Role Of Social Ties Research Articles

Social Relationships and Adiposity in Older Adults: Population-Based Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Abstract Objectives Obesity prevention and management requires effective interventions that address broader social determinants, but current research on the role of social ties and central and general obesity is limited. This study aimed to determine the link of social ties and obesity using gender sensitive analysis. Methods We used baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA, 2012–2015) Comprehensive cohort of 28,238 adults (45–85y). We assessed whether four types of social ties including marital status (partnered, single, widowed, divorced/separated); living arrangement (co-living versus lone-living); social network size (sum of known contacts, 1–580); and social participation (sum of social activities participated at least every month, 0–8) were associated with objectively measured anthropometric outcomes, and whether associations differed by gender. Results Overall, odds of both central and general obesity were higher among all non-partnered women and among women with less social activities (≤ 2), compared to counterparts. For example, women with minimal social activities had 46% higher odds of central obesity (OR = 1.46 [95% CI: 1.07, 1.99]) than women with at least five regular social activities. By contrast, lone-living and smaller social networks were associated with lower odds of general obesity among men; however, single men had an 18% higher odds of central obesity (1.18 [1.02, 1.37]) compared to married men. Gender differences revealed stronger associations for general obesity in women compared to central obesity, that was not observed in men. Conclusions This study suggests that absence of social ties is strongly associated with obesity in women, who may benefit most from structural interventions that foster greater social relationships. The influence of social ties on obesity among men deserves further prospective investigations. Funding Sources This research was made possible using data/biospecimens collected by CLSA. Funding for the CLSA is provided by the Government of Canada through the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) under grant reference: LSA 94,473 and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. This research has been conducted using CLSA Baseline Comprehensive Dataset version 4.0, AN 19CA003. CLSA is led by Drs. Parminder Raina, Christina Wolfson and Susan Kirkland. The present research is funded by CIHR grant.

The role of social ties for culture-led development in inner areas. The case of the 2016–2017 Central Italy earthquake

ABSTRACT During the past fifteen years, economic and managerial studies have devoted increasing attention to the role of cultural and creative industries, especially in promoting urban regeneration and local development in metropolitan areas. Less attention has been paid to culture-led development in marginal and fragile areas. Moreover, there is increasing policy and research interest in post-disaster resilience, and it is well known that rebuilding communities is even more important than physical reconstruction. This paper contributes to advance knowledge by interconnecting these research fields. We focus on inner areas and take as a specific object of analysis a wide area affected by the earthquakes that struck Central Italy between August 2016 and January 2017. Drawing on empirical data collected through semi-structured interviews with local cultural and tourism managers, we examine initiatives of horizontal and vertical cooperation that unfolded in the first two years after the earthquakes and we discuss issues and prospects of ‘adaptive resilience’ that may emerge thereinafter. We suggest that the wealth of bottom-up cultural experiences launched after the earthquake, and their high degree of inclusiveness can be considered as signs of the social capital that can sustain the post-earthquake economic recovery.

'Either You Float or You Drown:' The Role of Social Ties and Stigma in Lived Experiences of the HIV Care Continuum in HPTN 065.

HPTN 065 utilized financial incentives to promote viral suppression among HIV-positive participants. Exit interviews were conducted in a sub-study of participants in Washington, DC and Bronx, NY. The present analyses explored lived experiences of social ties and stigma as individuals navigated the HIV care continuum, including gender differences in lived experiences. Using viral load data and informed by stages-of-change theory, participants were categorized into "Low-Adherers (n = 13)", "Action (n = 29)" and "Maintenance (n = 31)" stages. Secondary analyses of qualitative data were informed by grounded theory, and instances of social ties and stigma discussed by participants were quantified with descriptive statistics. Participants (N = 73) were mostly male (64%), African American (58%), with yearly income under $10,000 (52%). Low-adherers identified fewer, and sometimes more combative social ties than those in other adherence stages. Maintainers identified supportive ties as motivation for medication adherence (68%) but relied less on them for motivation than individuals in other adherence stages. Low-adherers described current experiences of stigma related to being diagnosed with HIV more than other adherence stages (23%). Individuals in Action reported stigma related to disclosing their HIV status to others (52%), while individuals in Maintenance mostly stigmatized others engaging in "risky" behaviors (32%). Findings suggest that women may perceive greater HIV stigma than men, perceive less supportive social ties, and were the majority of Low-adherers. Gender-informed approaches can facilitate community de-stigmatization of HIV, as African American women may be at greater risk of negative HIV health outcomes.

