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Abstract: This study employs a parametric deterministic input distance function for computing the relative shadow prices of social capital with respect to physical capital and labor for household-level paper-recycling units in Vietnam. The results indicate that social capital has positive effects on the production efficiency of paper-recycling units. More specifically, the contribution of a 1% increase in social capital to production efficiency improvements is much greater than that of one million Vietnamese dong of physical capital, but less than that of 100 worker-hours of labor. Furthermore, associational activity and trust are the most valuable out of the four components of social capital and an increase of 1% in the measures of associational activity and trust is equal to an increase of US$364.936 and US$337.103 in the value of physical capital, respectively. The results also indicate that the relative shadow prices of the reciprocity and associational activity measures are highest for the lowest income group; whereas those of trust and information sharing are highest among the higher income groups. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The production efficiency and shadow prices of three environmental outputs (BOD, COD, and SS) of 63 household-level paper-recycling units, from a recycling craft village in Vietnam, are assessed A two-stage procedure, linear programming and stochastic estimation, is used to estimate output distance function. Social capital as a production factor and environmental outputs are included in the output distance function. Results indicate that production efficiencies could potentially be improved by 28%. There is a substantial variation in the shadow prices of environmental outputs among the production units of different types of paper products. Furthermore, the average shadow prices of the three environmental outputs are all positive. This indicates a potential for improving environmental quality though introducing pollution-prevention methods to paper-recycling production processes in Vietnam (e.g., recirculation of wastewater), and suggests that it may be inappropriate to restrict the shadow prices of environmental outputs to be non-positive for the analysis of some production processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Using novel longitudinal data, this paper studies the short- and medium-term effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 on social trust of adolescents in Germany. Comparing adolescents who responded to our survey shortly before the start of the war with those who responded shortly after the conflict began and applying difference-in-differences (DiD) models over time, we find a significant decline in the outcome after the war started. These findings provide new evidence on how armed conflicts influence social trust and well-being among young people in a country not directly involved in the war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to examine the psychometric properties of social capital indicators, comparing Black and White respondents to identify the extent of measurement invariance in social capital by race. We used data from the longitudinal study Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), waves 1 through 3 (1995-2016). Data were from 6513 respondents (5604 White and 909 Black respondents). Social capital indicators were social cohesion, contributions to community, and community involvement. We used Structural Equation Modeling and Item Response Theory methods to test for measurement invariance in social capital by race. We observed violations of longitudinal and multi-group measurement invariance (MI) at configural and metric levels on two scales. Factor structures and indicator loadings were inconsistent over time. In IRT analysis, 'Many people come for advice' exhibited Differential Item Functioning (DIF), indicating a consistent advantage for White respondents on the contributions to community scale. Despite similar social capital levels (P(χ2,2) = 0.00), DIF was found in all contributions to community items and some community involvement items when examining race and education interaction. Invariance issues in social capital items suggest potential biases in comparing Black and White respondents. Recognizing these biases is essential. Future social capital research should assess existing data assumptions and involve stakeholders from diverse communities in creating new items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Project-based and short-term employment is widespread in the contemporary labor market, yet existing theories of social capital often rely on an organizationally bound model of work and careers. In this paper, we expand this perspective by examining the case of precarious employment in a creative industry to ask, what kinds of social ties promote or constrain workers' opportunities? We examine networks among fashion models, a case of project-based freelance labor. Using ethnographic accounts of fashion shows and castings, as well as a unique longitudinal dataset of careers and networks in fashion modeling, we develop the notion of "transitory ties" to account for the short-term, fleeting, and highly valuable social relations that models form recurrently on jobs. We adopt a network ecology perspective on transitory ties by showing how contextual factors drive their formation, and ultimately broader network structures that have tremendous consequences for models' careers. • In the "gig economy," workers rely on transitory ties that have not been studied so far. • Transitory ties are short-lived, meaningful, and recurrent. • Core transitory ties provide workers with legitimate information and status • We look at the global fashion modeling industry where transitory ties are salient. • We take a network ecology perspective on transitory ties impacting workers' careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Regional Development Strategy of the Czech Republic 2021+ set aside economically and socially endangered rural regions. This paper aims to analyse the situation of these regions in the South Moravian Region in more detail to specify individual threats and possible approaches to rural development. In addition, the paper seeks to determine