Social Capital Indicators Research Articles

Racial and ethnic differences in the association of social cohesion and social capital with HIV testing

HIV testing rates vary by race and ethnicity. Whether social capital indicators are related to HIV testing and whether these associations differ by race or ethnicity is unknown. Multivariable analysis was used to examine whether social capital (collective engagement and civic and social participation), including social cohesion (trust in neighbors, neighbors willing to help, feelings of belongingness) were associated with testing for HIV in the past 12 months. Participants were white, Black or African American, and Hispanic/Latino adults ages 18 to 44 (N = 2823) from the general population, in Philadelphia, PA who participated in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Surveys 2010 and 2012. Overall HIV testing in this sample was 42%, and was higher among women, and Black compared to white people. Mean social capital scores were significantly highest among whites. Greater trust in neighbors was associated with lower odds of testing for HIV (adjusted Odds Ratio[aOR]:0.61, 95% CI = 0.49–0.74), and this relationship varied by race/ethnicity, with stronger inverse associations among Hispanic/Latino (aOR = 0.43, p < 0.001) and white adults (aOR = 0.50, p < −0.001) than among Black adults (aOR = 0.75, p < 0.05). Greater neighborhood belongingness (aOR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.11–1.54) and working together to improve the neighborhood (aOR = 1.33, 95%CI = 1.03–1.73) were associated with higher odds of testing for HIV. Different indicators of social capital were associated with higher as well as lower odds of testing for HIV. These patterns did not vary statistically by race or ethnicity. HIV testing prevention interventions will need to address social capital in design and implementation strategies.

Predictors of consenting to participate in a clinical trial among urban cancer patients

BackgroundPatient participation in clinical trials is influenced by demographic and other individual level characteristics. However, there is less research on the role of geography and neighborhood-level factors on clinical trial participation. This study identifies the demographic, clinical, geographic, and neighborhood predictors of consenting to a clinical trial among cancer patients at a large, urban, NCI-designated cancer center in the Mid-Atlantic region. MethodsWe used demographic and clinical data from patients diagnosed with cancer between 2015 and 2017. We geocoded patient addresses and calculated driving distance to the cancer center. Additionally, we linked patient data to neighborhood-level educational attainment, social capital and cancer prevalence. Finally, we used generalized linear mixed-effects conditional logistic regression to identify individual and neighborhood-level predictors of consenting to a clinical trial. ResultsPatients with higher odds of consenting to trials were: Non-Hispanic White, aged 50–69, diagnosed with breast, GI, head/neck, hematologic, or certain solid tumor cancers, those with cancers at regional stage, never/former tobacco users, and those with the highest neighborhood social capital index. Patients who lived further from the cancer center had higher odds of consenting to a trial. With every 1-km increase in residential distance, there was a 4% increase in the odds that patients would consent to a trial. Neither of the additional neighborhood-level variables predicted consenting to a clinical trial. ConclusionsThis study identifies important demographic, patient-level, and geographic factors associated with consenting to cancer clinical trials, and lays the groundwork for future research exploring the role of neighborhood-level factors in clinical trial participation.

Analysis of Regional Social Capital, Enterprise Green Innovation and Green Total Factor Productivity—Based on Chinese A-Share Listed Companies from 2011 to 2019

