Social Production Function Theory Research Articles

Faithful and fearful: Does religion promote or reduce fear of crime in Germany?

This article complements existing victimological studies on religion by investigating whether religion promotes or reduces fear of crime in Germany. According to the generalized insecurity approach and the theory of social production functions, religion and fear of crime are linked via secularization-induced diffuse insecurities. It is expected that different facets of religion are tied to fearing crime in different ways because the projection of secularization-induced diffuse insecurities occurs only among those individuals whose religious capital is devaluated. Empirical analyses of data from the 2021 German General Social Survey reveal that some religious minority groups are particularly likely to fear crime, religious belief is positively related to fearing crime, and religious behavior is negatively associated with fearing crime. Additionally, religion can promote fear of crime equally in East and West Germany. In conclusion, the study emphasizes the significance of religion in relation to the fear of crime and underscores the benefits of a general theoretical approach.

The impact of migrants' knowledge about their social rights on their subjective wellbeing

IntroductionIn this contribution I examine the role of migrants' knowledge about their social rights (system knowledge) for their subjective well-being. Based on the Social Production Function Theory, I expect system knowledge to be positively associated with migrants' well-being. Migrants who are well informed about their social rights are likely to have better access to resources that are crucial for their well-being such as healthcare or financial security. Moreover, I expect that knowledge in certain domains which affect daily life, such as healthcare, matter more than knowledge in other domains, which are life-course specific, such as childcare.MethodsI make use of the Migrants' Welfare State Attitudes (MIFARE) data which includes the perspective on the welfare state of migrants from nine different origin countries across three receiving countries: Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany. Linear regression analyses were applied.ResultsResults indicate that migrants differ extensively in their social rights knowledge. Moreover, migrants' knowledge about their social rights is indeed positively associated with subjective well-being, though the effect is not equally strong in all three receiving countries and differs by welfare domain (healthcare, childcare, unemployment benefits, social assistance, and state pensions).DiscussionKnowledge about social rights matters for migrants' well-being. Policy advisors should therefore pay special attention to migrants' access to information about social right policies in order to increase their well-being.

Aging and Family Relationships among Aymara, Mapuche and Non-Indigenous People: Exploring How Social Support, Family Functioning, and Self-Perceived Health Are Related to Quality of Life.

Family relationships play a central role in wellbeing among older adults in Chile. Based on the theory of social production functions, this study examined the relationship between perceived social support from children, partners and relatives, family functioning, self-perceived health and quality of life (QoL) among Chilean older adults. The study used a multi-ethnic sample of Chilean older adults living in rural areas in the regions of Arica and Parinacota (north) and Araucanía (south). A model was analyzed that emphasizes relationships differentiated by the source of support, family functioning and self-perceived health in the explanation of QoL. The results obtained from the structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis showed the existence of indirect relationships of social support from children, partners and other family members via family functioning, while self-perceived health was directly associated with QoL. The findings indicate that family functioning is a main variable in the contrasted model, in addition to confirming the importance of distinguishing the role of the various sources of support. Research is needed to examine in detail intergenerational relationships and other relationships with family members who are significant in the wellbeing of older adults. This research corroborates that family relationships have a specificity that needs to be addressed in gerontological social intervention, as well as continuing along the lines of strengthening or improving existing family ties (more quality) over the quantity of social relationships.

Transitions Into and Out of Voluntary Work Over the Life Course: What is the Effect of Major Life Events?

The aim of the current study is to investigate which major life events are associated with transitions into and out of volunteering over the life course and, especially, why these associations exist. Social Production Function theory is used to derive hypotheses, which are tested using longitudinal data (adult subsample) from Lifelines. Associations between major life events and (a) volunteer take-up, nonvolunteer sample ( N = 59,773) and (b) volunteer cessation, volunteer sample ( N = 32,143) are studied by applying Linear Probability Modeling. Results show clear associations between specific major life events and starting and quitting volunteering. The influence on the latter is stronger than on the former. Most findings are in line with our theory-based expectations indicating that (a) voluntary work contributes especially to the fulfillment of the needs for status, stimulation, and behavioral confirmation and (2) life events causing losses (gains) in these needs are associated with a higher likelihood to take-up (quit) volunteering.

