Showing papers on "Social capital published in 2012"

Social Media Use for News and Individuals' Social Capital, Civic Engagement and Political Participation

Abstract: Recently, scholars tested how digital media use for informational purposes similarly contributes to foster democratic processes and the creation of social capital. Nevertheless, in the context of today's socially-networked-society and the rise of social media applications (i.e., Facebook) new perspectives need to be considered. Based on U.S. national data, results show that after controlling for demographic variables, traditional media use offline and online, political constructs (knowledge and efficacy), and frequency and size of political discussion networks, seeking information via social network sites is a positive and significant predictor of people's social capital and civic and political participatory behaviors, online and offline. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Building Resilience: Social Capital in Post-Disaster Recovery

Abstract: Each year, natural disasters threaten the strength and stability of communities worldwide. Yet responses to the challenges of recovery vary greatly and in ways that aren't always explained by the magnitude of the catastrophe or the amount of aid provided by national governments or the international community. The difference between resilience and disrepair, Daniel P. Aldrich shows, lies in the depth of communities' social capital. "Building Resilience" highlights the critical role of social capital in the ability of a community to withstand disaster and rebuild the infrastructure and ties that are at the foundation of any community. Aldrich examines the post-disaster responses of four distinct communities - Tokyo following the 1923 earthquake, Kobe after the 1995 earthquake, Tamil Nadu after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and New Orleans post-Katrina - and finds that those with robust social networks were better able to coordinate recovery. In addition to quickly disseminating information and assistance, communities with an abundance of social capital were able to minimize the migration of people and resources out of the area. With governments increasingly overstretched and natural disasters likely to increase in frequency and intensity, an understanding of what contributes to efficient reconstruction is more important than ever. "Building Resilience" underscores a critical component of an effective response.

Global Education Inc.: New Policy Networks and the Neoliberal Imaginary

Abstract: 1. Networks, Neo-Liberalism and policy mobilities 2. Doing Neo-liberalism - markets and states, and friends with money 3. Transnational Advocacy Networks and Policy Entrepreneurship: Indiana Jones, business and schooling of the poor 4. 'New' Philanthropy, Social Capitalism and Education Policy 5. Policy as Profit: selling and exporting policy 6. Education as Big Business 7. Money, Meaning and Policy Connections

Dynamic Capabilities, Social Capital, and Rent Appropriation: Ties that Split Pies

Abstract: Rent appropriation is an emerging area in the strategic management literature. Along these lines, the article explores who reaps the fruits of a dynamic capability. We argue that while social capital is essential for the acquisition, integration, and release of resources at the core of a dynamic capability, actors can also use social capital for personal gain. Thus, social capital may be a key to understanding both rent generation and rent appropriation. Even when causal ambiguity obscures individual contributions, they may use their social capital to establish credible claims on the rent. Specifically, employees who occupy structural holes, span organizational boundaries, or who are highly central may be most able to appropriate rent because their social capital grants credibility to their claims. Rent that is appropriated in this way may be unobservable in performance measures that fail to distinguish normal compensation from rent. We contribute by identifying the specific role of social capital in a dynamic capability and linking social capital to rent appropriation patterns.

Science Aspirations, Capital, and Family Habitus How Families Shape Children’s Engagement and Identification With Science

Abstract: Low participation rates in the study of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) post-16 are a matter of international concern. Existing evidence suggests children’s science aspirations are largely formed within the critical 10 to 14 age period. This article reports on survey data from over 9,000 elementary school children in England (age 10/11) and qualitative data from 160 semi-structured interviews (92 children aged 10/11 and 78 parents), collected as part of an ongoing 5-year longitudinal study in the United Kingdom tracking children from 10 to 14. Drawing on the conceptual framework of Bourdieu, the article explores how the interplay of family habitus and capital can make science aspirations more “thinkable” for some (notably middle-class) children than others. It is argued that while family habitus is not deterministic (there is no straightforward alignment between family habitus, capital, and a child’s science aspirations), social inequalities in the distribution of capital and diff...

Network Measures of Social Capital

Abstract: As Burt (1998) notes, "social capital is fast becoming a core concept in sociology and political science". But it has mostly been used in a theoretical context; only a few researchers have had to confront the issue of measurement. Those that have (e.g., Burt 1992; Gulati 1999) have almost universally chosen or constructed a single measure of social capital. The focus has been substantive rather than methodological, so none have systematically considered the range of possible measures. In this short paper, we would like to consider which existing network measures might be used to formalize the notion of social capital.