At present, social capital is considered to be one of the important reasons for promoting economic development and causing regional economic differences, but in the existing research, there is little literature on the impact of regional social capital on enterprises’ green innovation behavior and green total factor productivity (GTFP), so this paper aims to enrich the research in this area. This paper builds a regional social capital evaluation index system and uses the super-SBM model to measure the enterprise GTFP. Then, this paper brings regional social capital, enterprise green innovation and GTFP into a unified framework for the first time and further reveals the quantitative relationship between the three by using OLS and Tobit two-step methods based on the panel data of 30 provinces from 2011 to 2019. The results show that regional social capital has a positive effect on enterprise GTFP and green innovation (except for strategic green innovation output), enterprise green innovation output has a positive role in promoting GTFP, and enterprise green innovation capital investment has a masking effect between regional social capital and GTFP. Furthermore, the expansive study finds that there are differences in the impact of regional social capital on green innovation and the GTFP of heterogeneous enterprises, and financing constraints have a positive regulatory effect on the relationship between regional social capital and the GTFP of state-owned enterprises, while having an inhibitory effect on the GTFP of private enterprises. Fiscal decentralization has a partial mediating effect between regional social capital and enterprise GTFP, while urbanization and CO2 emissions have a masking effect. Additionally, this paper aims to provide a reference for the improvement of regional social capital theory, the strategic choice of green innovation of enterprises, and the high-quality development of the economy.

An Experimental Study of the Social Dimension of Land Consolidation Using Trust Games and Public Goods Games

Most land consolidation projects envisage reducing fragmentation and aim at increasing productivity, land use efficiency, and competitiveness of rural areas. However, recent insights suggest that social aspects are crucial as well. Hence, a critical assessment of the conditions under which land consolidation can be socially beneficial is necessary. This article aims to identify values and qualitative indicators to measure social preferences and to assess whether one can optimize decision support tools for land consolidation projects with such indicators. Based on an exploratory and concept-centric qualitative literature review, we propose game applications from experimental economics to measure empirical indicators of social capital. The games help to disclose conflicting social preferences and enable a more accurate response to public policy programs/interventions. This is achieved by assessing commonly shared norms of trust, reciprocity, and cooperation within and across social groups in a targeted area. We posit, however, the disparity among bonding, bridging, and linking dimensions of a social capital could have a differential effect on land consolidation instruments. This experimental method applied in Kakheti, Georgia reveals that 1. the farmer communities have varying combinations of bonding, bridging, and linking social capital; 2. the local farmer societies are the archetype of the collaborative model and sharing economy; 3. only a few municipalities show the highest potential for sustainably managing land consolidation projects. Hence, applying economic games that explore social scenarios helps to derive more favourable solutions for land consolidation.

The curse of coal or peripherality? Energy transitions and the socioeconomic transformation of Czech coal mining and post-mining regions

Abstract New empirical evidence regarding theories of the resource curse and regional resilience in the context of energy transitions is presented in this article. Our analysis aimed to answer the questions of what the principal differences are between coal mining and other regions in the Czech Republic, and what are the determinants of population decline, unemployment and populism as some of the key indicators of socioeconomic transformation. Unlike most current European studies focusing on NUTS2 or NUTS3 regions, we deal with data for districts (LAU1). The analysis revealed that (in aggregate) coal mining and post-mining districts are worse off in terms of air quality, population vitality, labour market and social capital indicators. It would be problematic for policy implications to consider coal mining and post-mining districts as homogenous categories, however, since there are significant inter-group and intra-group differences in most indicators. Coal mining itself and its decline did not prove to be a direct determinant of population loss, unemployment, and support for populism. The factors significantly affecting these phenomena are geographical (peripherality, urbanisation, population density) and socioeconomic (education level, business activity). In this respect, a provocative question is offered: to what extent is it effective and sustainable to economically support coal mining regions in their existing industrial production structures and population scales, and whether the current processes of reterritorialisation and depopulation can be considered a natural process. The fact that coal mining districts are at the forefront in the implementation of wind energy may be seen as positive, but it raises questions about spatial concentration, and the environmental justice of renewable energy development.

Does social capital help in post-disaster recovery? Evidence from the Gorkha earthquake of Nepal

In 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal that claimed around 9000 lives and destroyed more than 800,000 homes. While a few systematic economic assessment studies of this disaster have been conducted, most do not provide a comprehensive analysis that encompasses economic as well as non-economic dimensions. We consider housing, food, water availability, and a permanent source of income as our recovery measures. Using data from a 2017 field survey, this chapter examines the critical role of social capital in post-disaster recovery and highlights the fact that social infrastructure drives resilience. The empirical estimates from an ordered logit model show that of the financial capital measures wealth positively affects only housing while borrowing affects all recovery measures except housing. Similarly, social capital measures positively influence all recovery measures except housing; the effect is more pronounced for volunteering (bridging social capital) than family status and number of friends (bonding social capital). Combining individual measures to create two composite indices, we find that the social capital index is at least as effective as the financial capital index in post-earthquake recovery.