How the Welfare-State Regime Shapes the Gap in Subjective Well-Being Between People With and Without Disabilities.

This paper focuses on disability, an under-researched area of inequality, and subjective well-being. According to social production function theory, people with a disability do not have the same opportunities as people without disabilities to obtain resources, instrumental goals, and ultimately subjective well-being. Social participation and employment seem to be crucial mechanisms behind such disparities. The social system of a country (macro level) also shapes the gap in subjective well-being between both groups. The main objective of this paper is to analyse the gap in subjective well-being between people with and without disabilities. How is this gap linked to social participation and labour market integration, and how does the welfare-state regime shape the gap in subjective well-being between people with and without disabilities? The core of this research are multilevel analyses of cumulative European Social Survey data from 31 European countries. The results reveal that people with disabilities show significantly lower subjective well-being than people without disabilities. Welfare-state regimes have an effect on this gap, with social-democratic (and family-oriented) Nordic countries performing best in providing equal living conditions for people with and without disabilities.

Job satisfaction of general practitioners: a cross-sectional survey in 34 countries

BackgroundJob satisfaction of general practitioners (GPs) is important because of the consequences of low satisfaction for GPs, their patients and the health system, such as higher turnover, health problems for the physicians themselves, less satisfied patients, poor clinical outcomes and suboptimal health care delivery. In this study, we aim to explain differences in the job satisfaction of GPs within and between countries.MethodsWe performed a secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data, collected between 2010 and 2012 on 7379 GPs in 34 (mostly European) countries, as well as data on country and health system characteristics from public databases. Job satisfaction is measured through a composite score of six items about self-reported job experience. Operationalisation of the theoretical constructs includes variables, such as the range of services GPs provide, working hours, employment status, and feedback from colleagues. Data were analysed using linear multilevel regression analysis, with countries and GPs as levels. We developed hypotheses on the basis of the Social Production Function Theory, assuming that GPs ‘produce’ job satisfaction through stimulating work that provides a certain level of comfort, adds to their social status and provides behavioural confirmation.ResultsJob satisfaction varies between GPs and countries, with high satisfaction in Denmark and Canada (on average 2.97 and 2.77 on a scale from 1–4, respectively) and low job satisfaction in Spain (mean 2.15) and Hungary (mean 2.17). One-third of the total variance is situated on the country level, indicating large differences between countries, and countries with a higher GDP per capita have more satisfied GPs. Health system characteristics are not related to GP job satisfaction. At the GP and practice level, performing technical procedures and providing preventive care, feedback from colleagues, and patient satisfaction are positively related to GP job satisfaction and working more hours is negatively related GP job satisfaction.ConclusionOverall and in terms of our theoretical approach, we found that GPs are able to ‘produce’ work-related well-being through activities and resources related to stimulation, comfort and behavioural confirmation, but not to status.

Validation of the SPF-Q, an instrument to assess the quality of production functions to achieve well-being, among multimorbid patients