whether these regions are significantly differentiated internally, allowing the neediest areas to be focused on for growth. The research used geographical analysis and synthesis methods to identify the two most peripheral microregions as the most endangered. Their most significant strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were summarised, and possible strategies for further development were indicated. Although the conditions and development assumptions in the two microregions were different, the significance of tourism development was indicated as the most important direction in one case and as a second direction in the other. • The Czech Republic's Regional Development Strategy 2021+ outlined endangered areas. • The endangered rural areas in the South Moravian Region were analysed in detail. • Only the most peripheral parts of the designated regions are at risk. • Regardless of the general strategy, each of the micro-regions must be managed separately. • The development of cultural tourism is one of the promising possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of urbanisation and the decline of the countryside, reverse entrepreneurship cannot be separated from integration, referring to a process of mutual trust and cooperation between reverse (returnee or immigrant from urban areas) entrepreneur, host community and external stakeholders for sustainable livelihoods. With a geographic focus on poor areas of China, this paper aims to reveal key factors behind successful initiatives of reverse entrepreneurship to address challenges facing local communities, and pathways for mobilising and effectively using various resources, both internally and externally. These objectives are addressed through multiple cases of tourism development in Ganzi, a Tibetan Minority Prefecture of Sichuan. This paper contributes to the literature on entrepreneurial integration to debates on reverse entrepreneurship in three aspects. Firstly, entrepreneurial integration starts from social embeddedness, interconnecting and interacting between reverse entrepreneur(s) and the host community to understand local challenges and share a new vision for sustainable livelihoods. Secondly, entrepreneurial integration is essentially an innovation platform to develop or enhance social capital (both bonding and bridging) for mobilising and effective use of critical resources. Finally, the study outlines five pathways of tourism entrepreneurship, which reflects variations in livelihood strategy, critical capitals, business models, innovation diffusion and application potential. • Rural development calls for mutual trust and cooperation between reverse entrepreneurs, host communities, external stakeholders. • Successful entrepreneurial integration depends upon a platform building to develop social capital (both bonding and bridging). • Five pathways reflect variation in strategy, critical capitals, business models, innovation diffusion,application potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural China faces many challenges, including outmigration, brain drains, and the hollowing out and decline of villages. This paper offers a response by drawing attention to the phenomenon of "community connection" among migrants in urban areas who try to keep their identity and attachment to home communities in the countryside. From the perspective of bridging social capital, we argue that community connection is a potential resource for rural revitalisation. The value and conditions of using community connection are revealed through a survey conducted with over 1200 university students in China, coming from a rural family background. This paper contributes to the literature in the following aspects: First, community connection provides a foundation upon which bridging social capital can be linked with and used for the development of home community, an important condition for successful rural revitalisation. Second, the potential of community connection requests in recognising a sense of community among migrants who are attaching to, and willing to bring external resources into, home communities. Third, a sense of community varies greatly with geographic location and the social group with which migrants belong to. A greater sense of community and place attachment is more likely found amongst those coming from remote villages and rural poor, whose livelihoods are heavily dependent upon traditional agriculture. Furthermore, differences in a sense of community may lead to different approaches or attitudes to ongoing land transfer in the countryside. Policy implications, research limitations and directions of further research are discussed. • Community connection as potential resource for rural revitalisation in China. • Interconnection between community connection and bridging social capital. • Sense of community and placement attachment among university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Neighbourhood participation comprises both formal and informal modes of engagement. • Formal neighbourhood participation can enhance residents' feeling of cohesion and belonging. • Everyday neighbouring behaviours also help bolster a feeling of belonging and attachment. • Community organizations have the potential to both encourage inclusion and exacerbate divisions. Existing neighbourhood research suggests growing socio-spatial inequalities and decreased participation and social cohesion in cities across North America. This paper uses a multiple case study design and qualitative, in-depth interviews to explore individuals' experiences of participation in diverse neighbourhoods in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Based on thematic analysis of interviews, it identifies four types of formal neighbourhood participation (stepping up, speaking out, addressing needs, and showing up) and six types of informal participation in which residents engaged (networking, caring, reciprocating, working together, watching out, and getting out). These empirical findings offer rich qualitative perspectives on neighbourhood social capital, also drawing attention to the intersectional factors and complex power dynamics that influence how residents participate in neighbourhoods and neighbouring behaviours. Overall, the paper highlights the potential for community-based