Impact at the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’: The Role of Social Capital in Capability Development and Community Empowerment

Abstract: Rooted in the notion of inclusive capitalism, the Bottom-of-the-Pyramid (BoP) approach argues for the simultaneous pursuit of profit and social welfare by creating markets for the poor. This idea has been both celebrated and criticized in the literature. We do neither in this paper. Instead, by leveraging insights from Amartya Sen's work on capability development and the literature on social capital, we offer a more socially embedded and community-centric BoP approach. By redefining poverty not just as a lack of income, but also as a lack of ‘capabilities’ in Sen's sense that can be developed through leveraging social capital, we offer a systemic framework for understanding the societal impact of business-driven ventures in the BoP and empowering BoP communities through these ventures. Specifically, we argue that any business initiative in the BoP ought to be evaluated on the basis of whether it advances capability transfer and retention by (a) enhancing the social capital between a particular community and other more resource rich networks, and (b) preserving the existing social capital in the community.

The organization of firms across countries

Abstract: We argue that social capital as proxied by regional trust and the Rule of Law can improve aggregate productivity through facilitating greater firm decentralization. We collect original data on the decentralization of investment, hiring, production and sales decisions from Corporate Head Quarters to local plant managers in almost 4,000 firms in the US, Europe and Asia. We find Anglo-Saxon and Northern European firms are much more decentralized than those from Southern Europe and Asia. Trust and the Rule of Law appear to facilitate delegation by improving co-operation, even when we examine “bilateral trust” between the country of origin and location for affiliates of multinational firms. We show that areas with higher trust and stronger rule of law specialize in industries that rely on decentralization and allow more efficient firms to grow in scale. Furthermore, even for firms of a given size and industry, trust and rule of law are associated with more decentralization which fosters higher returns from information technology (we find IT is complementary with decentralization). Finally, we find that non-hierarchical religions and product market competition are also associated with more decentralization. Together these cultural, legal and economic factors account for fourfifths of the cross-country variation in the decentralization of power within firms.

Regions Matter: How Localized Social Capital Affects Innovation and External Knowledge Acquisition

Abstract: To introduce new products, firms often use knowledge from other organizations. Drawing on social capital theory and the relational view of the firm, we argue that geographically localized social capital affects a firm's ability to innovate through various external channels. Combining data on social capital at the regional level, with a large-scale data set of the innovative activities of a representative sample of 2,413 Italian manufacturing firms from 21 regions, and controlling for a large set of firm and regional characteristics, we find that being located in a region characterized by a high level of social capital leads to a higher propensity to innovate. We find also that being located in an area characterized by a high degree of localized social capital is complementary to firms' investments in internal research and development (R&D) and that such a location positively moderates the effectiveness of externally acquired R&D on the propensity to innovate.

Home Sweet Home: Entrepreneurs' Location Choices and the Performance of Their Ventures

Abstract: Entrepreneurs, even more than employees, tend to locate in regions in which they have deep roots (“home” regions). Here, we examine the performance implications of these choices. Whereas one might expect entrepreneurs to perform better in these regions because of their richer endowments of regionally embedded social capital, they might also perform worse if their location choices rather reflect a preference for spending time with family and friends. We examine this question using comprehensive data on Danish start-ups. Ventures perform better---survive longer and generate greater annual profits and cash flows---when located in regions in which their founders have lived longer. This effect appears substantial, similar in size to the value of prior experience in the industry (i.e., to being a spin-off). This paper was accepted by Gerard P. Cachon, organizations.

Social capital and social quilts : network patterns of favor exchange

Abstract: We examine the informal exchange of favors in societies such that any two individuals interact too infrequently to sustain exchange, but such that the social pressure of the possible loss of multiple relationships can sustain exchange. Patterns of exchange that are locally enforceable and renegotiation-proof necessitate that all links are “supported”: any two individuals exchanging favors have a common friend. In symmetric settings, such robust networks are “social quilts”: tree-like unions of completely connected subnetworks. Examining favor exchange networks in 75 villages in rural India, we find high levels of support and identify characteristics that correlate with support.

Regional Social Capital: Why it Matters

Abstract: Malecki E J Regional social capital: why it matters, Regional Studies Social capital refers to a culture of interaction among people, with productive economic outcomes Social capital promotes regional learning both within a region and beyond, as it reinforces openness to the ideas of others Regional cultures vary in the degree to which people – individually and within their organizations – trust and interact with one another, which is why regional outcomes vary Innovation, learning and entrepreneurship – key processes of regional development – take place largely within and among people as members of companies and territorial organizations Innovative milieus, industrial districts and knowledge economies are among the regions with extraordinary pools of social capital Malecki E J 区域社会资本：有何相关性，区域研究。社会资本指一种人与人之间互动的文化，同时产生生产性经济结果。由于强化了人与人之间理念的互通，社会资本能够促进区域内外的区域性学习。不同个体之间及其组织间的信任与互动程度存在不同程度的差异, 这正是不同区域存在差异的原因。 作为区域发展中的核心过程，创新、学习以及公司多出现在公司以及领域性组织成员内部及相互之间。创新、产业区以及知识经济往往存在于拥有突出社会资本的区域。 社会资本 学习型区域 创新 学习

