Showing papers on "Social change published in 2018"
TL;DR: The results show that the theoretically predicted dynamics of critical mass do in fact emerge as expected within an empirical system of social coordination, and the existence of a tipping point in the dynamics of changing social conventions is provided.
Abstract: Theoretical models of critical mass have shown how minority groups can initiate social change dynamics in the emergence of new social conventions. Here, we study an artificial system of social conventions in which human subjects interact to establish a new coordination equilibrium. The findings provide direct empirical demonstration of the existence of a tipping point in the dynamics of changing social conventions. When minority groups reached the critical mass—that is, the critical group size for initiating social change—they were consistently able to overturn the established behavior. The size of the required critical mass is expected to vary based on theoretically identifiable features of a social setting. Our results show that the theoretically predicted dynamics of critical mass do in fact emerge as expected within an empirical system of social coordination.
346 citations
29 Mar 2018
TL;DR: For instance, the authors found that there is a modest relationship between social forms of trust and political ones, but research has not entirely disentangled the flow of causality between the two.
Abstract: During recent years, empirical trust research has significantly advanced our understanding about the interdependencies of social and political trust. This progress can mostly be attributed to major improvements of measurement instruments in survey research. Research on the causes of both forms of trust have examined the top-down approach of trust building, which places importance on fair and impartial political institutions, such as the police and judiciary, as well as societal accounts of trust building that relate to the role of social networks and parents as well as perceptions of inequality. While there is a modest relationship between social forms of trust and political forms of trust, research has not entirely disentangled the flow of causality between the two. Recent insights into contextual and individual-level covariates of social and political trust may hold answers regarding future developments and political and societal consequences.
304 citations
TL;DR: The core features of human agency and the individual, proxy, and collective forms in which it is exercised are reviewed.
Abstract: Social cognitive theory is founded on an agentic perspective. This article reviews the core features of human agency and the individual, proxy, and collective forms in which it is exercised. Agency operates through a triadic codetermination process of causation. Knowledge from this line of theorizing is widely applied to effect individual and social change, including worldwide applications that address some of the most urgent global problems.
272 citations
TL;DR: It is proposed that profound human characteristics, including but not limited to sociality, are acquired at an early age, while social interactions provide key wiring instructions that determine brain development.
Abstract: It has long been assumed that social animals, such as humans, are born with a brain system that has evolved to support social affiliation. However, the evidence does not necessarily support this assumption. Alternatively, social animals can be defined as those who cannot survive alone and rely on members from their group to regulate their ongoing physiology (or allostasis). The rather simple evolutionary constraint of social dependency for survival can be sufficient to make the social environment vitally salient, and to provide the ultimate driving force for socially crafted brain development and learning. In this Perspective, we propose a framework for sociality and specify a set of hypotheses on the mechanisms of social development and underlying neural systems. The theoretical shift proposed here implies that profound human characteristics, including but not limited to sociality, are acquired at an early age, while social interactions provide key wiring instructions that determine brain development. Human infants need a social environment to survive as they rely on caregivers to maintain allostasis. This Perspective proposes that the need of others to regulate physiological changes determines brain development, not only in the social domain.
219 citations
TL;DR: Wang and Burris as discussed by the authors reviewed the theory and process of photovoice as a means of critically revisiting the intent and application of this method, and highlighted contemporary critiques of photovecoice.
