capital. Statistical requirements with logistic regression were all tested robust. Consequently, the effectof social capital stock on household economy has found substantial. Of the two distinct forms, the special facet of social capital was found better and significant contributor to householdeconomy. However,the general aspect was suggested insignificantasit was not meaningfully interpreted in the household economic network.Thus, a wise household need to appropriate the general to special social capital establishment, since every additional stock of the later could be meant to considerablyhelp own welfare.

Business networks, social capital and the economic performance of creative and cultural industries: The case of Indonesia

This study examines the ways in which networking characteristics and practices influence the economic performance of creative and cultural industries. The notion of social capital is used to conceptualise the complex nature of networks, including both professional and social relationships that occur on multiple levels. This qualitative study is set in the context of Indonesia, in which two cases are examined: creative apparel entrepreneurs in Bandung and batik producers in Surakarta. The results show that regional environments provide opportunities for creative industries to find specialist suppliers, to gather market information and, importantly, to find and cross‐fertilise new ideas. Although regions provide these opportunities, the firms’ internal social capital is crucial in being able to internalise and transform the knowledge from the environment into innovative values embodied in their products.

Mutuality in health care: review, concept analysis and ways forward.

This paper aims to critically investigate the notion of mutuality in nursing, and explore how to resolve the tension between individualised accounts of mutuality and institutional and political factors. The concept of mutuality underlies many theories and models of nursing yet this does not capture the power relations in health care or institutional constraints on mutuality. This is a position paper informed by a narrative literature review. A search of the Scopus, PubMed, Web of Knowledge and CINAHL databases for the terms mutual, mutuality and nursing was conducted, to capture English language literature published from 1990 to mid-2015. There is a large literature discussing the nature and value of mutual exchange and mutuality. There is acknowledgement of institutional and professional constraints which limit the potential of mutuality. Yet there is often a reluctance to engage with critical thinking which emphasises the inequalities of power in health care situations. Accordingly, the notion of social capital is introduced, which emphasises the role of social relationships which individuals and groups can deploy to their advantage. Finally the paper explores how new thinking about mutuality and social capital can make health care more effective. Mutuality and social capital can be enhanced in a variety of ways and may improve client and practitioner outcomes via training, educational and organisational design, and initiatives involving patients and service users, as well as practitioners and service leaders. The sociologically nuanced account of mutuality advanced here sensitises us to questions of power and domination, as well as enabling us to see mutuality in terms of networks of relationships instead of merely an interpersonal phenomenon. This enables practitioners to enhance clients' and their own capacity for mutuality and develop effective resources to increase resilience and recovery.

BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL: A GRASSROOTS LANGUAGE PROGRAM FOR REFUGEES AND POLITICS OF INTEGRATION

With the increased migration stimulated by economic transformations and political unrest in different parts of the globe, the issue of cultural and economic integration of newcomers has become pressing for hosting societies. Apart from state-sponsored integration projects, various grassroots initiatives have started to emerge. This study looks at the format and effects of an informal education programme for refugees titled 'Capture the Moment and Learn Something New', organised by a person with a foreign background in a small-sized town in western Sweden. Through qualitative network analysis, we demonstrate ways in which the programme facilitates the development of interconnections within the group of newcomers and formation of a shared identity of a migrant, simultaneously helping acquisition of cultural fluency and social recognition that might improve immigrants’ chances in establishing ties with the local ethnic majority. The notion of social capital is employed to explain variations in the range of resources potentially available for the newcomers.

Internal dynamics in community social capital. An explanatory structural model

The notion of social capital has been discussed in detail in the research literature, and its components have been analyzed. However, little research has been conducted into the internal influence relationships between them so as to determine explanatory orders and differentiate between elements which are causes and elements which, on the other hand, are a product or consequence of the former in social capital formation. This article presents the testing and empirical assessment of a model comprising four key variables in this area: sociability, associative activity, identification with everyday spatiality and solidarity. The analysis results show the importance of the variable “informal sociability” in the case of Spain for the development of the remaining elements comprising social capital, as well as the mediating role of the spatial dimension. These aspects are relatively opaque in many analyses about this concept.