New Parents' Facebook Use at the Transition to Parenthood

Abstract: New parents' Facebook use was examined from a social capital perspective. Surveys regarding Facebook use and parenting satisfaction, parenting self-efficacy, and parenting stress were completed by 154 mothers and 150 fathers as part of a larger study of dual-earner, Mid-western U.S. couples making the transition to parenthood. Results indicated that mothers used Facebook more than fathers, and that mothers perceived an increase in use over the transition. When more of mothers' Facebook friends were family members or relatives, and when fathers reported connecting with more of their Facebook friends outside of Facebook, they reported better parental adjustment. For mothers, however, more frequent visits to Facebook accounts and more frequent content management were each associated with higher levels of parenting stress.

Scientists’ transition to academic entrepreneurship: Economic and psychological determinants

Abstract: This study investigated academic scientists’ transition to entrepreneurship by studying their academic entrepreneurial intentions (to found a business in order to market their research knowledge) and actual founding behavior. We developed and tested a conceptual model integrating both economic and psychological perspectives. Applying the theory of planned behavior, we examined the economic factors (scientists’ human capital, social capital, expected entrepreneurial benefits) as distal predictors (background factors) of academic entrepreneurial intentions. The psychological factors (entrepreneurial attitudes, norms, control perceptions) were examined as proximal intention predictors. Findings were derived from a path analysis utilizing archival and survey data on German scientists (N = 496). We found that attitudes and perceived control predicted entrepreneurial intentions. Social norms in turn had no effect. As regards the economic factors, human and social capital exhibited indirect effects on intentions via entrepreneurial attitudes and control perceptions, while additional direct effects of both capitals showed up significantly as well. Expected benefits from engaging in academic entrepreneurship (i.e., expected financial and reputational gain) only showed indirect effects on intentions via attitudes and perceived control. In addition, longitudinal results indicated that entrepreneurial intentions indeed forecasted entrepreneurial behavior, while certain barriers have a diminishing influence on this relationship. Our results are discussed with an emphasis on the long-neglected importance of the interplay of economic and psychological determinants for scientists’ transition to academic entrepreneurship.

Catching Falling Stars: A Human Resource Response to Social Capital's Detrimental Effect of Information Overload on Star Employees

Abstract: Because star employees are more visible and productive, they are likely to be sought out by others and develop an information advantage through their abundant social capital. However, not all of the information effects of stardom are beneficial. We theorize that stars' robust social capital may produce an unintended side effect of information overload. We highlight the role of human resource management in minimizing the effects of information overload for stars, and we discuss avenues for future research.