organizations to foster more inclusive participation, while also shaping how place-based inequalities play out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of civil society in shaping content moderation governance arrangements in the United States. Drawing on prior research that recognizes the importance of civil society in shaping policy, this article analyzes the experiences of civil society practitioners engaged in content moderation activism. Based on in-depth original interviews with civil society practitioners, I demonstrate how civil society's activity in this space aligns with known regulatory standard-setting process competencies and suggest advocacy work benefits from the power of coalition lobbying and social capital. Moreover, I highlight the sense of frustration from some practitioners that they are not compensated by firms for their monitoring and reporting work that improves platforms' products, and I offer preliminary reasons for why practitioners contest moderation norms. The paper's insights contribute to the study of platform governance by illuminating informal mechanisms utilized by civil society, which holds broader implications for understanding the dynamics of non-state actors in shaping online platforms and their policies. • New empirical evidence contributes insight into the experiences of U.S. civil society actors involved in platform governance. • U.S. civil society practitioners engage in content moderation activism via known regulatory competencies. • Informal mechanisms such as networks, coalitions, and knowledge sharing are used to contest digital governance arrangements. • The power of coalition lobbying, dynamics of civil society-platform interactions, and motives for contestation are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese returnee scholars' trans -spatial integration and identity (re)construction have received considerable attention in recent discussions. However, their collaborative academic writing practices in English have been relatively neglected in research. This paper addresses this gap by examining how a group of Chinese returnees engage in collaborative English writing for publication, aiming not only to navigate the challenges of competitive academia but also to excel within it. The concept of community of practice is used as a lens to analyze these returnees' motivation in seeking collaboration in English writing. The examination encompasses the affordances derived from such collaborative efforts and the subsequent impact on the scholars' (re)constructed identities. The paper explores their perceptions of how collaborative writing has built their professional social capital and strengthened their identity as academics. This study contributes to understanding Chinese returnee scholars' international publishing practices and urges universities to reconsider their policy when assessing scholars' collaborative writing and publishing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In sub-Saharan African cities, community-driven development has emerged as a collective response to entrenched socio-spatial inequalities and inappropriate local development planning responses to the challenges of informal settlements. Social capital is considered to stimulate such community-driven initiatives. There are also claims that social capital can impede the sustainable development of informal settlements. Yet, none of these streams pay due attention to what forms of social capital and what urban social context social capital influences community-led informal settlement improvement. This paper sought to examine the influential role of bonding and bridging social capital on community-driven development (CDD) by comparing indigenous and migrant urban informal settlements in Accra, Ghana. Drawing on a quantitative study with 300 participants in two informal settlements and using a robust multi-group analysis, the findings revealed that bonding social capital had a positive effect on CDD (β = 0.27, p = 0.05) in the indigenous informal settlement (Abese Quarter) but insignificant relationship (β = -0.33, p = 0.36) in the migrant informal settlement (Old-Tulaku). Contrarily, bridging social capital had a positive effect on the migrant (β = 0.87, p = 0.05) but not on indigenous informal settlements (β = 0.07, p = 0.09). The paper concludes that the exploitation of social capital in bottom-up informal settlement improvement is more nuanced, and context-specific applications are imperative for research and practice. For policymakers and built environment professionals, the paper suggests leveraging social capital as a means (not ends) for building formal-informal collaborations through the co-production of bottom-up initiatives for inclusive and sustainable improvements to maximize the positives and minimize the negatives. • Social capital's role in community-driven development (CDD) is inconclusive and fragmented. • We examine the influence of bonding and bridging social capital in two contrasting urban informal settlements. • Bonding social capital positively affected CDD in the indigenous informal settlement but was insignificant in the migrant one. • Bridging social capital positively influenced CDD in the migrant informal settlement but not in the indigenous one. • Formal-informal collaborations are essential to maximize the positives of social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the far-ranging direct effects of armed conflict on daily life, physical health, and economic outcomes, there is limited evidence on its impacts on social and political outcomes, and even less evidence on its impacts on adolescents, despite this being a pivotal life-stage. This paper seeks to address this critical gap in the literature by exploring the effects of armed conflict in northern Ethiopia that lasted from 2020 to 2022 on adolescents' social capital, including their peer networks, relationships with trusted adults, and sense of belonging to their community and polity. The paper draws on quantitative research that book-ended the 2020–2022 armed conflict in the north of the country, as well as qualitative interviews that were conducted before, during, and after that period. The quantitative research involved approximately 2200 adolescents; the qualitative research focused on a subset of these