BackgroundIn a time of ageing populations, examination of the ability of multimorbid patients to achieve well-being has become increasingly important. Social production function theory is used to characterise people’s ability to achieve well-being. Whereas much research has examined the fulfilment of substantive needs, far less research has investigated the quality of production functions (being in control, avoiding a loss frame, and efficiency) to achieve well-being. Therefore, this study involved the development and validation of the Social Production Function-Quality of production functions (SPF-Q) instrument to assess the quality of production functions via the fulfilment of production needs to achieve well-being.MethodsThe 12-item SPF-Q was used to assess the quality of production functions via the fulfilment of production needs to achieve well-being among patients with multimorbidity from seven health care practices in the region of Tilburg, the Netherlands. A total of 216 patients filled in the questionnaire (55% response rate). To test the validity of the SPF-Q, we used structural equation modelling to specify a measurement model by loading each item on its respective latent factor, and we examined associations between production needs and other measures.ResultsPsychometric results clearly showed that the SPF-Q is a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of the quality of production functions among multimorbid patients. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed good indices of fit for the instrument. As indicated by the high reliability coefficient, the scale also showed good internal consistency. We found support for construct validity through significant positive correlations between substantive and production well-being needs, as well as with overall well-being and life satisfaction. Moreover, production needs added to multimorbid patients’ overall level of well-being in addition to the substantive needs.ConclusionThis study clearly showed that the SPF-Q is a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of production needs among multimorbid patients. Given that multimorbidity is becoming the leading threat to population health, such an instrument can help to improve the ability to achieve well-being in this vulnerable population.

Applying social production function theory to benefits of schooling: the concept of values of education

Many approaches to explaining educational inequalities relate explicitly and implicitly to benefits of education, and rational choice theories in particular consider monetary benefits. We specify a concept of the value of education that allows for an empirical analysis of educational benefits, considering both monetary and non-monetary dimensions (instrumental goals) outlined in social production function theory. Our objectives include introducing a sound theoretical framework, the validation of an empirical measurement instrument and an analysis of the differences between certain dimensions of educational values structured by social origin, gender and immigrant background. Analyses are based on a two-wave panel study (SASAL-School Alienation in Switzerland and Luxembourg) carried out in secondary schools in Luxembourg and Switzerland. We distinguish four dimensions within the concept of values of education: stimulation, comfort/status, behavioural confirmation and affection. The different dimensions of the value of education are influenced by gender and immigrant backgrounds in both national settings.

The Associations of Different Social Needs with Psychological Strengths and Subjective Well-Being: An Empirical Investigation Based on Social Production Function Theory

The fulfilment of social needs is essential for human beings to function well and thrive, but little is known about how social needs are differentially associated with types of well-functioning. This study investigates how the three social needs as proposed by Social Production Function theory—the needs for affection, behavioral confirmation, and status—relate to psychological strengths (self-evaluation, hope, and self-regulatory ability), loneliness, and subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive and negative affect). Moreover, possible mechanisms are explored. Using the first release sample of the LifeLines study (N = 13,301) and four other samples (N = 1094, N = 456, N = 415, and N = 142), we found that the three social needs yielded a robust factor structure, and related differentially to gender and education. Their associations with all three psychological strengths were substantial. Affection need fulfilment related most strongly to both emotional and social loneliness, but the expected stronger association of behavioral confirmation with social loneliness was not found. As expected, affection related most strongly to life satisfaction and least strongly to positive affect, whereas status related most strongly to positive affect and least strongly to life satisfaction. Of all social needs, behavioral confirmation had comparatively the strongest negative association with negative affect. With regard to mechanisms, affection was found to have a partial indirect effect on life satisfaction via self-evaluation, hope, and self-regulatory ability, while status had a modest indirect effect via self-regulatory ability on positive affect. It is concluded that different need fulfillments make unique contributions to different types of well-functioning, implying that a mix of social need satisfiers (i.e. different kinds of social relationships and other social provisions) are needed for individuals to function well. This knowledge may support interventions and policy directed at both individual and societal well-being.

The Interaction Effect of Gender and Residential Environment, Individual Resources, and Needs Satisfaction on Quality of Life Among Older Adults in the United Kingdom.

