Social Capital Variables Research Articles

Effect of individual and neighborhood social capital on gingival bleeding in children: A 7-year cohort study.

Social capital incorporates contextual and individual levels of interactions, which influence human health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of individual and contextual social capital in early childhood on gingival bleeding in children after 7 years. This 7-year cohort study was conducted with a randomized sample of 639 children (1 to 5 years old) evaluated in 2010 (T1) in Santa Maria, southern Brazil. Gingival bleeding was recorded during follow-up (T2). Contextual (social class association and number of churches) and individual (religious practice, volunteer networks, and school involvement) social capital variables were collected at baseline, along with demographic, socioeconomic, and oral health variables. A multilevel Poisson regression model was used to investigate the influence of individual and contextual variables on mean gingival bleeding. The incidence rate ratio (IRR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated. A total of 449 children were reassessed after 7 years (70.3% cohort retention rate). Children living in areas with a larger number of churches at baseline had lower mean gingival bleeding at follow-up. Regarding individual social capital, children whose parents did not attend school activities were more likely to have gingival bleeding. Additionally, low maternal education, poor parents' perception of oral health, non-use of dental services, and low frequency of tooth brushing were related to higher mean gingival bleeding at follow-up. The presence of more churches in neighborhoods and parents' involvement in a child's school activities positively influenced children's oral health, and these individuals had lower mean gingival bleeding.

The drivers associated with Murray-Darling Basin irrigators’ future farm adaptation strategies

Irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin will need to adapt to future uncertainty, because of changes in markets, industry structures and climate. Such adaptation can be classified as expansive, accommodating or contractive strategies. Expansive adaptation strategies expand irrigation, accommodating strategies modify existing processes or crops without changing the size of the irrigation component of the farm, whereas contractive strategies reduce irrigation. Using data from a 2015-16 survey of 1,000 southern Murray-Darling Basin irrigators, 19 distinct planned future adaptation strategies are aggregated into expansive, accommodating and contractive adaptation indexes. Seemingly Unrelated Regression was used to model influences associated with irrigators’ future adaptation. While 90% of all irrigators were planning for at least one form of farm adaptation, there is some evidence that they prefer expansive adaptation strategies over accommodating and contractive adaptation strategies. It was found that succession planning and past adaptation experience have a statistically significant influence on all planned adaptation indexes. The influence of financial, human, natural, physical and social capital varies between adaptation types, with financial capital variables the strongest statistically significant driver for accommodating adaptation. Expansive and contractive adaptation are more strongly impacted by human and social capital variables.

Cultural Reproduction Theory and Schooling: The Relationship between Student Capital and Opportunity to Learn

The purpose of this study is to extend the literature on cultural reproduction theory and schools by problematizing the relationship between student background and student achievement. Using Program for International Student Assessment 2012 data, we analyze a series of random effects analyses of covariance to test the relationship between student social and cultural capital variables and student opportunity to learn (OTL) in math class for US 15-year-olds. By examining the relationship between student capital and OTL, we call attention to the role of schools in providing differential learning experiences to students, which helps to explain disparate achievement outcomes. Findings support the cultural reproduction perspective by demonstrating that students who have more access to normative education-based resources outside of school and academically aligned social networks tend to report more opportunities for problem solving and student-oriented instruction during math lessons. These results can help practitioners and policymakers identify and address patterns of stratification and inequity in schools.

HUBUNGAN ANTARA MODAL SOSIAL DENGAN PELAKSANAAN GERAKAN SATU RUMAH SATU JUMANTIK DI DUSUN MEJING LOR AMBARKETAWANG GAMPING SLEMAN