A new approach to measure social capital using game-theoretic techniques

Although the notion of social capital has been extensively studied in various bodies of the literature, there is no universally accepted definition or measure of this concept. In this article, we discuss a new approach for measuring social capital which builds upon cooperative game theory. The new approach not only turns out to be a natural tool for modeling social capital, but also captures various aspects of this phenomenon that are not captured by other approaches.

Towards Smart and Sustainable Communities

The present paper aims at developing some reflections about the evolution of the sustainable development paradigm, from the triple-bottom line approach, to the concept of smart city and to the idea of sustainable communities. The paper also explores the main features of the future of cities, which will be based on the notion of social capital.

Networks in knowledge-intensive industry: the case of a regional accountants' network

Purpose – The paper aims to explore the reasons behind the formation of a regional accountants' network located in North Queensland, Australia, and examine in depth how relationships are constituted and maintained between the network members. The study also looks at the benefits arising from the network, structural constraints and the reasons behind its demise. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopts a more contemporary theoretical perspective which draws upon the notion of social capital that facilitates networks' capacity and capabilities for creating, sharing and accessing knowledge. This field study considers the specific case of the Cairns Regional Accountants' Forum (CRAF), a network of small and medium sized public accounting firms located far away from the metropolitan centres in Australia. Apart from the relevant archival data, senior partners/principals of 12 accounting firms were interviewed in a semi-structured manner. Three further interviews were held with the non-active members of the CRAF and telephone calls were made to the Regional Tax Practitioner Forum to discuss their involvement with the local accountants. Findings – Using the framework of social capital within the community of practice, this study has explored the use of informal regional network built by accounting principals for the efficient transfer of and access to knowledge between network members. When the knowledge became freely available, the cost of network building exceeded the benefits of belonging and the network collapsed. Practical implications – The paper has practical implications for accounting practitioners, particularly in regional/rural settings and for the accounting profession as a whole. Originality/value – First, very little is known about informal networks in knowledge-intensive firms stretched out in regional/rural settings. Second, the network in this study is different from many networks identified in the literature that have focused on innovation and competitive advantage. Finally, this study adopts a more integrated framework that explores how social capital is constituted and reconstituted in the network interaction process.

Social Capital in the Chinese Virtual Community: Impacts on the Social Shopping Model for Social Media

QQ, the largest virtual community in China, generates relational social capital that facilitates social shopping behaviours across channels. Based on social capital theory, this study assesses how social identification and knowledge creation influence social shopping behaviours; and how purchase motivation and intention from one channel transfer to another. Analysis of data collected from 216 QQ users supports the positive impacts of social identification and knowledge creation on purchase intention for virtual products within a channel, and positive cross-channel relationships between purchase motivations and intentions. This study provides an empirical social shopping model by facilitating the notion of social capital.

Social Capital and Institutional Trust: Evidence from Bolivia's Popular Participation Decentralisation Reforms

This article uses Bolivia's emblematic process of decentralisation (Popular Participation) to explore the elusive relationship between interpersonal and institutional trust, as central components of social capital. The evidence corroborates the notion that basic social interaction and more complex institutional settings are strongly co-related, such as the trust that individuals place in their governments and institutions. The data also shows that social capital has a direct effect on civic activism and political behaviour at the individual level. The notion of social capital is present throughout the analysis as this type of capital allows observing and measuring changes in social structures that affect more complex institutional arrangements.

Somali Associations' Trajectories in Italy and Finland: Leaders Building Trust and Finding Legitimisation

Previous research on migrant associations has explained their formation and maintenance by highlighting migrant groups' cultural characteristics or the political opportunity structures (POS) available in the countries of settlement. Past research has also focused on associations in relation to migrants' political participation in the countries of settlement, applying the notion of social capital. The aim of this article is to enrich the debate on migrant associations by analysing their trajectories. This analysis will also make use of the concepts of POS and social capital. The article analyses Somali associations' developmental trajectories over time in two different settlement-country contexts—Italy and Finland. The argument put forward is that, while political opportunity structures do matter, they are not sufficient to explain Somali associations' trajectories. Findings show that similar characteristics and networking processes of associations have been observed in both locations. The long-term functionality of associations is often in the hands of the associations' leaders, who exhibit similar uses of social capital. Leaders are the ‘professionals of mobilisation’, which also has consequences for the professionalisation of their associations.