How Does Social Trust Affect Economic Growth

Abstract: [Author Affiliation]Christian Bjornskov, , , , ChBj@asb.dk[Acknowledgment]I am grateful for comments from Mogens Kamp Justesen, Robert Klemmensen, participants at a conference in Cesme, two anonymous referees and an editor of this journal. All remaining errors are of course mine.1. IntroductionDefined by Robert Putnam (1993, p. 167) as "features of social organization, such as trust, norms, and networks, that can improve the efficiency of society by facilitating coordinated actions," the concept of social capital hit a note with both social scientists and politicians. While fancy new concepts that generate attention have come and gone for more than a century, a substantial empirical literature has confirmed that at least one feature of social capital--social trust--is in fact an important determinant of a number of political and economic features (Knack 2002; Uslaner 2002; Bjornskov 2006). In particular, Putnam (1993) claimed that social capital could explain the long-run growth differences across Italian regions during the post-World War II period, a result confirmed with some qualifications in a cross-country setting in Knack and Keefer's (1997) seminal article on economic growth. One of the most important and robust results emerging from the subsequent empirical literature is indeed that countries with high levels of social trust but not necessarily other elements of social capital have grown faster in recent decades than other comparable countries (Whiteley 2000; Zak and Knack 2001; Beugelsdijk, de Groot, and van Schaik 2004).The trust literature also implicitly points to a number of potential transmission mechanisms. First, in one of the original articles on social capital, Coleman (1988) argued that it is a factor in creating human capital, a point later confirmed by several studies at different analytical levels (La Porta et al. 1997; Putnam 2001; Bjornskov 2009; Papagapitos and Riley 2009).1 This effect could in principle be due to trust, so to speak, squaring the circle between effects of competition and cooperation in the educational system as well as allowing firms in countries with high social trust to demand a more educated workforce (Bjornskov 2009). As a first potential mechanism, trust might therefore lead to growth, as schooling is often found to be a significant factor in explaining growth and investment rates (Barro 1991; Temple 2001; Weede and Kampf 2002; Dearmon and Grier 2011). However, a potential worry worth mentioning is that a number of studies argue that the correlation between social trust and schooling reflects the reverse causal direction (Knack and Keefer 1997; Glaeser et al. 2000; Gradstein and Justman 2000; Knack and Zak 2002).Second, Helliwell and Putnam (1995) argued that differences in social capital have led to the observed differences in the quality of governance across the Italian region. As stressed by Knack (2002), trust might (i) lead to higher accountability, as decisions have to be responsive to the preferences of the population, and politicians therefore "are more inclined to temper their worst impulses rather than force public protests" (Putnam 2000, p. 346); (ii) create more consensus when political positions are polarized since both adversely affected voters and politicians have more trust that they will be compensated in future decisions for any cost imposed on them through current policy decisions;2 and (iii) allow the introduction of policy innovations, possibly because trustworthy politicians are better at credibly signaling their necessity and thus avoiding popular skepticism to apparently obscure institutional changes (cf. Knack 2002; Heinemann and Tanz 2008). Finally, Nobel laureate Kenneth Arrow (1972) hinted at what is basically a Weberian bureaucratic explanation for the trust-governance association by remarking that "the system [of judges and police] would itself disappear if on each occasion they were to sell their services and decisions. …

Enacting clan control in complex it projects: a social capital perspective

Abstract: The information technology project control literature has documented that clan control is often essential in complex multistakeholder projects for project success. However, instituting clan control in such conditions is challenging as people come to a project with diverse skills and backgrounds. There is often insufficient time for clan control to develop naturally. This paper investigates the question, "How can clan control be enacted in complex IT projects?" Recognizing social capital as a resource, we conceptualize a clan as a group with strong social capital (i.e., where its members have developed their structural, cognitive, and relational ties to the point that they share common values and beliefs and are committed to a set of peer norms). We theorize that the enactment of clan control is a dual process of (1) building the clan by developing its social capital dimensions (structural, cognitive, and relational ties) or reappropriating social capital from elsewhere and (2) leveraging the clan by reinforcing project-facilitating shared values, beliefs, and norms, and inhibiting those that impede the achievement of project goals. We explore how clan control was enacted in a large IT project at a major logistics organization in which clan control was quickly instituted to avoid an impending project failure. Our research contributes to theory in three ways: (1) we reconcile the two differing views of clan control into a single framework, (2) we explain the role of controllers in enacting clan control, and (3) we clarify how formal control can be employed to develop clan control.

Are large and complex agricultural cooperatives losing their social capital

Abstract: During the last 20 years many traditionally organized agricultural cooperatives have been forced to abandon their business form. Explanations have been put forward, comprising a variety of economic and sociological theories. The present study suggests that the social capital paradigm may add explanatory power when analyzing this development. It is claimed that the problems are due to the members having increasingly little trust in the cooperatives and in each other. The cooperatives’ decision makers have no instruments for estimating how much social capital is lost when they pursue strategies of vertical and horizontal integration. Therefore, they do not consider this loss in their calculations. Thus, the problems caused by the cooperatives’ vaguely defined property rights are becoming increasingly serious. This reasoning is summarized into a model, which is influenced by the consumer choice model. [EconLit Classification; A130; P130; Q130]. C 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

"This does my head in". Ethnographic study of self-management by people with diabetes