Background : Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is still the main problem in Indonesia. Dengue disease control is to create individuals and communities who are independent in preventing and protecting themselves from dengue transmission through the optimization of 3M Plus PSN activities in addition to increasing public access to quality health services. One of the Dengue Control Missions is to promote aspects of empowerment and community participation as well as multi-sector partnerships.Community empowerment in controlling DHF requires strong social capital to be able to foster mutual.t rust in cooperation, participation, mutual trust and prevailing normsMosquito breeding activities must be carried out in every house, public place and institution by the larvae monitor (Jumantik). To get optimal results, the Jumantik must be formed starting from each house by designating one of the family members as the jumantik (Gerakan 1 Rumah 1 Jumantik)Method : This research is an analytic observational research with crossectional research design that is studying the dynamics of the correlation between risk factors between social capital independent variables with the dependent variable in this study the implementation of Gerakan Satu Rumah Satu Jumantik. The population in this study entire houses in Mejing Lor Ambarketawang Gamping Sleman. Samples were taken using total sampling technique in which samples using secondary data. Data was analysed with uji chi square of Software Statistic.Result : Based on the research that has been done, the correlation coefficient between social capital and the implementation Gerakan Satu Rumah Satu Jumantik is obtained, with the significance value on the results showing (p = 0,000 <0.05) which indicates a correlation. between social capital and the implementation of Gerakan Satu Rumah Satu Jumantik in the Mejing Lor Village, Ambarketawang Gamping. While the analysis obtained RP 5.406 > 1 with Confident Interval (2.716 -10.752) which means that respondents with bad social capital are more likely to implement the Gerakan Satu Rumah Satu Jumantik in the Mejing Lor Village, Ambarketawang Gamping is not good..Conclusions :There is a Correlation between Social Capital and the Implementation Gerakan Satu Rumah Satu Jumantik in the Mejing Lor Village, Ambarketawang Gamping

Predicting entrepreneurial opportunity recognition in higher education: a case from Iran

PurposeAlthough extensive governmental efforts have taken place to promote entrepreneurship in Iran, based on global entrepreneurship monitor report, the rate of perceived opportunities among young people, especially those with university education, has dropped. Since the perceived entrepreneurial opportunities are the first and most important step in the entrepreneurship process, this study identified the factors affecting the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition in Iranian higher education.Design/methodology/approachThe statistical population included 127 senior undergraduate students in all majors of agriculture at Ilam University. The sample size was determined by using the Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) sampling table to be 100 senior undergraduate agriculture students at Ilam University, Ilam province, Iran, selected through a stratified random sampling technique.FindingsThe results showed that the perceived entrepreneurial opportunity among students was moderately low. According to structural equation modeling, the alertness, human capital, social capital and environmental support variables had a positive and significant effect on the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition.Research limitations/implicationsRegarding the research implications, the present study, with providing and testing a model for developing the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition among students in a developing country (Iran) with diverse cultures and values, has improved the literature of entrepreneurship in higher education.Practical implicationsBased on results instructors in higher agricultural education can use active teaching and learning methods, such as creating ideas, experiential and service learning, teamwork and practical work, critical thinking and problem-solving in education. Also, financial, technical and consultative support of instructors and managers in agricultural colleges to implement, launch and commercialize agricultural students' entrepreneurial ideas and projects is needed.Originality/valueThe findings indicated the importance of alertness, human capital, social capital and environmental support on the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition among students. Findings showed that ecological approach could be used to develop students' entrepreneurial opportunity recognition.

Life Stressors, Social Capital, and Mental Distress in Multiethnic Groups of Older Asian Americans

Using data from older participants from the 2015 Asian American Quality of Life survey (n = 533), the present study assessed direct and interactive effects of life stressors and social capital. The sample includes diverse Asian ethnic groups (Chinese, Asian Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, and others). Among all groups, high levels of mental distress were found in Koreans and Vietnamese. In the multivariate analyses, Korean ethnicity (compared to Chinese) was found to be a significant predictor to mental distress. As significant risk factors to mental distress, all stressor variables accounted for 9% of the variance of mental distress. Social capital variables explained the variance by 4%. None of the interaction terms reached statistical significance. Findings confirmed the negative effects of stressors and the positive effects of social resources across older Asian Americans. However, it was interesting to note that ethnic variations disappeared when stressors and social capitals were taken into considerations.

Social capital and self-reported oral health at baseline of the brazilian longitudinal study of aging.