Abstract: Photovoice, as a community-based participatory action research (PAR) method, has gained immense popularity since Wang and Burris first introduced it in the early 90s, originally as “photo novella.” Developed as a component of their work with women living in rural farming communities of Yunnan province China, Wang and Burris used this method to assess women’s health and socioeconomic needs, in an effort to support improved reproductive health outcomes. Wang and Burris (1994, p. 179) explain that the purpose of photovoice “was to promote a process of women’s participation that would be analytical, proactive, and empowering.” It is undoubtedly the benefits this method provides to researchers, participants, and their communities as well as other stakeholders (such as service providers and policy makers) who have driven its popularity. However, alongside this popularity, is a growing concern regarding rigor in the method’s application. As Gubrium and Harper (2013, p. 73) caution, “the ‘user-friendliness’ of photovoice can lead to its misuse as a ‘quick-and-easy’ replacement for long-term ethnographic engagement and immersion in fieldwork contexts.” It is this realization that shapes current discussions of photovoice. If we are to promote the aims of research approaches such as, but not limited to, critical theory, postcolonial theory, social justice research, through the use of photovoice, we have an ethical imperative as researchers to ensure that the ways in which we engage in research with communities honor their wisdom and expertise. Part of honoring this wisdom and expertise requires us to facilitate critical reflection on structurally embedded experiences, and that the knowledge emerging from this reflection is both given a platform from which to be voiced and, equally important, amplified in ways that are heard. In this state of the method article, I review the theory and process of photovoice as a means of critically revisiting the intent and application of this method. I use this reflection to highlight contemporary critiques of photovoice. Concerns around power imbalances in the research context (Castleden, Garvin, & Huu-ay-aht First Nation, 2008), rigour of research components and related findings (Nykiforuk, Vallianatos, & Nieuwendyk, 2011), participant empowerment and engagement (Carlson, Engebretson, & Chamberlain, 2006), as well as meaningful dissemination of findings and the ways in which they inform change (Latz, 2017; Mitchell, de Lange, & Moletsane, 2017) are particularly relevant. This discussion of photovoice responds to these various concerns, adding to our thinking about the use and implementation of the method.
170 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored the significance of environment for the process of social entrepreneurship, for social enterprises, and for social entrepreneurs and provided insights on institutional environments, social entrepreneurship and the interplay between them in the South African context, with implications for wider social entrepreneurship scholarship.
Abstract: The influence of environment on social entrepreneurship requires more concerted examination. This article contributes to emerging discussions in this area through consideration of social entrepreneurship in South Africa. Drawing upon qualitative case study research with six social enterprises, and examined through a framework of new institutional theories and writing on new venture creation, this research explores the significance of environment for the process of social entrepreneurship, for social enterprises, and for social entrepreneurs. Our findings provide insights on institutional environments, social entrepreneurship, and the interplay between them in the South African context, with implications for wider social entrepreneurship scholarship.
166 citations
TL;DR: The authors provides a critical review of resilience theory, drawing on an array of key authors, dating back fifty years, addressing three aspects of resilience: its definition, the construction of adversity and outcomes, and the nature and scope of resilience processes.
Abstract: As resilience theory gains traction as a theoretical framework for research in social work, it is important to engage with it critically. This article provides a critical review of resilience theory, drawing on an array of key authors, dating back fifty years. The review addresses three aspects of resilience theory: its definition, the construction of adversity and outcomes, and the nature and scope of resilience processes. The relevance of resilience theory for social work in South Africa is evaluated according to three criteria: the research questions it generates, its contribution to indigenous knowledge and decolonisation, and its contribution to social development
164 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a critical literature review within the field of learning for sustainable development, a development of the concept of transformative learning, by integrating three additional dimensions (Institutional Structures, Social Practices, and Conflict Perspectives) is presented.
Abstract: Continued unsustainability and surpassed planetary boundaries require not only scientific and technological advances, but deep and enduring social and cultural changes. The purpose of this article is to contribute a theoretical approach to understand conditions and constraints for societal change towards sustainable development. In order to break with unsustainable norms, habits, practices, and structures, there is a need for learning for transformation, not only adaption. Based on a critical literature review within the field of learning for sustainable development, our approach is a development of the concept of transformative learning, by integrating three additional dimensions—Institutional Structures, Social Practices, and Conflict Perspectives. This approach acknowledges conflicts on macro, meso, and micro levels, as well as structural and cultural constraints. It contends that transformative learning is processual, interactional, long-term, and cumbersome. It takes place within existing institutions and social practices, while also transcending them. The article adopts an interdisciplinary social science perspective that acknowledges the importance of transformative learning in order for communities, organizations, and individuals to be able to deal with global sustainability problems, acknowledging the societal and personal conflicts involved in such transformation.
132 citations
TL;DR: Positive changes in the three dimensions of empowerment were found: 1) participants acquired new knowledge and developed critical awareness of their community; 2) the social recognition participants received transformed their self-perception; and 3) the project allowed them to expand their social networks and to build new links with different actors.