Abstract: Self-management is rarely studied 'in the wild'. We sought to produce a richer understanding of how people live with diabetes and why self-management is challenging for some. Ethnographic study supplemented with background documents on social context. We studied a socio-economically and ethnically diverse UK population. We sampled 30 people with diabetes (15 type 1, 15 type 2) by snowballing from patient groups, community contacts and NHS clinics. Participants (aged 5-88, from a range of ethnic and socio-economic groups) were shadowed at home and in the community for 2-4 periods of several hours (total 88 visits, 230 hours); interviewed (sometimes with a family member or carer) about their self-management efforts and support needs; and taken out for a meal. Detailed field notes were made and annotated. Data analysis was informed by structuration theory, which assumes that individuals' actions and choices depend on their dispositions and capabilities, which in turn are shaped and constrained (though not entirely determined) by wider social structures. Self-management comprised both practical and cognitive tasks (e.g. self-monitoring, menu planning, medication adjustment) and socio-emotional ones (e.g. coping with illness, managing relatives' input, negotiating access to services or resources). Self-management was hard work, and was enabled or constrained by economic, material and socio-cultural conditions within the family, workplace and community. Some people managed their diabetes skilfully and flexibly, drawing on personal capabilities, family and social networks and the healthcare system. For others, capacity to self-manage (including overcoming economic and socio-cultural constraints) was limited by co-morbidity, cognitive ability, psychological factors (e.g. under-confidence, denial) and social capital. The consequences of self-management efforts strongly influenced people's capacity and motivation to continue them. Self-management of diabetes is physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially demanding. Non-engagement with self-management may make sense in the context of low personal resources (e.g. health literacy, resilience) and overwhelming personal, family and social circumstances. Success of self-management as a policy solution will be affected by interacting influences at three levels: [a] at micro level by individuals' dispositions and capabilities; [b] at meso level by roles, relationships and material conditions within the family and in the workplace, school and healthcare organisation; and [c] at macro level by prevailing economic conditions, cultural norms and expectations, and the underpinning logic of the healthcare system. We propose that the research agenda on living with diabetes be extended and the political economy of self-management systematically studied.

Network Capital, Social Capital and Knowledge Flow: How the Nature of Inter-organizational Networks Impacts on Innovation

Abstract: This paper focuses on the role of inter-organizational networks as facilitators of knowledge flow and innovation. It introduces the concepts of network capital and network space to complement existing notions of social capital and geographic space as explanatory factors underpinning the impact of networks. Empirically, the paper analyses the inter-organizational networks of firms across three different regional settings. As well as finding significant differences across regions, the analysis also finds cross-regional commonalities in terms of the association between the innovation prowess of firms and the nature of their networks. In particular, it is found that the innovation performance of firms is significantly related to network capital investment in dynamically configured inter-organizational knowledge alliances. It is concluded that such findings may provide clues in terms of policy making in areas such as cluster and innovation system development, especially in supporting and orchestrating networks which have a clear strategic and calculative rationale.

Social Capital and Individual Happiness in Europe

Abstract: This paper explores the relationship between social capital and happiness both in Europe as a whole, as well as in its four main geographical macro-regions – North, South, East and West – separately. We test the hypothesis of whether social capital, in its three-fold definition established by Coleman (1988) – trust, social interaction, and norms and sanctions – influences individual happiness across European countries and regions. The concept of social capital is further enriched by incorporating Putnam- (1993) and Olson- (1982) type variables on associational activity. Using ordinal logistic regression analysis on data for 48,583 individuals from 25 European countries, we reach three main findings. First, social capital matters for happiness across the three dimensions considered. Second, the main drivers of the effects of social capital on happiness appear to be informal social interaction and general social, as well as institutional trust. And third, there are significant differences in how social capital interacts with happiness across different areas of Europe, with the connection being at is weakest in the Nordic countries.

Why (and how) do teachers engage in social networks? An exploratory study of professional use of Facebook and its implications for lifelong learning

Abstract: To date, little empirical research on professional use of social network sites has been conducted, particularly with reference to groups of teachers on Facebook. The paper presents the results of two surveys addressed to the founders of five Italian Facebook groups and their members ( n = 1107), with the aim of investigating mechanisms underlying group membership and reflecting on their implications for professional development. A number of hypotheses were tested in order to explore the nature of three dimensions (domain, network and practice) involved in these groups, assimilated by authors into networks of practice. The study investigated the mechanisms of group membership and their participatory dynamics in terms of group types (generic vs. thematic), duration of membership and the interplay between offline and online activities. Results showed that groups differing in terms of domain (generic or thematic) are characterized by particular mechanisms of affiliation and participation and that mechanisms of legitimation of the members, as well as of shared resources, are associated with the duration of membership. Further research should be conducted to investigate how social capital dynamics evolve over time, influencing the construction of group identity. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic The use of social network sites ( SNS), particularly Facebook, is growing in the educational field., To date, little attention has been given to the use of Facebook for professional development., Empirical research mainly refers to the higher education context and shows that the use of SNS has positive outcomes for social capital., What this paper adds An application of social capital theory with the networks of practice framework (Brown & Duguid, ) to the study of professional groups of teachers in SNS., An understanding of groups in terms of shared social capital, both bridging and bonding., An analysis of the interplay between online and offline activities in terms of professional benefits for teachers., Implications for practice and/or policy Participation in this kind of groups may have a positive impact on professional development., Social networks may afford different types of social capital for professionals., Policy makers should encourage and support the use of social networks for professional learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]