Objectives: To examine the difference in gender and its impact on selected quality-of-life (QoL) domains of Social Production Function theory among older adults in England. Method: Based on an annual national adult social care service user survey conducted in the United Kingdom in 2016. QoL was assessed by a single-item construct, and independent variables were home design, access to information and local area, self-rated health, perceived pain/discomfort, perceived anxiety/depression, activities of daily living, use and satisfaction of formal and informal care, and demographic variables. Results: A total of 28,955 respondents aged 65+ years were interviewed. Multinomial logistic regression analysis found four interaction effects for predicting a very good/good QoL: (a) Female receiving non-co-residing informal care (odds ratio [OR] = 1.501, p < .01), (b) female feeling safe (OR = 1.499, p < .01), (c) female feeling satisfied with social contact with people (OR = 1.465, p < .05), and (d) female being helped in the use of time (OR = 1.370, p < .05). Conclusion: Findings suggest gender differences in QoL as men and women are heterogeneous with different health and disease patterns, health-/help-seeking behaviors, roles and responsibilities, and levels of resilience, needs, risks, and access and control resources. Practitioners should adopt a gender-specific assessment and personalized interventions to promote gender equality, empowerment, and long-term sustainable development for an aging society.

Exploring Life Satisfaction Among Subsistence Migrant Consumers: A Case in China

This article adds a new dimension of mobility among subsistence consumers to investigate their well-being during the process of rural–urban migration. Using social production function theory as the theoretic perspective as well as a mixed method, the authors identify three essential drivers that influence the life satisfaction of subsistence migrant consumers: financial resources, social connection, and sense of control (the last of which also mediates the relationship between social connection and well-being). Findings show that family closeness and social comparison orientation moderate the main effects of financial and social resources on life satisfaction. Family closeness enhances the positive effect of financial resources, while social comparison weakens the positive effect of social connection. This research contributes to the literature on subsistence consumers by introducing social production function theory into the subsistence marketplace and adopting a mixed approach to uncover the complexity of the perception of life satisfaction among subsistence migrant consumers.

Exploring Life Satisfaction Among Subsistence Migrant Consumers: A Case in China

This paper adds a new dimension of mobility among subsistence consumers to investigate their well-being during the process of rural-urban migration. Using social production function (SPF) theory as the theoretic perspective and a mixed method, the authors identified three essential drivers which influence the life satisfaction of subsistence migrant consumers, i.e., financial resources, social connection, and sense of control which also mediates the relationship between social connection and the well-being produced. Findings also show that family closeness and social comparison orientation moderate the main effects of financial and social resources on life satisfaction. Family closeness enhances the positive effect of financial resources, while social comparison weakens the positive effect of social connection. This research contributes to the literature of subsistence consumers by introducing social production function theory into subsistence marketplace and adopting a mixed approach to uncover the compl...

Societal development, social stratification and power- and achievement-values Inglehart’s scarcity hypothesis and the theory of the social production functions in the comparative study of values

ABSTRACTPower- and achievement-values are seen to be important for productivity and societal stability. But what exact factors drive the forces to adhere to power- and achievement-values? In this study, the focus is on societal development and social stratification. Research on values in general often is not very careful in the distinction between different levels of analysis although the necessity has been outlined in several contributions to theoretical thinking in sociology. That is why this article comes from the position of methodological individualism and highlights explicitly the different levels of analysis and their assumed interrelations. It is shown that Inglehart’s scarcity hypothesis as an explaining mechanism has some weaknesses. As an alternative, the theory of social production functions is suggested that is capable to provide a framework of compatible societal- and individual-level mechanisms. The empirical analysis is based on data of the fourth round of the European Social Survey containing about 50,000 respondents in 31 countries. The comparability of power- and achievement-values across countries and across the societal and the individual level is tested by using two-level confirmatory factor analysis. The results show that comparability across countries and across both levels can be confirmed. Furthermore, opposing relations for societal development and social stratification are found: The higher the societal development, the lower the priority of power- and achievement-values; the higher the social stratification position, the more important the power- and achievement-values. Therefore, the scarcity hypothesis is rejected and the need for an alternative explanation is reinforced.

Social frailty in older adults: a scoping review.