This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the association between the structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital and self-reported oral health. This study conducted individual assessments of 9,365 individuals aged 50years or older from Brazil. Four individual variables based on structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital were assessed. We used hierarchical Poisson regression models to estimate the prevalence ratio of self-reported oral health with individual structural and cognitive social capital variables adjusted for associated factors. Cognitive social capital was associated with self-reported oral health. Individuals who reported lack of neighbourhood trust and not having friends presented 14% (RP: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.07-1.21) and 9% (RP: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.01-1.19), respectively, higher prevalence of poor self-reported oral health, relative to those who trust in their neighbourhood and reported having friends. The cognitive dimension of social capital may be linked with self-reported oral health. Therefore, social capital can be stimulated in the context of social policies as its encouragement can be an efficient tool for improving individuals' health and, consequently, the oral health of the older people.

Come Together to Decrease Depression: Women’s mental health, social capital, and participation in a Kenyan combined microfinance program

Tools and systems to improve mental health have been understudied in low-resource environments, such as sub-Saharan Africa. This study explores depression amongst women participating in a community-based intervention combining savings- and lending-groups, entrepreneurial training and other skills training. This study aims to determine whether depression decreases with more program participation, and the extent to which social capital variables may explain these changes. Survey data were gathered in June 2018, within 6 months of group formation, and again in June 2019 from 400 women participants in the program. Data between 2018 and 2019 were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum and Chi square tests. Inferential statistics included random effects regression models and general structural equation models. At 1-year follow-up, depression and loneliness amongst Kenyan women (n = 400) participating in the program had decreased. Social capital remained higher within groups than within the broader community, and mediated the association between program participation and decreased depression. Findings suggest this novel, community-based intervention has the potential to benefit mental health. Future research, including a randomised control trial, is required to establish (1) the extent of the program's benefits and (2) the program's application to particular subject areas and population segments.

Social Capital, Credit Access and Household Nonfarm Enterprises in Nigeria: A new Empirical Evidence

This paper investigates the effects of social capital on access to credit by household nonfarm small enterprises in Nigeria. Specifically, the paper tries to ascertain how social capital determines ability of household small businesses to borrow from formal and informal sources and the amount of credit accessed. The study uses data from the General Household Survey to estimate probit and Heckman selection model that form the basic models of the study. Specifically, the results show that belonging to informal groups increases the probability of accessing credit by 1.88%, and also has significant positive impact on the probability of using the loan to operate the enterprise. Also, membership of cooperatives significantly increases the probability of accessing enterprise loan. The results show that belonging to cooperatives and informal groups are the only social capital variables that have statistically significant impact on the amount borrowed.

Planned behavior and social capital: Understanding farmers’ behavior toward pressurized irrigation technologies

Water scarcity is becoming a major challenge worldwide. The agricultural sector, as a main user of freshwater, may significantly increase its water use efficiency by promoting water saving strategies. This paper proposes a socio-psychological model that builds upon the Theory of Planned Behavior and social capital variables to examine how psychological constructs and their interaction with the environment and farmers’ backgrounds influence the switch from traditional to pressurized irrigation. Considering temporal precedence, we measured farmers’ intention to adopt irrigation technologies, and one year later their actual behavior. We used a structural equation model and estimated marginal effects for direct and indirect relations. The results show that actual adoption is affected directly by intention, and the effect of subjective norms, perceived control, and attitudes on adoption are mediated through intention. Social pressure exerts a strong influence on farmers, particularly in comparison to their own attitudes. Social capital triggers the adoption of pressurized irrigation by increasing social pressure and strengthening farmers’ perceived self-confidence.