The Measurement of Social Capital in America: A Reassessment.

One of the more successful approaches to the measurement of social capital across US counties relies on a two-step algorithm procedure. In the first step, ten variables accounting for the per capita number of various types of voluntary organizations are averaged to generate an Aggregate Index. In the second step, the Aggregate Index and three other factors are used to extract an overall Social Capital Index. Here, we propose several methodological improvements to this already solid methodology. We replace the Aggregate Index calculated as a simple average with a measure generated with principal component analysis, and subsequently with a formative partial least squares dimension-reduction procedure. We explore variations of these procedures, according to the rent-seeking nature of the organizations that make up our groupings. We illustrate our methodology by using US county data. We find that, even when holding the normative concept and the data constant we generate alternative metrics with different characteristics. This result has far-reaching implications for both the theory of social capital and the public policies that rely on the evidence surrounding social capital. There appears to be an inherent arbitrariness to measuring complex social phenomena using a reductionist analytical framework. At the same time, there are limits to evidence-based policy interventions. These limits need to be mitigated with a balanced approach relying on both analytical tools and qualitative evaluations.

Romantic Relationship Quality and Mental Health in Pregnancy During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Introduction: Social capital is important for good mental health and the quality of close relationships is one key indicator of social capital. Examining the association between relationship quality and mental health may be particularly important during pregnancy as mental health concerns during this period pose significant risk to families. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to increased mental health problems among pregnant individuals. The resulting lockdown protocols of the pandemic have also disrupted larger social networks and couples spent more time together in the context of ongoing chronic stress, highlighting the particular importance of romantic relationship quality. This study explored longitudinal associations between relationship satisfaction, depression, and anxiety among pregnant individuals during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Pregnant individuals (n = 1842) from the Pregnancy During the Pandemic Study were surveyed monthly (April-July 2020). Depression, anxiety symptoms, and relationship satisfaction were self-reported. Cross-lagged panel models were conducted to examine bidirectional associations between relationship satisfaction and mental health symptoms over time. Results: Relationship satisfaction was significantly correlated with depression and anxiety at all time points. Longitudinally, relationship satisfaction predicted later depression and anxiety symptoms, but depression and anxiety symptoms did not predict later relationship satisfaction. Discussion: This study suggests that poor relationship satisfaction was linked to subsequent elevations in prenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Relationship enhancement interventions during pregnancy may be a means of improving the mental health of pregnant individuals, and interrupting transgenerational transmission, during times of prolonged psychological distress.

EFFECT OF SOCIAL CAPITAL ON THE HEALTH STATUS OF RURAL FARMERS IN GWER-EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined the effect of social capital on the health status of rural farmers in Gwer East local government area of Benue State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select a total of 120 respondents. Data were collected through the use of a well-structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, social capital index, the index was estimated from the different forms of social capital constructed and WHO self-assessment scale for health status. Also, Binary Logit regression model was used. Results showed that the farmers were still young with an average age of 41 years old. Most of the respondents (68.33%) were married and more than half, (60.83%) were males. The social network of the respondents showed that the density of membership with mean of 1.43, average meeting attendance 44.83%, cash contribution with mean of N36,103.33, labour contribution with mean of 7.86, participation in decision making with mean of 34%, heterogeneity index with mean of 44%, social capital index with mean of 0.31. The health status of the respondents showed that majority (41.67%) were in very good health status. The regression Pseudo R2 value of 0.5733 indicates that the variables included in the model explained 57% of the dependent variable. The result revealed that social capital increases the probability of household head being healthy. Also, gender, household size, farming experience, and age significantly influenced health status of the respondents. Given the close linkages between self-rated health and social capital in this study, the study, therefore, concluded that, social capital positively and significantly influences health status in the study area.