Abstract: Photovoice is a visual research methodology with the intention to foster social change. Photovoice has been used to investigate change in empowerment in vulnerable communities, However, the individual experience of participants involved in Photovoice projects is seldom scrutinized. Our aim was to explore and describe the individual experiences of the female individuals who participated in a previous Photovoice project. We analyzed a change in the women’s empowerment in terms of: 1) gain in knowledge and skills, 2) change in self-perception, and 3) access to and use of resources. This qualitative study took place in the low-income District of Villaverde (Madrid, Spain), from January-June 2016. We conducted 10 semi-structured interviews with the female residents who had participated in the previous Photovoice project. We also collected field notes. We analyzed these data through a direct qualitative content analysis. The three outlined dimensions of empowerment provided guidance for the analysis of the results. We found positive changes in the three dimensions of empowerment: 1) participants acquired new knowledge and developed critical awareness of their community; 2) the social recognition participants received transformed their self-perception; and 3) the project allowed them to expand their social networks and to build new links with different actors (research partners, local decision makers, media and the wider public). Photovoice projects entail the opportunity for empowering participants. Future research using Photovoice should assess the influence it has on participants’ empowerment changes and how to sustain these individual and social changes.
124 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a multiple mediation examination process to investigate the relationships between social capital, organizational learning, and knowledge transfer in Taiwanese cultural and creative industries and found that organizational learning (e.g., exploitative learning and explorative learning) is the critical mechanism linking the relationship between the social capital and knowledge-transfer.
122 citations
TL;DR: The results challenge the idea that the three pillars of sustainability are in conflict, suggesting that rights-based systems can be designed to support all three pillars and show that economic, social, and ecological objectives are mutually reinforcing in both types of managed fisheries.
Abstract: Sustainability of global fisheries is a growing concern The United Nations has identified three pillars of sustainability: economic development, social development, and environmental protection The fisheries literature suggests that there are two key trade-offs among these pillars of sustainability First, poor ecological health of a fishery reduces economic profits for fishers, and second, economic profitability of individual fishers undermines the social objectives of fishing communities Although recent research has shown that management can reconcile ecological and economic objectives, there are lingering concerns about achieving positive social outcomes We examined trade-offs among the three pillars of sustainability by analyzing the Fishery Performance Indicators, a unique dataset that scores 121 distinct fishery systems worldwide on 68 metrics categorized by social, economic, or ecological outcomes For each of the 121 fishery systems, we averaged the outcome measures to create overall scores for economic, ecological, and social performance We analyzed the scores and found that they were positively associated in the full sample We divided the data into subsamples that correspond to fisheries management systems with three categories of access—open access, access rights, and harvest rights—and performed a similar analysis Our results show that economic, social, and ecological objectives are at worst independent and are mutually reinforcing in both types of managed fisheries The implication is that rights-based management systems should not be rejected on the basis of potentially negative social outcomes; instead, social considerations should be addressed in the design of these systems
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors further extend the Social Identity Model of Colle... and define collective action as any action that individuals undertake as group members to pursue group goals such as social change.
Abstract: Collective action refers to any action that individuals undertake as group members to pursue group goals such as social change. In this chapter, we further extend the Social Identity Model of Colle...
TL;DR: Tarun Jain et al. as discussed by the authors proposed a method to reshape adolescents' gender attitudes, report, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, 2019. September, 2020..
Abstract: Tarun Jain.September, 2020.Reshaping adolescents' gender attitudes,Report,Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on where positive social change happens in social entrepreneurship research, and only scant attention has been paid to where that change happens, and how it happens.
Abstract: Social entrepreneurship (SE) research has advanced understanding of the dynamics and processes underlying positive social change. Yet only scant attention has been paid to where that change happens...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda to test factor structure and measurement invariance of women's empowerment among married women ages 15-49.
TL;DR: Mahoney, Durlak, and Weissberg as mentioned in this paper compare results from four large-scale meta-analyses of student outcomes related to participation in universal, school-based social and emotional l...
Abstract: Joseph Mahoney, Joseph Durlak, and Roger Weissberg compare results from four large-scale meta-analyses of student outcomes related to participation in universal, school-based social and emotional l...