How to leverage the role of social capital in pro-environmental behavior: A case study of residents’ express waste recycling behavior in China

The rapid development of the express delivery industry brings convenience to people, while the large number of Express delivery packaging waste also imposes a burden on the environment. This paper chooses Chinese urban residents as the research object, and takes the residents’ Express waste recycling behavior as the research background. By using path analysis, this paper intends to measure and analyze the relationship among social capital, situational factors and individual differences variables in the context of Express waste recycling behavior. The result indicates that among the social capital variables, the direct and indirect roles of the social community trust in each acting path are extremely obvious and the degree of its association with the social community relationship is the highest, which indicates that a community should create an opportunity for the residents to communicate, consolidate and improve their trust bond with one another. As the intervention measure of Express waste recycling behavior, the situation variables must pay attention to the importance of the timing of the promulgation of measures. Furthermore, the residents with master degree and or aged 31–40 should become the focus of future research. This research not only provides theoretical support for the study of Express waste recycling behavior from the perspective of social capital, it also provides reference to relevant government departments and communities so that they can guide residents to participate actively in more Pro-environment behavior.

Advice seeking and loaning of money related to relapse in recovery homes.

Recovery homes help individuals who have completed substance use treatment programs re-integrate back into the community. However, it is unclear what factors determine who will succeed in these settings and how these factors may be reinforced or undermined by the social interactions and social networks between residents living in the Oxford House recovery homes. In an effort to better understand these factors, the current study evaluated (a) the extent to which the density of social networks (i.e., friendship, willingness to loan money, and advice-seeking relationships) is associated with social capital (i.e., sense of community, quality of life, hopefulness, self-efficacy), and (b) whether the density of social networks predicts relapse over time. Among the findings, willingness to loan money was positively associated with all four individual-level social capital variables, suggesting that availability of instrumental resources may be important to ongoing recovery. To test whether these house-level social network factors then support recovery, a survival analysis was conducted, finding associations between relapse risk and the network densities over a 28-month span. In particular, more dense advice-seeking networks were associated with higher rates of relapse, suggesting that the advice-seeking might represent a sign of organisational house problems, with many residents unsure of issues related to their recovery. In contrast, more dense loaning networks were associated with less relapse, so willingness to lend money could be measuring a willingness to help those in need. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Social capital as a predictor of neighborhood satisfaction: an analysis of American Housing Survey national data

ABSTRACT Social capital plays a critical role in neighborhood satisfaction, which in turn contributes to healthy and vibrant communities. However, scholars in housing and community development often leave social capital variables out of analyses. This study uses the American Housing Survey (AHS) 2013 national data, the only AHS data with social capital variables, to measure whether and how social capital dimensions relate to perceived livability of neighborhoods. The research controls for household characteristics, actual and perceived neighborhood and housing attributes, and locational variables. The study uses perceived livability as a proxy to measure the satisfaction levels of residents with their neighborhoods. Overall, citizen participation is weak, while social trust, cohesion, and ties within neighborhoods are strong among the survey respondents. Most of the social capital dimensions are significantly related to perceived neighborhood livability in a positive direction. The results indicate that stronger social capital contributes to higher perceived neighborhood livability. However, the effect of social capital is different among homeowners, renter, urban, and suburban/rural households. Therefore, the important roles of social capital in promoting neighborhood satisfaction and livability require policymakers to pay more attention to social capital factors in neighborhood needs assessment and community development practice.

Disaster experience, social capitals, and behavioral health

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, and oil spilled from the breached well-head for months, leading to an unprecedented environmental disaster with implications for behavioral health. Disasters are thought to affect behavioral health, and social capital is thought to ameliorate behavioral health impacts after disasters, though empirical evidence is mixed. One possible explanation for the discrepancy in findings relates to the activation of social capital in different contexts. In a disaster context, certain types of social capital may be more beneficial than others, and these relationships could differ between those directly affected by the disaster and those who are unaffected. The goal of this study is to assess the relationships between different forms of social capital (community engagement, trust, and social support) on different behavioral health indicators (depression, anxiety, and alcohol misuse) using data from the first wave of the Survey of Trauma, Resilience, and Opportunity among Neighborhoods in the Gulf (STRONG), a probabilistic household telephone survey fielded 6 years after the onset of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DHOS). We employ a structural equation modeling approach where multiple social capital and behavioral health variables can be included and their pathways tested in the same model, comparing the results between those who reported experiencing disruptions related to the DHOS and those who did not. Among those who experienced the DHOS, social support was negatively associated with both depression (β = − 0.085; p = 0.011) and anxiety (β = − 0.097; p = 0.003), and among those who did not experience the DHOS, social support was positively associated with alcohol misuse (β = 0.067; p = 0.035). When controlling for the other social capital variables, social support was the only form of social capital with a significant relationship to behavioral health, and these relationships differ based on whether or not a person experienced the disaster. This suggests that social capital does not have a uniformly ameliorative relationship with behavioral health in the aftermath of disasters.