Social frailty is a rather unexplored concept. In this paper, the concept of social frailty among older people is explored utilizing a scoping review. In the first stage, 42 studies related to social frailty of older people were compiled from scientific databases and analyzed. In the second stage, the findings of this literature were structured using the social needs concept of Social Production Function theory. As a result, it was concluded that social frailty can be defined as a continuum of being at risk of losing, or having lost, resources that are important for fulfilling one or more basic social needs during the life span. Moreover, the results of this scoping review indicate that not only the (threat of) absence of social resources to fulfill basic social needs should be a component of the concept of social frailty, but also the (threat of) absence of social behaviors and social activities, as well as (threat of) the absence of self-management abilities. This conception of social frailty provides opportunities for future research, and guidelines for practice and policy.

Is "disease management" the answer to our problems? No! Population health management and (disease) prevention require "management of overall well-being".

BackgroundDisease management programs based on the chronic care model have achieved successful and long-term improvement in the quality of chronic care delivery and patients’ health behaviors and physical quality of life. However, such programs have not been able to maintain or improve broader self-management abilities or social well-being, which decline over time in chronically ill patients. Disease management efforts, population health management initiatives and innovative primary care solutions are still mainly focused on clinical and functional outcomes and health behaviors (e.g., smoking cessation, exercise, and diet) failing to address individuals’ overall quality of life and well-being. Individuals’ ability to achieve well-being can be assessed with great specificity through the application of social production function (SPF) theory. This theory asserts that people produce their own well-being by trying to optimize the achievement of instrumental goals (stimulation, comfort, status, behavioral confirmation, affection) that provide the means to achieve the larger, universal goals of physical and social well-being.DiscussionA shift in focus from the management of physical function, disease limitations, and lifestyle behaviors alone to an approach that fosters self-management abilities such as self-efficacy and resource investment as well as overall quality of life, is urgently needed. Disease management interventions should be aimed at adequately addressing all difficulties chronically ill patients face in life, such as the effects of pain and fatigue on the ability to maintain a job and social life and to participate in activities promoting physical and social well-being. Patients’ ability to maintain engagement in stimulating work and social activities with the people who are important to them may be even more important than aspects of disease self-management such as blood pressure or glycemic control. Interventions should aim to make chronically ill patients capable of managing their own well-being and adequately addressing their needs in a broader sense.SummarySo, is disease management the answer to our problems in the time of aging populations and increased prevalence of unhealthy lifestyles, chronic illnesses, and comorbidity? No! Effective (disease) prevention, disease management, patient-centered care, and high-quality chronic care and/or population health management calls for management of overall well-being.

The long shadow of occupation: Volunteering in retirement

This article examines the extent to which the former occupation of an employee impacts the likelihood that he or she will decide to volunteer upon retirement. Following social production function theory, we assume that beginning with retirement, the status value attached to their former occupation fades. Because volunteering has the character of a collective good, it provides an opportunity to gain social status, offsetting the loss of occupational status. However, the extent of the incentive to volunteer will be distributed unequally across occupations: the higher the former occupational status value, the higher the perceived loss of status after retirement. Thus, a job with high status value increases the incentive to volunteer in retirement. This assumption is tested using data taken from the German Socio-Economic Panel 1992–2013. The gross sample contains 1,631 workers and 589 retirees, 271 of whom transitioned into volunteering during the observation window. Based on Kaplan-Meier failure estimates, complementary log-log hazard models, and conditional effects plots, findings show a positive effect of occupational status on the transition into volunteering. Thus, the loss of high occupational status can be compensated by the social status associated with volunteering. Formal volunteering in retirement follows, albeit to a lesser extent, the logic of the occupational social strata.