Rumor Has it: The Role of Social Ties in Evacuation to Nearby Shelters after the 2018 Hokkaido Earthquake

When crisis strikes, why do some communities utilize evacuation shelters more than others? This mixed methods study draws on a new dataset of almost-daily tallies of evacuees at 660 local shelters following Japan’s 2018 Eastern Iburi Earthquake in Hokkaido to create a large-N time-series cross sectional (TSCS) dataset of local, short-distance evacuation. We pair time-series cross-sectional data models with qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of nine affected municipalities to examine why some shelters see higher evacuation rates than others. While past studies have used Facebook user data, post-hoc surveys, or ad-hoc roadside interviews to measure evacuation, this study uses meticulously recorded shelter attendance data to draw inferences about evacuation behavior. Controlling for types of shelters, damage levels, infrastructure quality, social vulnerability, governance capacity, and community resources, we find that in affected communities, stronger bridging social ties, especially when aided by linking ties, motivate greater evacuation to shelters. In unaffected communities, stronger bonding and bridging ties encourage potentially unnecessary evacuation, helping spread rumors during blackouts. These results highlight the necessity of clear, transparent communication with the public, and fostering trust in government during crises.

Social Networks and Protest Participation: Evidence from 130 Million Twitter Users

AbstractPinning down the role of social ties in the decision to protest has been notoriously elusive, largely due to data limitations. Social media and their global use by protesters offer an unprecedented opportunity to observe real‐time social ties and online behavior, though often without an attendant measure of real‐world behavior. We collect data on Twitter activity during the 2015 Charlie Hebdo protest in Paris, which, unusually, record real‐world protest attendance and network structure measured beyond egocentric networks. We devise a test of social theories of protest that hold that participation depends on exposure to others' intentions and network position determines exposure. Our findings are strongly consistent with these theories, showing that protesters are significantly more connected to one another via direct, indirect, triadic, and reciprocated ties than comparable nonprotesters. These results offer the first large‐scale empirical support for the claim that social network structure has consequences for protest participation.

THE VARYING ROLE OF SOCIAL TIES ON TEAM PERFORMANCE: EVIDENCE FROM THE MARKETING CLASSROOM

Firms and institutions of higher education alike emphasize the value of teamwork in increasing organizational performance. In this empirical study, the role of social ties on team performance is examined. The results indicate that there is an inverted-U relationship between average number of friends in a team and team performance, and that this relationship is negatively moderated by level of conflict. Based on the findings and assessment of extant approaches (random, self-formed, assigned), the authors propose a hybrid, two-stage team formation methodology to improve team performance while successfully satisfying relevant formation criteria.

Free-riding and knowledge spillovers in teams: The role of social ties

We investigate whether and how social ties affect performance in teams by implementing a field experiment in which a sample of undergraduate students are randomly assigned either to teams composed by friends or to teams composed by individuals not linked by friendship relationships. Students undertake an intermediate exam divided into two parts: one graded on the basis of individual performance and the other graded on the basis of team performance. We find that students assigned to socially connected teams perform significantly better than control students in both the team part and the individual part of the exam, suggesting that social ties are relevant both for solving free-riding problems and for inducing knowledge spillovers among teammates. The positive effect of friendship persists over time: treated students obtain better grades also after the conclusion of the experiment.