Familiness, social capital and market orientation in the family firm

PurposeThis paper aims to analyse if the family influence on the firm and the relational dynamics inside the family and the firm could create specific familiness resources, which lead to a stronger market orientation (MO) of the family firms (FFs).Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on a cross-industry sample of 374 managers in 174 Spanish FFs. Structural equation modelling is used to test the research hypotheses.FindingsThe climate of family relationships is going to affect the firm’s MO through the influence that this climate has on two relational social capital variables, one in the family area (the identification of the family managers with the FF) and the other in the business area (the level of trust between the members [family and non-family] of the top management teams [TMTs]).Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the literature on the under-researched topic of MO in the FFs by going beyond earlier studies focusing on FFs’ explicit attributes, such as their names, as potential explanatory variables of their marketing behaviour. This study also proposes and analyses new internal antecedents of MO based on the social capital of the firm.Practical implicationsBusiness families should promote the adequate governance mechanisms to enhance the quality of family social capital to promote the firms’ social capital and ultimately their MO. With the same aim, family managers should try to orientate their leadership behaviour to transmit their own organizational identification to the rest of the firm’s employees. Also, open communication and shared values should be promoted within TMTs to reinforce firms’ social capital that leads to MO.Originality/valueThis paper integrates social capital literature with MO literature. It also contributes to the literature on FFs, and specifically to the issue of familiness, by analyzing the effect of specific FF characteristics on MO.

Who are Volunteers in Urban China?

Although government-organized volunteering is common in China, the Chinese government has also sought to encourage the development of grassroots volunteer service organizations (VSOs) given the tremendous social service burden and the complexity of social governance. Motivated by the lack of systematic studies on volunteering in China, this study explores predictors of volunteering in urban China using data from the 2013 Survey on Philanthropic Behaviors of Urban Citizens in China. The findings indicate that generalized trust, membership in the Chinese Communist Party and type of work unit are significantly associated with the government-organized volunteering. Similar to Western countries, education, religiosity and social capital variables all help in explaining grassroots VSO-organized volunteering. Interestingly, the association between grassroots VSO-organized volunteering and trust in the central government with regard to both participation probability and time devoted to volunteering is significantly positive, whereas the association between grassroots VSO-organized volunteering and trust in local government, for both participation probability and time devoted to volunteering, is significantly negative.

The contribution of social capital on rural livelihoods: Malawi and the Philippines cases

This paper explores the efficacy of a development model designed to enhance social capital where social capital is seen as a catalyst to increased economic opportunities. The study covers smallholder livestock producers in Malawi and the Philippines. The key question examined in this paper is whether communities that received this specific development intervention significantly increased their access to social capital over time and whether this social capital is positively correlated with net farm income and improved livelihoods. We draw data from two case studies: Heifer International’s Malawi Smallholder Dairy Development Project (MSDD1) and the Philippine Raising Income of Families through Sustainable Agri-Business Project (RICSA). The examination of these two cases increases our understanding of how implementation and contextual variables may influence changes in social capital and livelihoods. The study applies social network analysis (SNA) to understand the connection between asset-based/human capacity interventions and social capital. SNA provides a quantitative measure of networks and households’ position within those networks as indicators of social capital. Real net income which includes the value of home consumption is used as a proxy for ‘improved livelihoods.’ A quasi-experimental design is used to determine whether social capital and income variables change significantly over time and whether social capital is correlated with income. The results revealed significant differences across the two cases. In the Malawi case, the intervention significantly contributed to social capital formation. In the Philippine case study, the social capital did not demonstrate a significant difference. The dissimilarity between the two cases shows that it takes time to deepen bonds of trust and reciprocity and to extend networks as conduits of knowledge, information and economic opportunity.

