Stephen Baron

Bio: Stephen Baron is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Human capital & Identity (social science). The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 785 citations.

Social capital : critical perspectives

Abstract: 1 Social capital: a review and critique 2 Civil society and democratic renewal 3 Social capital, the economy and education in historical perspective 4 Economic, social capital and the colonization of the social sciences 5 Socialising social capital: identity, the transition to work and economic development 6 Social capital, innovation and competitiveness 7 Refugees and social capital theory: social capital and social integration 8 Social capital trumping class and cultural capital? Engagement with school among immigrant youth 9 Social capital, schools and exclusions 10 Social capital and health: contextualizing health promotion within local community networks 11 Local social capital: making it work on the ground 12 Social capital and associational life 13 Human capital, social capital and collective intelligence 14 Social capital and human capital revisited

Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide

Abstract: Part I. Understanding Secularization: 1. The secularization debate 2. Measuring secularization 3. Comparing secularization worldwide Part II. Case Studies of Religion and Politics: 4. The puzzle of secularization in the United States and Western Europe 5. A religious revival in post-communist Europe? 6. Religion and politics in the Muslim world Part III. The Consequences of Secularization: 7. Religion, the Protestant ethic, and moral values 8. Religious organizations and social capital 9. Religious parties and electoral behavior Part IV. Conclusions: 10. Secularization and its consequences 11. Re-examining the theory of existential security 12. Re-examining evidence for the security thesis.

Health by association? Social capital, social theory, and the political economy of public health

Abstract: Three perspectives on the efficacy of social capital have been explored in the public health literature. A "social support" perspective argues that informal networks are central to objective and subjective welfare; an "inequality" thesis posits that widening economic disparities have eroded citizens' sense of social justice and inclusion, which in turn has led to heightened anxiety and compromised rising life expectancies; a "political economy" approach sees the primary determinant of poor health outcomes as the socially and politically mediated exclusion from material resources. A more comprehensive but grounded theory of social capital is presented that develops a distinction between bonding, bridging, and linking social capital. It is argued that this framework helps to reconcile these three perspectives, incorporating a broader reading of history, politics, and the empirical evidence regarding the mechanisms connecting types of network structure and state-society relations to public health outcomes.

Understanding adaptation: What can social capital offer assessments of adaptive capacity?

Abstract: The burgeoning interest in social capital within the climate change community represents a welcome move towards a concern for the behavioural elements of adaptive action and capacity. In this paper the case is put forward for a critical engagement with social capital. There is need for an open debate on the conceptual and analytical traps and opportunities that social capital presents. The paper contrasts three schools of thought on social capital and uses a social capital lens to map out current and future areas for research on adaptation to climate change. It identifies opportunities for using social capital to research adaptive capacity and action within communities of place and communities of practice.

'The degree is not enough' : students' perceptions of the role of higher education credentials for graduate work and employability

Abstract: The UK Government is calling upon higher education students to see their learning as an investment that will give them direct benefits in the labour market. At the same time, the relationship between educational credentials and their returns in labour market has been changing in recent times. Based on a qualitative study with 53 final‐year undergraduate students in a pre‐1992 university, this article examines the way higher education students understand the role of their educational credentials in relation to their future employability. It shows that students perceive their academic qualifications as having a declining role in shaping their employment outcomes in what is perceived to be a congested and competitive graduate labour market. While academic credentials are still seen as a significant dimension of their employability, students increasingly see the need to add value to them in order to gain an advantage in the labour market.