The present historical moment may seem a particularly inopportune time to review Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam’s latest exploration of civic decline in America. After all, the outpouring of volunteerism, solidarity, patriotism, and self-sacrifice displayed by Americans in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks appears to fly in the face of Putnam’s central argument: that “ social capital” —defined as “ social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them” (p. 19) — has declined to dangerously low levels in America over the last three decades. However, Putnam is not fazed in the least by the recent effusion of solidarity. Quite the contrary, he sees in it the potential to “ reverse what has been a 30to 40-year steady decline in most measures of connectedness or community.” As an example of how the current “ war on terrorism” could generate a durable civic renewal, Putnam points to the burst in civic practices that occurred during and after World War II, which he says “ permanently marked” the generation that lived through it and had a “ terrific effect on American public life over the last half-century.” 3 If Americans can follow this example and channel their current civic

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

Justice Interruptus: Critical Reflections on the 'Postsocialist' Condition

Organisational Response Strategies to COVID-19 in the Sharing Economy

Business model patterns in the sharing economy

Social entrepreneurship is a field widely explored from multiple perspectives and within multiple academic disciplines. In parallel, practitioners have applied social entrepreneurship principles to...

Social Capital as a Driver of Social Entrepreneurship

(1) background Research and user experience suggests both positive and negative social impacts resulting from practices in the sharing economy: social cohesion vs. gentrification; inclusiveness vs. discrimination; flexible employment vs. exploitation. However, as yet, there is no framework for understanding or assessing these social impacts holistically. (2) objective We aim to improve understanding of the social impacts of sharing platforms and develop a systematic framework to assess these impacts. (3) methods We conduct a narrative literature review and stakeholder workshop, integrating insights to produce a systematic social impact assessment framework and a practice-oriented tool. (4) results We identify four social aspects-trust, empowerment, social justice, and inclusivity-and eighteen indicators that make up the framework. We describe each indicator and its relevance to the sharing economy as well as suggest measurable variables in the form of a practice-oriented tool. (5) conclusions The framework and tool are the first holistic method for assessing social impact in the sharing economy, which may inform researchers, sharing platforms, regulators, investors, and citizens to mitigate adverse social impacts while enhancing the overall net social value of the sharing economy.

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Systematic framework to assess social impacts of sharing platforms: Synthesising literature and stakeholder perspectives to arrive at a framework and practice-oriented tool.

Bananas are the second most frequently consumed fruit in Germany and the country is among the top four banana importing countries worldwide. Thus, Germany represent a significant market for exporters and retailers of this tropical fruit. The related consequences of production, trade and marketing of bananas are, however, familiar only to a fraction of consumers. Particularly the negative impacts caused by banana production, which farmers, workers and surrounding communities are exposed to, are manifold. They include health and labour rights issues, deterioration and erosion of soils and watercourses, as well as social and financial inequities. These challenges are addressed in different international and national initiatives, some of which have developed standardised certification systems for farms and plantations. While considerable progress has been made, many social, ecological and economic challenges in major exporting countries remain. Due to this, the multi-stakeholder initiative Action Alliance for Sustainable Bananas, which will be introduced in this chapter, was founded at the end of 2014.

Alexandra Kessler

Papers

Systematic framework to assess social impacts of sharing platforms: Synthesising literature and stakeholder perspectives to arrive at a framework and practice-oriented tool.

Sustainability in the Banana Sector: Development and Success Factors of the German Action Alliance for Sustainable Bananas