Rethinking School-Based Ties: Social Class and the Role of Institutional Agents in Adolescents’ College Plans

BackgroundPlanning for college is an increasingly common rite of passage for high school students. Institutional agents—nonkin adults who possess institutional resources—are important sources of support and guidance in this process.PurposeThis mixed-methods study examines social class differences in the involvement of school-based institutional agents such as teachers and school counselors in helping young people plan for college and the future.PopulationInterviews were conducted with 61 middle-class, working-class, and poor young women to collect information regarding their future plans, social ties, and role of social ties in guiding their plans. In addition, the author uses survey data from the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS) to examine the association between social class and the role of school-based ties in adolescents’ college planning.Research DesignAnalyses of in-person interview transcripts involved inductive coding and the development of effects matrices to compare coding output by class. Quantitative models were constructed based on qualitative findings. Based on these findings, analyses of ELS data used hierarchical models to estimate the association between social class background and receiving encouragement and information regarding college from social ties.FindingsAnalyses of interview transcripts reveal that disadvantaged young women see school-based ties as their primary means for college planning, whereas middle-class young women often discount advice from these ties when other sources of advice are available. Quantitative models also show that disadvantaged youth rely on school-based ties for information in the college planning process to a greater extent than do middle-class youth. However, disadvantaged youth receive less encouragement to attend college from school and nonschool ties, even after accounting for academic performance.ConclusionsInequality in access to college stems in part from differences in the resources available to high school students as they plan for the future. Disadvantaged youth look to schools to help them plan; if schools marshal their resources to assist these young people, they can help address existing inequality in access to college.

The Role of Social Ties in Factor Allocation

Abstract We investigate whether social structure helps or hinders factor allocation using unusually rich data from the Gambia. Evidence indicates that land available for cultivation is allocated unequally across households; and that factor transfers are more common between neighbors, co-ethnics, and kinship-related households. Does this lead to the conclusion that land inequality is due to flows of land between households being impeded by social divisions? To answer this question, a novel methodology that approaches exhaustive data on dyadic flows from an aggregate point of view is introduced. Land transfers lead to a more equal distribution of land and to more comparable factor ratios across households in general. But equalizing transfers of land are not more likely within ethnic or kinship groups. In conclusion, ethnic and kinship divisions do not hinder land and labor transfers in a way that contributes to aggregate factor inequality. Labor transfers do not equilibrate factor ratios across households. But it cannot be ruled out that they serve a beneficial role, for example, to deal with unanticipated health shocks.

Social Ties and the Incidence of Homelessness

Although almost all homeless people are poor, most poor people do not experience homelessness. We use a detailed national survey to explore the role of social ties—including connection to relatives, friends, and religious community—in explaining why only a subset of poor adults fall into homelessness. We find that lifetime incidence of homelessness is reduced by 60% for individuals with strong ties along each of these dimensions. Ties to relatives are most important, followed by ties to religious community, whereas ties to friends are not associated with reduced incidence of homelessness. We also find that among currently low-income individuals, social ties are not associated with income, providing evidence that our results are not explained by unobserved variation in historical depth of poverty that is potentially correlated with our measures of social ties.

The weight of networks: the role of social ties and ethnic media in mitigating obesity and hypertension among Latinas

ABSTRACTObjectives: Latinos have a disproportionately high risk for obesity and hypertension. The current study analyzes survey data from Latin American women to detect differences in rates of obesity and hypertension based on their number of health-related social ties. Additionally, it proposes individuals’ health-related media preference (ethnic/ mainstream) as a potential moderator.Design: The dataset includes 364 Latinas (21–50 years old) from the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, who responded to a series of sociodemographic, physiological, health-related, and media-related questions.Results: Controlling for various sociodemographic and health variables, each additional health-related tie in a Latina’s social network significantly decreased her likelihood of being obese OR = .79, p = .041, 95% CI [.66, .95], but did not affect hypertension. Further, the analysis revealed a significant interaction between media preference and health-related social ties, such that exposure to ethnic media tended to compensate for the absence of social ties for the likelihood of obesity OR = .75, p = .041, 95% CI [.52, .97], as well as hypertension OR = .79, p = .045, 95% CI [.55, .98].Conclusion: In concurrence with the literature, increases in health-related ties reduced the likelihood of obesity in this population. Moreover, ethnic media preference may play an important role in mitigating the likelihood of obesity and hypertension among Latinas.