In Search of the Mechanisms Conducive to Class Differentials in Educational Choice: A Mixed Method Research

This paper inquires into the mechanisms conducive to social class differentials in educational choice in Flanders (the Northern, Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) using both quantitative data gathered from parents ( N = 1339) and qualitative data gathered during two focus groups with pupils ( N = 16). Unlike most of the previous studies, this study takes into consideration all three theoretical perspectives that have driven research on class differentials in educational choice so far, namely cultural reproduction theory, rational action theory and the notion of social capital. Logistic regression analysis shows that self-selection does also occur in Flanders and that the effect of parental SES cannot be explained by a specific measure of cultural capital centred on knowledge of the educational system, nor by measures of social capital. What emerges most clearly from this study is that pupils' perception of their choice process is powerfully framed by deep-rooted conceptions about the educational alternatives available to them. Furthermore, children's choices seem to be delimited by parents' opinions of which educational alternatives were acceptable, and which ones not. Our study calls for future research to take the wider context of decision-making processes more explicitly into account.

Examining Financial Literacy among Transfer and Nontransfer Students: Predicting Financial Well-Being and Academic Success at a Four-Year University

This study analyzes the data collected through the Financial Literacy project conducted in the fall semester of 2010 at a land grant research university in the Midwest. A survey instrument, which includes 43 items that measure constructs such as parental influence, financial knowledge and behaviors, and working experience of students while attending a college, was used for the project. The authors examined differences in factors that influence transfer and nontransfer students' financial literacy on academic outcome by employing hierarchical multiple regression analyses. The financial nexus model and the notion of social capital were used to develop two regression models to predict financial well-being and academic success among transfer and nontransfer students who participated in the study. Implications for scholarly contributions, policy, and practice are also discussed.

Migrant networks and beyond: Exploring the value of the notion of social capital for making sense of ethnic inequalities

This article is concerned with use of the notion of social capital in research into the position and experience of migrants, in particular with regard to the question of inequalities. I start by outlining some key perspectives and debates in the literature on social capital, and argue in favour of Bourdieu’s conceptualization. Here, what defines economic, social, cultural and symbolic resources as ‘capital’, in particular, essentially lies in their convertibility into other resources with the effect of securing advantage or overcoming disadvantage. I then go on to illustrate the argument by drawing on a number of biographical interviews with refugees in Sweden – looking first at the functions played by co-ethnic networks in their accounts, and supporting the argument that many of those functions are not usefully conceptualized in terms of social capital. Second, I suggest that if we are concerned to apply Bourdieu’s conceptualization of social capital to make sense of the position and experience of migrants generally and with regard to inequalities particularly, we need to look beyond intra-ethnic/migrant networks and consider how these are situated in a wider social context and in relation to other social networks. Here, I look at the extent to which my interviewees have emphasized the importance of links to the majority population, and consider the obstacles they have encountered in creating such links. Finally, I highlight that the emphasis Bourdieu puts on power and resource differentials in defining social networks and resources in terms of ‘capital’ also remains important when considering minority–majority relations.

PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT APPROACH IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE – ITS RELEVANCE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: A Case Study of Sri Lanka

This research paper seeks to examine to what extent local governance iseffective in alleviating the vicious circle of poverty. Furthermore, traditional social relationships in Sri Lankan society are relatively and critically discussed in the notion of social capital. In Sri Lanka, local government institutions, administrative divisional secretaries, the Gramaseva division, civil society and the business community are the entities of local governance at the grass roots governance level that directly involve participation of the general public. The article studies the effect of Local Governance on poverty alleviation and observes people’s direct involvement in relation to their socio – economic development in the local governance political body. The Kasiwattapura at Polhena Gramaseva Division in the Matara Municipal Council is selected to study this theoretical component.