Assessing Social Capital Indicators in Public Spaces in Central streets of the City of Sanandaj, Iran

The social capital concept has been proposed alongside other capitals such as human capital, financial capital and economic capital. The aim of this research was to evaluate the social capital in streets, which are among the most dynamic urban public spaces. They provide physical connections for social interactions and consequently can enhance social capital. To this aim, four central crossroads of the city of Sanandaj, Iran were selected as a case study. This study is a descriptive analysis conducted by questioning 400 participants. The collected data were analyzed by using the SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software at the inferential and statistical levels. The findings showed that effective elements of streets to improve social capital include the promotion of environmental qualities and mixed land use related to social trust, the feeling of belonging, identity and place related to social norms, face-to-face relationships, and social participation related to social networks.

Social Capital and Women’s Empowerment

Women’s empowerment is important for economic growth and development. When women are empowered, there is increased investment in children’s education, health, and nutrition thereby enhancing future economic growth. Promoting women’s empowerment is therefore an important developmental goal. Social capital has been identified as one of the channels through which empowerment can occur. This study investigates the effect of social capital on women’s empowerment using a rich data set from Kenya. We measure social capital using social participation, social support, and active membership in finance/savings/credit, religious, and women’s groups. We also generate a social capital index. Women’s empowerment is measured using asset ownership, savings, and participation in decision making on major purchases, earnings, and health. We control for potential endogeneity of social capital. We find that different indicators of social capital have differing effects on women’s empowerment indicators.

The association between social capital indicators and psychological distress in Catalan adolescents.

According to the WHO, globally, one in seven adolescents experiences a mental disorder, being in a detrimental situation toward educational achievement, social cohesion, future health and life chances. Calls to identify risk and resilience factors to develop effective preventive actions have been made. Following a systemic approach, we conducted a cross-sectional study on the relationship between social capital and psychological distress in a sample of Catalan adolescents in Barcelona, taking into account a range of other relevant aspects at different levels influencing mental health, including gender, age, migrant status, family background, lifestyle factors, body mass index, and self-rated health. Data were collected through validated questionnaires in December 2016 from 646 of 14- to 18-year-old adolescents from three public and private high schools in Barcelona (Spain). Data analysis included descriptive analysis, a correlational study and logistic regression to obtain the odds ratio for social capital indicators to be associated with psychological distress. Our results suggest that reporting higher levels of family support and higher levels of teacher-student trust reduce the likelihood of suffering psychological distress. Higher levels of neighborhood informal control were associated with mental health, but a possible detrimental effect cannot be ruled out. Being a girl, reporting low self-rated health or higher media use was also associated with higher likelihood of psychological distress. Current results may encourage interventions that focus on social capital as a means to reduce psychological distress and foster well-being in youth.

Effect of Integrated Reporting on Firm’s Value: The Nigeria Manufacturing Sector Experience

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of integrated reporting on firms’ value drawing samples from listed manufacturing firms in Nigeria between the periods of 2011-2020. In this study, human capital disclosure index, manufacturing capital disclosure index, and social and relationship capital disclosure index were the integrated reporting proxies adopted to evaluate the effect on value of Nigeria manufacturing firms. Firms’ value was measured in terms of Tobin Q, and year price index was adopted as the control variable. Ex post factor research design was used and the study made use of secondary data sourced from the sampled companies’ annual reports and Nigeria Exchange Group Fact book. Data for integrated reporting variables were derived using disclosure checklist developed in accordance with the integrated reporting framework disclosure guidelines. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 51 out of the 59 manufacturing companies listed on the Nigeria Exchange Group. In order to examine the cause-effect relationship between the dependent variable and independent variables as well as to test the formulated hypotheses, the researcher used a robust regression analysis. The results of the analysis showed that the disclosure of human capital information in the annual report of listed manufacturing firms in Nigeria significantly improves the firm’s value. Based on this findings, it was concluded that only the variable of human capital disclosure has significant effect on firms’ value. Finally, the study recommended that the management of manufacturing firms in Nigeria should capture all disclosure items concerning human capital in their financial statements as this tends to improve the value of the firm and increase shareholders’ wealth. It was also recommended that management should develop an inclusive organizational culture for disclosing non-financial information with long term value creating capacity as they can maximise the market value of the firm over the short, medium and long term horizon.