The role of social ties and communication technologies in visiting friends tourism- A GMM simultaneous equations approach

This study has two objectives: to examine the interplay between communication technologies, social ties, attractiveness of destination and distance, focusing on the visiting friends tourism; and to further distinguish the visiting friends sub-segment from the visiting relatives' one. We pursue a quantitative approach by analyzing survey data among 300 respondents who maintain connections with friends overseas, while accounting for endogeneity and simultaneity concerns. We find further justification of the need to study visiting relatives and visiting friends separately. We demonstrate that the use of different communication channels is not monolithic; some media are negatively correlated with travel to meet in person, while other media and meetings in person are mutually reinforcing. Yet, the ongoing advances in communication technologies, on the one hand, and in transportation, on the other, entails that the interplay between communication technologies and face-to-face meeting will evolve, hence, it should continue to be explored in future research.

Audit Committee Oversight of Fraud Risk: The Role of Social Ties, Professional Ties, and Governance Characteristics

SYNOPSIS This study examines audit committee (AC) oversight of fraudulent financial reporting (FFR) risk and management integrity, and how such oversight varies with AC social ties, professional ties, and governance characteristics. Specifically, based on a survey of 134 U.S. public company AC members, we find that AC participants with social ties (i.e., personal ties) to the CEO are negatively associated with AC actions to assess FFR risk and management integrity. Further, the AC appears to cut back on more observable FFR and MI actions when the responding AC member has a social tie to the CEO, consistent with socially connected ACs being reluctant to engage in observable monitoring actions that could jeopardize a social tie to the CEO. However, AC participants with professional ties to other independent directors and those with professional experience as corporate controllers are positively related to such actions. We also find that AC size is positively related to FFR risk assessment, while female AC participants and those serving on boards with greater independence are more likely to report engaging in AC activities to assess management integrity. Finally, when asked more broadly about who they rely on and who is responsible for assessing the risk of FFR, AC members mainly point to the external audit partner, CFO, and head of internal audit. We discuss implications and directions for future research.

Untangling the disaster-depression knot: The role of social ties after Deepwater Horizon

The mental health consequences of disasters, including oil spills, are well known. The goal of this study is to examine whether social capital and social support mediate the effects of exposure to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on depression among women. Data for the analysis come from the first wave of data collection for the Women and Their Children's Health Study, a longitudinal study of the health effects of women exposed to the oil spill in southern Louisiana, USA. Women were interviewed about their exposure to the oil spill, depression symptoms, structural social capital (neighborhood organization participation), cognitive social capital (sense of community and informal social control), and social support. Structural equation models indicated that structural social capital was associated with increased levels of cognitive social capital, which were associated with higher levels of social support, which in turn were associated with lower levels of depression. Physical exposure to the oil spill was associated with greater economic exposure, which in turn was associated with higher levels of depression. When all variables were taken into account, economic exposure was no longer associated with depression, and social support and cognitive social capital mediated the effect of economic exposure on depression, explaining 67% of the effect. Findings support an extension of the deterioration model of social support to include the additional coping resource of social capital. Social capital and social support were found to be beneficial for depression post-oil spill; however, they were themselves negatively impacted by the oil spill, explaining the overall negative effect of the oil spill on depression. A better understanding of the pathways between the social context and depression could lead to interventions for improved mental health in the aftermath of a disaster.

Problematic alcohol use and problem gambling: Associations to structural and functional aspects of social ties in a Finnish population sample

Aims This study aims to explore associations between structural and functional aspects of social networks and relationships (here labelled social ties) among individuals exhibiting problematic alcohol use and problem gambling, respectively. Material & Methods Data was collected in the 2011 Western Finland Mental Health Survey, a postal questionnaire survey applying a stratified random sampling approach. The survey response rate was 46.2% (n = 4624, age range 15–80 years). Problem behaviours were assessed using the CAGE and Lie/Bet tools. Logistic regression analyses were performed, with problematic alcohol use and problem gambling as dependent variables. Demographic variables, structural social tie factors (marital status, frequency of social contacts, engagement in association activities) and functional social tie factors (experienced loneliness, social support, neighbourhood trust, general trust) constituted explanatory variables. Results In this representative population sample, only one structural social tie variable, marital status, proved to be significantly associated with one of the outcomes (problematic alcohol use). Identical functional social tie variables were associated with both problematic alcohol use and problem gambling: individuals exhibiting the problem behaviours experienced higher levels of experienced loneliness and low levels of neighbourhood trust. Identified interaction effects with demographic factors highlight the complexity of links. Conclusions Functional aspects of individual-level social ties appear to be more relevant when studying problematic alcohol use or problem gambling, similarly to other forms of mental health problems. The role of social ties as preventive or risk factors for problem behaviour development, as a part of problem behaviour maintenance or as a cessation and a recovery resource should be further explored, considering also interactions with demographic variables.