01 May 2018
TL;DR: In this paper, a distinction between structural social innovation, which refers to wide social change in scale and scope, targeted versions of social innovation which can be either radical or complementary to current socioeconomic institutions, and instrumental social innovation when it is used to rebrand previous agendas in a way that is more appealing to stakeholders is made.
Abstract: The concept of social innovation has become pervasive among practitioners and academics, though its definition remains elusive. This paper seeks to address this by suggesting a distinction between structural social innovation, which refers to wide social change in scale and scope, targeted versions of social innovation, which can be either radical or complementary to current socio-economic institutions, and instrumental social innovation, when it is used to rebrand previous agendas in a way that is more appealing to stakeholders. These four types of social innovation are discussed referring to practical examples in the literature. We then explore ways in which the concept could be further developed by engaging with the concepts of socio-technical transitions and the foundational economy.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce three dimensions of engagement of scoping, developing and scaling that can be essential in developing a holistic approach to participatory design as a sustainable practice of social change.
TL;DR: It is argued that research on gay men’s health has not adequately considered the significance of membership in distinct generation-cohorts, and a life course paradigm is presented to address this problem.
Abstract: Due to significant historical change in the late 20th and early 21st century related to both health and cultural attitudes toward homosexuality, gay men of distinct birth cohorts may diverge considerably in their health and identity development. We argue that research on gay men's health has not adequately considered the significance of membership in distinct generation-cohorts, and we present a life course paradigm to address this problem. Focusing on the U.S. as an exemplar that can be adapted to other cultural contexts, we identify five generations of gay men alive today and review unique issues related to health and identity development for each. Implications for research, practice, and advocacy on gay men's health and development are discussed.
TL;DR: The Nordic countries are often perceived as a coherent group representing the Nordic model of welfare states as mentioned in this paper, with a strong emphasis on the public provision of universal welfare and a strong concer
Abstract: The Nordic countries are often perceived as a coherent group representing the Nordic model of welfare states, with a strong emphasis on the public provision of universal welfare and a strong concer
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine a social enterprise's balancing act of addressing the various different tensions and trade-offs that arise when trying to deliver a multifaceted but coherent social mission.
TL;DR: Evaluation of the life history trade-offs and sociocultural ecologies that are experienced by adolescents may offer a practical basis for enhancing their development and indicate that adolescence is a distinctive period for biological embedding of culture.
Abstract: Recent opposing trends towards earlier physical maturation and later social maturation present a conundrum of apparent biological-social mismatch. Here we use life history analysis from evolutionary ecology to identify forces that drive these shifts. Together with findings in developmental science, our life history analysis indicates that adolescence is a distinctive period for biological embedding of culture. Ethnographic evidence shows that mass education is a novel feature of the globalizing cultural configurations of adolescence, which are driven by transformations in labour, livelihood and lifestyle. Evaluation of the life history trade-offs and sociocultural ecologies that are experienced by adolescents may offer a practical basis for enhancing their development.
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01 Mar 2018TL;DR: In this paper, a comparative analysis of state action in seventy countries from 1975 to 2005 is presented, revealing the multiple and complex pathways to gender justice, illuminating the opportunities and obstacles to social change for policymakers, advocates, and others seeking to advance women's rights.
Abstract: When and why do governments promote women's rights? Through comparative analysis of state action in seventy countries from 1975 to 2005, this book shows how different women's rights issues involve different histories, trigger different conflicts, and activate different sets of protagonists. Change on violence against women and workplace equality involves a logic of status politics: feminist movements leverage international norms to contest women's subordination. Family law, abortion, and contraception, which challenge the historical claim of religious groups to regulate kinship and reproduction, conform to a logic of doctrinal politics, which turns on relations between religious groups and the state. Publicly-paid parental leave and child care follow a logic of class politics, in which the strength of Left parties and overall economic conditions are more salient. The book reveals the multiple and complex pathways to gender justice, illuminating the opportunities and obstacles to social change for policymakers, advocates, and others seeking to advance women's rights.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors show that intergroup contact has tremendous implications in shaping intergroup relations, but little research has been done on the impact of intergroup interaction on social change.