SOSYAL SERMAYE VE HAVA KİRLİLİĞİ: TÜRKİYE'DEN KANITLAR

This study analyses the impact of social capital on air pollution in all 81 cities of Turkey between 2008 and 2018 via utilizing the panel data method to test for the EKC hypothesis. Within this context, five panel groups are formed, where four of those are formulated vis-à-vis their socioeconomic development levels by taking into account the SEGE report issued by the Ministry of Development. Moreover a city-based social capital index is developed by utilizing the principal component analysis (PCA). Empirical findings show that a U-shaped income-emission relationship is prevalent in Turkey, whereas no significant income-emission interdependency exists within the aforementioned panel groups developed. In addition, it is deduced that population density is a pre-determinant of the rise in air pollution for all panel groups studied, while the hypothesis that social capital index has a significant impact on the latter variable is rejected. It is expected that this work will contribute to the existing literature through its investigation of the impact of social capital index structured via taking into account the cities’ socioeconomic development levels on air pollution. The dataset used has a significant lack of observations for certain cities, so it would be valuable to formulate advanced technical modeling by creating a more complete dataset. Also, various other proxies explaining environmental degradation such as water pollution can be included in the model.

Quantifying the role of social capital for enhancing urban resilience against climate crisis: Empirical evidence from formal and informal settlements of Pakistan

The impacts of climate change and disasters have increased in recent years. Social capital plays a significant role in enhancing community resilience through social networking, information exchange, and resource sharing. This study quantifies the concept of social capital by proposing a social capital index (SCI). The methodology was operationalized and tested in the formal and informal settlements of Islamabad and Rawalpindi in Pakistan. Yamane's sampling method was used to calculate the required sample size of 400 and collected via questionnaire survey. The indicators were chosen through rigorous literature review and categorized into three dimensions of social capital, i.e., civic and political participation, network ties and trust, and consolidated and knowledge resources. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and independent t-test were used to compare each dimension and overall social capital. Results have revealed that civic and political participation is more or less similar in formal and informal settlements. Informal settlements had stronger social ties, networks, and trust in the community, whereas formal settlements had better access to consolidated and knowledge resources. The study also found a strong positive correlation between actual and perceived social capital. The proposed methodology is tested and found operational for assessing the social capital of hazard-prone areas and communities.

Water insecurity, food insecurity and social capital associated with a group-led microfinance programme in semi-rural Kenya

ABSTRACT Social capital predicts many positive health outcomes, including food and water access and sufficiency. Hence, increasing social capital has emerged as one potential strategy to improve food and water security. In this study, we investigate whether social capital generated through participation in a community-based microlending programme based in semi-rural Kenya is associated with water and food insecurity, and explore the interconnectedness of water and food insecurity through mediation analysis. Randomly-selected women participants of the community-based programme (n = 400) were interviewed in June 2018 and again in June 2019. Survey measures included water insecurity, food insecurity and an index of social capital constructs, namely group cohesion, trust, expectations of mutual support, sense of belonging and frequency of attendance in the programme. Random effects linear regression showed that an increase the social capital index was associated with lower water and food insecurity. The mediation analysis indicated that the association between social capital and food insecurity was completely mediated by water insecurity. This study demonstrates the need for further investigation into how social capital-generating programmes can contribute to systems approaches for collaborative food and water security programmes, especially among rural communities in low- and middle-income countries.