Why is Justice Regarded as so Important? Theoretical Considerations and an Empirical Test of a Fundamental Question

The paper investigates why justice is regarded as important in human groups and societies. Using the theory of social production functions (SPF) as a general model of action, the theoretical analysis focuses in a first step on the question of why individuals regard justice as valuable in social life. The theory of social production functions defines two fundamental human goals—physical and social well-being. The integration of justice concepts into a general model of human behavior demands to explain how justice enters an individual's social production functions. We predict a direct effect by just procedures that increases social well-being and an indirect effect by stability of auxiliary assumptions given by justice for the production of physical and social well-being. In a second step, the theoretical predictions are tested empirically. The analysis is based on a large dataset that contains 2,926 employees surveyed all over Germany. Using structural equation modeling, the empirical results support our hypotheses: Justice is more important for people who have deficits in physical and social well-being (H1). Moreover, these deficits are more important for justice in the public context than in the private context (H2). It can also be shown that people who work in cooperative situations in which they have to rely on others rate the importance of justice higher (H3). In conclusion, the importance of justice depends on the personal situation and the fulfillment of individual goals, and can be seen as functional on the individual level in ensuring an increase in benefits in cooperative interactions.

Age differences in the reaction to incentives – A test of the successful ageing extension of Social Production Functions Theory

Abstract The “aging employee” has recently become a hot topic in many fields of behavioral research. With the aim to determine the effects of different incentive schemes (piece rate, competition, choice between piece rate and competition, social or increased monetary incentives) on performance of young and older subjects, we look at behavior of a group of younger and older adults on a well-established real effort task. Based on the theory of Social Production Functions, we hypothesize age effects that depend on the incentive schemes used. We show that older adults are less productive than younger adults in all conditions, but that different incentive schemes exert similar influences on productivity in both age groups. While we do not find a significant age difference in competitiveness and reject the age-related predictions of the Social Production Functions Theory, we replicate the gender difference in competitiveness found in the literature. Social incentives in men have an at least as strong or even stronger effect on performance than increased monetary incentives. Women do not show an increase in performance with social incentives.

Does upward social mobility increase life satisfaction? A longitudinal analysis using British and Swiss panel data

A main assumption of social production function theory is that status is a major determinant of subjective well-being (SWB). From the perspective of the dissociative hypothesis, however, upward social mobility may be linked to identity problems, distress, and reduced levels of SWB because upwardly mobile people lose their ties to their class of origin. In this paper, we examine whether or not one of these arguments holds. We employ the United Kingdom and Switzerland as case studies because both are linked to distinct notions regarding social inequality and upward mobility.Longitudinal multilevel analyses based on panel data (UK: BHPS, Switzerland: SHP) allow us to reconstruct individual trajectories of life satisfaction (as a cognitive component of SWB) along with events of intragenerational and intergenerational upward mobility—taking into account previous levels of life satisfaction, dynamic class membership, and well-studied determinants of SWB.Our results show some evidence for effects of social class and social mobility on well-being in the UK sample, while there are no such effects in the Swiss sample. The UK findings support the idea of dissociative effects in terms of a negative effect of intergenerational upward mobility on SWB.

Occupation, Prestige, and Voluntary Work in Retirement: Empirical Evidence from Germany

The paper examines the extent to which the prestige value of a retiree’s former occupation increases the likelihood that they will make a transition into volunteering after retirement. Following social production function theory, we assume that when a person retires, the prestige value attached to their former occupation fades. The fact that volunteering has the character of a collective good provides the opportunity to gain social prestige to offset the loss of occupational prestige. However, the extent of the incentive to volunteer will be distributed unequally across occupations: the higher the former occupational prestige value, the higher the perceived loss of prestige after retirement. Thus, doing a job with high prestige value increases the incentive to volunteer in retirement. This assumption is tested, using data taken from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) 1992-2013. The sample contains 1,631 workers and 589 retirees, 278 of whom transitioned into volunteering during the observation window. Based on Kaplan-Meier-Failure-Estimates and complementary log-log hazard models, findings show a positive effect of occupational prestige on the transition into volunteering. Thus, the loss of high occupational prestige can be compensated by the social prestige associated with volunteering. Formal volunteering in retirement follows, albeit to a lesser extent, the logic of the occupational social strata.