Diseases of Despair and Social Capital: Findings from a Population-Based Survey on Opioid Misuse among Adolescents

Background Deaths related to opioid overdose have increased substantially in the past few years, raising concerns about how to combat this public health emergency. Objectives: We investigated the association of family, school, and community social capital with opioid misuse in the adolescent population. In addition, we examined if adolescents’ depressive symptoms have any mediating effects on opioid misuse. Methods: We used the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data, and two substantive models with binary logistic regressions. Three social capital variables were added to the full model with control for sociodemographic and health status variables. A mediation analysis was estimated for family and school social capital, major depressive episodes in the past year, and opioid misuse. Results: We found statistically significant relationships between adolescent opioid misuse and family and school social capital. Adolescents’ odds of opioid misuse decreased 10% with each additional family situation where they felt supported. Not knowing students in their grade who drank alcohol or used marijuana/hashish decreased the odds of misusing opioids 42% (p < .01). Experience of depressive episodes acted as a mediator for the social capital effects on adolescents’ opioid misuse. Conclusions: Our findings lend support that opioid misuse is associated with despair, and therefore, opioid prevention programs need to incorporate strategies to address mental health issues as well. Our findings also underscore the need for focusing on increasing parental awareness and involvement as well as scaling up prevention efforts in high schools where substance abuse is relatively higher.

The Missing Link: Are Individuals with More Social Capital in Better Health? Evidence from India

This paper extends a two-period overlapping generations model of endogenous growth in which associations between human capital, social capital, and health outcomes are critically examined for a low income country, India. If individuals with higher levels of human capital can build strong social ties and have more robust social networks, they are then less likely to have health problems and are therefore physically healthier. In an attempt to test the so-called relationship between the variables in question, a unique dataset, where micro-level data from the world values survey and regional-level macro data from the central statistics office of India were both utilised, was accessed. A three-equation model has been then estimated using the conditional mixed-process method in order to address endogeneity issues explicitly. Our estimation results provide important insights into the theoretical thesis in several ways. Firstly, human capital has a favourable impact on social capital, which in turn enhances self-reported health. Secondly, we provide a comparison of three main experiments: an increase in the share of public spending by region on education, social capital-enhancing activities, and health. The results confirm the positive effect of an increase in each form of government spending on outcome variables. Thirdly, the correlation coefficient between disturbances of these three equations turns out to be statistically significant, suggesting that there are unobserved factors, which can affect self-reported health, social capital and human capital variables.

Language Acculturation and Social Capital Among Migrants in James Town, Accra

This study examines the relative effects of language acculturation on social capital accumulation in the context of a poor urban neighborhood in Accra, Ghana. Acculturation is a fluid concept with multiple dimensions. Generally, it has been described as the extent to which migrants adopt the customs and values of their host populations. The fluidity of the concept has led to different ways of measurement. While a number of studies have assessed acculturation using dimensions such as assimilation, integration, marginalization, and separation to understand migrants lived experiences, there is paucity of research on the impact of language acculturation on social capital formation. Language barrier has been found to be associated with adaptation difficulties among migrants while higher language competency is associated with well-being factors such as lower anxiety and depression. In this study, in the internal migration context, we examine if Ga language competency predicts social capital accumulation among 301 migrants. Using a semi-structured survey questionnaire, we elicited information about migrants' fluency in the Ga language and social capital variables from which a social capital index was created. Using Chi-square tests and one-way ANOVA, at the bivariate level we fitted an ordinal logit regression model. We found that better Ga language fluency is associated with higher social capital. Religiosity (the extent to which the individual practices their religious beliefs) and marital status were significant predictors of social capital. It was concluded that low and high language acculturation was linked to poor and high self-rated health status of migrants in Jamestown. Keywords: Blended mode, online, Sakai LMS, interactivity, student learning DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/68-06 Publication date: May 31 st 2020