Rethinking social movement micromobilization: Multi-stage theory and the role of social ties

Micromobilization research constitutes a vital stream within social movement studies. Despite a wealth of empirical research and recent advances in micromobilization theory, research is still hampered by a myriad of issues. This article identifies conceptual, empirical, and methodological weaknesses in the micromobilization literature and offers solutions. First, the author provides a clear definition of micromobilization by synthesizing two distinct, yet interrelated research streams that, on the one hand, emphasize the processes through which social movement organizations attempt to recruit and influence potential supporters and participants and, on the other hand, enumerate various analytically distinct steps that make up micromobilization. Using this as a springboard, the author then evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of a longstanding, popular model of micromobilization that he terms the ‘affinity-initiated model.’ This micromobilization model is extended in significant ways by merging insights from extant social movement, social psychology, and network analysis literatures, pinpointing novel and overlooked ways social ties, in particular, facilitate the differentiation of individuals at analytically distinct steps in the micromobilization process. Finally, the author identifies several avenues for future micromobilization research opened up by the analytic approach developed in this article.

Reviewing a Friend - The Role of Social Ties in Review Work in Auditing

Hierarchically structured review work is a pervasive element in many professional work settings, including auditing. However, little is known about social factors underlying the pairing of reviewers and reviewees and their impact on quality. The German auditing setting provides a unique opportunity to empirically observe review work at the highest hierarchical level. We investigate the role of social ties in the pairing of concurring auditor (reviewer) and lead auditor (reviewee). We find that the presence of social ties between the concurring auditor and the lead auditor resulting from local affinity, i.e., having the same dialect and working in the same office, makes it more likely for the auditors to form pairs. In contrast, the presence of educational affinity, i.e., having a similar level of audit experience and the same field of study, makes it less likely for auditors to form pairs. Using an instrumental variable approach to control for selection effects, we find that pairs sharing a local background provide lower audit quality, whereas pairs sharing an educational background provide higher audit quality. Our findings should be of interest to regulators, audit firms, audit clients and investors.

Role of Social ties in Opportunity Recognition & moderation effect of SE

Extant literature on network ties in the context of people with disabilities is scant. We believe that the contextual factors for people with disabilities vary significantly possibly due socially c...

Free-Riding and Knowledge Spillovers in Teams: The Role of Social Ties

We investigate whether and how social ties affect performance in teams by implementing a field experiment in which a sample of undergraduate students are randomly assigned to either teams composed by friends or teams composed by individuals not linked by friendship relationships. Students undertake an intermediate exam divided into two parts: one graded on the basis of individual performance and the other graded on the basis of the team performance. We find that students assigned to socially connected teams perform significantly better than control students in both the team part and the individual part of the exam, suggesting that social ties are relevant both for solving free-riding problems and for inducing knowledge spillovers among teammates. The positive effect of friendship persists over time: treated students obtain better grades also in a second individual test after the conclusion of the experiment.

Social Networks and Protest Participation: Evidence from 93 Million Twitter Users

Pinning down the role of social ties in the decision to protest has been notoriously elusive, largely due to data limitations. The era of social media and its global use by protesters offers an unprecedented opportunity to observe real-time social ties and online behavior, though often without an attendant measure of real-world behavior. We collect data on Twitter activity during the 2015 Charlie Hebdo protests in Paris which, unusually, record both real-world protest attendance and high-resolution network structure. We specify a theory of participation in which an individual’s decision depends on her exposure to others’ intentions, and network position determines exposure. Our findings are strong and consistent with this theory, showing that, relative to comparable Twitter users, protesters are significantly more connected to one another via direct, indirect, triadic, and reciprocated ties. These results offer the first large-scale empirical support for the claim that social network structure influences protest participation.