Measuring social capital in aged community of Arab cities in Southwest Iran: using monte carlo simulation sampling

Background: Measuring of social capital has turned out to be a point view in most social studies Social capital defined as linkage among social systems and groups for strengthening communication among citizens. Notwithstanding, there is neglect for that among gerontologists sociologically. Method: This study attend to portray distribution of social capital within 3031 aged samples in eight counties of Khuzistan province in southwest of Iran with the majority of Arab dwellers during 2020. About 26 definitions for indicators of social capital were mentioned and 23 main categories were collected. Results: Finally, the instrument for collection of data was conducted by them. Social Intermediary is new indicator to estimate social capital about elders first time. Findings have mentioned new definition for social capital in Gerontological aspect. Discussion and Conclusion: There are most deference and variations within indicators of social capital upon rural are and ethnicity that war policies about seniors in society.

Social Capital and Participation in Moslem Organizations

This study aims to address the impact of participation in Moslem organizations on social capital in a setting of a country with the biggest Moslem population in the world. A survey of members and non-members of Moslem organization Muhammadiyah in Bandar Lampung City was conducted. The quantitative approach is used to display the data on the degree to which Muhammadiyah Moslem organizations' involvement has impacted the social capital index. The data analysis technique used is propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. The findings demonstrated that members of Muhammadiyah and non-Muhammadiyah had different social capital indices. Additionally, a person's involvement in Muslim groups significantly affects social capital. It suggests that Moslem organizations are not only present to provide religious understanding for their members but also capable of providing added value for them, that is, the addition of social capital for each member.

Sex differences in the association between social capital and healthcare use-Results from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

Females and males frequently report substantial differences in social capital indicators and may use healthcare distinctly. Nevertheless, the potential effect of sex on the relation between social capital and healthcare use remains unclear. This study aims to quantify the association between different indicators of individuals' social capital and healthcare use, according to sex. Data were retrieved from the Sixth Wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which was conducted in 2015, and included 68,188 participants from 18 countries. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were computed using logistic regression. Overall, males and females with smaller social networks, those who live alone or with any other relatives besides their partners, and those whose first close confidant was a family member or a neighbour reported fewer contacts with medical doctors or nurses, as well as with dentists or dental hygienists. Amongst females, participation in educational or training courses (AOR=1.67, 95%CI:1.40-2.00; p for interaction=0.035) and sport, social or any other club (AOR=1.79, 95%CI:1.58-2.02; p for interaction=0.043) was associated with a more frequent contact with dentists or dental hygienists. Females who participated in volunteer or charity work (AOR=0.76, 95%CI:0.64-0.91; p for interaction=0.042) and political or community-related organisations (AOR=0.72, 95%CI:0.52-1.00; p for interaction=0.030) were less likely to report the use of polypharmacy. This outcome was more frequently observed amongst females who referred feelings of severe loneliness (AOR=1.44, 95%CI:1.22-1.68; p for interaction < 0.001). Social capital is associated with healthcare use distinctively amongst males and females. Increasing opportunities for social participation may improve healthcare use, particularly amongst females.

Social capital vs. anonymity? 3Ds Urban form and social capital development in Indonesian cities

ABSTRACT Discussions on the relationship between urban form and social capital have garnered attention for a long time as they are well documented in the literature. However, the empirical analysis regarding these two issues is still limited. This study proposes a new perspective on the link between the 3Ds (Density, Diversity, and Design) element of urban form and social capital in the global south using the Indonesian context. Using the linear multilevel regression, this study consistently revealed a contradicting result according to which greater residential density is negatively associated with several social capital factors. Surprisingly, more retail areas in cities are adversely associated with some social capital indicators. High connectivity did not necessarily encourage the development of social capital for small-medium cities. This study showed varied associations between density and social capital in small-medium, and large cities, with consistent results regarding land use mix.