Abstract: Advantaged group members have an important role to play in creating social change, and intergroup contact has tremendous implications in shaping intergroup relations. However, little research has e...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors have called for the study of women's entrepreneurship as a route to social change, arguing that women are empowered and/or emancipated through entrepreneurship.
Abstract: Critical perspectives have called for the study of women’s entrepreneurship as a route to social change. This ‘social turn’ claims women are empowered and/or emancipated through entrepreneurship wi...
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20 Apr 2018TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a synthesis of rational choice theory and sociological perspectives for the analysis of social institutions, focusing on the social dynamics that lead to the emergence of these institutions.
Abstract: This is the first book to present a synthesis of rational choice theory and sociological perspectives for the analysis of social institutions. The origin of social institutions is an old concern in social theory. Currently it has re-emerged as one of the most intensely debated issues in social science. Among economists and rational choice theorists, there is growing awareness that most, if not all, of the social outcomes that are of interest to explain are at least partly a function of institutional constraints. Yet the role of institutions is negligible both in general equilibrium theory and in most neoclassical economic models. There is a burgeoning substantive interest in institutions ranging from social movements, to formal organizations, to states, and even international regimes. Rational choice theorists have made great strides in elucidating the effects of institutions on a variety of social outcomes, but they have paid insufficient attention to the social dynamics that lead to the emergence of these institutions. Typically, these institutions have been assumed to be a given, rather than considered as outcomes requiring explanation in their own right. Sociological theorists, in contrast, have long appreciated the role of social structural constraints in the determination of outcomes but have neglected the role of individual agents.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a theoretical framework by synthesizing several literatures and explaining how the individual dimensions of political skill affect the social influence process and developed an opportunity recognition, evaluation, and evaluation model.
TL;DR: This study builds on a social movement perspective to assess the processes and intermediate outcomes of a longstanding health promotion CBPR project with an Indigenous community, the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project (KDSPP).
Abstract: A longstanding challenge of community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been to anchor evaluation and practice in a relevant theoretical framework of community change, which articulates specific and concrete evaluative benchmarks. Social movement theories provide a broad range of theoretical tools to understand and facilitate social change processes, such as those involved in CBPR. Social movement theories have the potential to provide a coherent representation of how mobilization and collective action is gradually developed and leads to systemic change in the context of CBPR. The current study builds on a social movement perspective to assess the processes and intermediate outcomes of a longstanding health promotion CBPR project with an Indigenous community, the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project (KDSPP). This research uses a case study design layered on a movement-building evaluation framework, which allows progress to be tracked over time. Data collection strategies included document (scientific and organizational) review (n = 51) and talking circles with four important community stakeholder groups (n = 24). Findings provide an innovative and chronological perspective of the evolution of KSDPP as seen through a social movement lens, and identify intermediate outcomes associated with different dimensions of movement building achieved by the project over time (mobilization, leadership, vision and frames, alliance and partnerships, as well as advocacy and action strategies). It also points to areas of improvement for KSDPP in building its potential for action. While this study’s results are directly relevant and applicable to the local context of KSDPP, they also highlight useful lessons and conclusions for the planning and evaluation of other long-standing and sustainable CBPR initiatives. The conceptual framework provides meaningful benchmarks to track evidence of progress in the context of CBPR. Findings from the study offer new ways of thinking about the evaluation of CBPR projects and their progress by drawing on frameworks that guide other forms of collective action.
TL;DR: What is learned from fNIRS studies that have used traditional experimental stimuli to study social development during infancy is reviewed, followed by a discussion of applications of this methodology to the study of atypical social development, with a focus on infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder.
TL;DR: Recent studies of the influence of musical engagement on infant social cognition and behavior are discussed, highlighting the importance of rhythmic movement and socially relevant melodies.
Abstract: Infants typically experience music through social interactions with others. One such experience involves caregivers singing to infants while holding and bouncing them rhythmically. These highly social interactions shape infant music perception and may also influence social cognition and behavior. Moving in time with others-interpersonal synchrony-can direct infants' social preferences and prosocial behavior. Infants also show social preferences and selective prosociality toward singers of familiar, socially learned melodies. Here, we discuss recent studies of the influence of musical engagement on infant social cognition and behavior, highlighting the importance of rhythmic movement and socially relevant melodies.