adolescents, but also sought to understand the perspectives of caregivers and other key community informants. We find that adolescents' bonding social capital (especially relationships with peers and community members) is generally enhanced post-conflict due to a sense of common purpose. There is, however, a heightened risk of violence within the household, likely due to tensions around adolescents' future trajectories and economic pressures. Findings around bridging social capital (i.e., relationships with authorities and engagement in formal politics) suggest that while young people often play key roles in terms of defending their communities and supporting armed forces during the conflict, after the cessation of violence there is limited scope for their continued engagement, especially for opposition party supporters. • There is limited evidence on the impacts of armed conflict on social and political outcomes of adolescents. • This paper addresses this gap by exploring the effects of armed conflict in northern Ethiopia on adolescent social capital. • We find that adolescents' bonding social capital rises when conflict ceases as does the risk of violence within household. • Findings around bridging social capital suggest that young people play an important role during conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public participation in marine ecological restoration is of great significance to marine environmental protection and ecological security in China. Based on the contingent valuation method, this paper evaluates residents' preference for marine ecological restoration, and shows that residents show the strongest preference for the increase in the number of intertidal organisms, followed by the improvement in coastal environment and seawater quality. The mean willingness to pay (WTP) for a large improvement in marine environment is predicted and is 108.96 CNY/a. Additionally, a comprehensive framework, which integrates social capital theory and the theory of planned behavior, is constructed to explore the influencing factors of residents' WTP from the social and psychological levels. The results suggest that behavioral attitude, perceived behavioral control, and social network show a significantly direct impact on residents' WTP. Furthermore, a mechanism is constructed from pushing power and pulling power to effectively promote public participation. This paper reveals public's preference for marine ecological restoration and its formation mechanism, which can provide theoretical basis and empirical reference for promoting the public participation in marine ecological restoration. • Public participation can produce huge economic benefits and reduce financial pressure. • Explore residents' preference for marine ecological restoration attributes. • Integrates social capital theory and the theory of planned behavior. • Investigates the influence factors of residents' willingness to pay. • Construct a public participation mechanism from pushing and pulling power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides new evidence on the dynamics of social capital across the life course and over different periods in urban China. Using three cross-sectional datasets from the Job Search and Social Network survey (1999, 2009, and 2014), this study distinguishes family-centered and work-centered social capital and then constructs age-period-cohort models of social capital. The age effects indicate that social capital stock shows an inverse U shape across the individual life course, with the peak occurring between ages 38 and 42 years old. Period effects suggest a significant increase in social capital stock from 1999 to 2014, during which time family-centered social capital declined, while work-centered social capital was invigorated and became the primary source of social capital for urban residents. Cohort effects indicate that political events and institutional reforms exert profound effects on the accumulation of social capital for different birth cohorts. The birth cohort growing up in 1930–1948 stands out as having relatively high social capital, while social capital underwent a significant decline among those who grew up from 1949 to 1978, followed by rapid growth again among those born after 1979. These conclusions enhance the nuanced understanding of the dynamics of social capital across the micro life course and macro social processes. • The central concern in this paper is how social capital changes over time. This study incorporate trends in social capital changes in both theoretical and empirical analyses into a time framework of age, period, and cohort, and use three periods of data spanning 15 years for empirical analysis. • With regard to the age effect, this study challenges previous findings that social capital declines over life course; instead, social capital shows an inverted U-shaped trend with age, consistent with the expectations of life course theory. • With respect to the period effect, social capital shows a rising trend as a whole, but family-centeredness is declining, and workplace-centeredness is rising, accompanied by China's marketization and industrialization progress. • In terms of generational effects, the political movements and social changes in China since 1949 have had significant and profound impacts on the social capital of different birth cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Lockdown could be an informative case in investigating the effectiveness of policy;. • Both social capital and institutional quality have an impact on the efficacy of lockdown;. • The provinces with greater institutional quality and social capital have better lockdown efficacy;. • After 30 days of lockdown, the difference in effectiveness due to better institutional quality is more than threefold;. • In order to boost policy effectiveness, policy makers should invest in long-term policies aimed at changing institutional factors. This paper uses the exogenous shock generated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the relative government response as an informative case in investigating the factors able to affect policy efficacy. Lockdown measures have been widely adopted to limit the diffusion of COVID-19, indirectly supporting the capacity of the hospital system to face the pandemic. Lockdown obliges people to change their social behaviour significantly, and consequently is a matter of serious concern amongst the population. For this reason, how people react to lockdown is of the utmost importance, since failure to observe it properly will be of little benefit in reducing contagion. In this rationale, factors correlated with individuals' behaviour could affect the efficacy of such measures. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether differences in institutional quality and social capital are correlated with the efficacy of lockdown measures, taking the Italian provinces as a case study. Using a quantitative analysis employing F-GLS estimators, our results suggest that both local social capital and institutional quality have affected the efficiency of lockdown measures in Italian provinces. In general terms these factors contribute to forming the set of incentives able to promote individual behaviour that is in closer compliance with government choices. In this perspective, institutional quality and social capital can be considered factors able to influence the efficacy of policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Denmark, many rural schools have been closed since 2000. These school closures have often resulted in heated debates between local politicians and the local population. Locals have feared that closing their school would have adverse effects and lead to local population decline. Meanwhile, previous research has found mixed evidence on the population effect of rural school closures. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature by looking at the case of Denmark. The paper analyses the local population effects of the simultaneous closure of eight village schools in 2011 in the same peripheral municipality in Denmark. The case study offers a quasi-experimental setting, and the population effects are estimated through an ordinary and a flexible difference-in-differences (DiD) analysis. Overall, the results show clear evidence of a negative population effect of rural school closures. The ordinary DiD analysis shows a population decline of 7.6 percentage points during the 10-year post-closure period. The flexible DiD analysis points to long-term effects, as the population decline first becomes statistically significant from the sixth year following the closures and onwards. To qualify the results of the econometric tests, we report findings from interviews with local people carried out in 2015 in four of the eight rural communities. Among other things, findings from interviews point to lock-in effects in terms of social capital and housing markets, which helps to understand the dominance of long-term population effects from school closures. • Eight village schools in the same peripheral municipality in Denmark were closed simultaneously in 2011. • A mixed methods approach is used to examine the population effects of the school closures. • The population development would have been 7.6 percentage points more favourable if the schools had not been closed. • Long-term effects: The population decline first becomes statistically significant from the sixth year after the closures. • Findings point to lock-in effects in terms of social capital and housing markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing transport policy interest in identifying how governmental interventions may affect wellbeing. However, research on transport-wellbeing connections does not extend to monetization of wellbeing benefits, to enable alignment with economic values used in transport cost-benefit analysis. Such monetization could support improved transport policy and project sustainability analysis, involving economic, social and/or environmental trade-offs. This paper estimates separate monetary values for changes in subjective, affective and meaning centred (eudaimonic) wellbeing and examines their association with social exclusion. It also includes associated monetization of trip making, changes in social capital and in sense of community. The monetary values estimated in the paper all increase as household income declines. They support a transport policy and project appraisal focus that extends benefit/cost valuation beyond what is included in traditional transport economic cost-benefit analysis, helping to close a major gap in current appraisal methodology. Understanding the value of improving wellbeing highlights the opportunities to assist those at most risk of mobility-related social exclusion by taking more integrated approaches to transport planning and policy making. • This paper estimates monetary values for changes in subjective, affective and eudaimonic wellbeing. • The monetary values estimated are substantial and increase as household income declines. • They support a transport appraisal and policy focus that extends to include monetized wellbeing benefits and costs. • This highlights opportunities for integrated planning to reduce mobility-related social exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics of rural change are often linked to frameworks of 'rural community resilience', a body of literature associated with various aspects of society including social capital, community initiatives, and governance. Drawing on emergent literature, this study aims to explore how assemblage approaches may disseminate resilience thinking via dissolving structure-agency and bounce-back-transformative divisions. The paper explores how deliberate, and often policy-orientated actions, are intertwined with 'non-intentional' activities and processes that are deeply embedded in daily rural life. The paper further illustrates rural development processes through a case study of the watermelon-producing community of Medgyesegyháza, Hungary: a community that, in recent years, has been praised for its endurance throughout a period of socio-economic turbulence. The aim is to demonstrate how assemblage theory may explain the emergence of intermingling human and non-human agency. It was observed that the resilience of the rural community assemblage is embedded in daily practices, and emerges from relations between two main components: humans and watermelons. By applying the concept of territorialisation, this paper examines how components of the assemblage become aligned as provisional stability is established. The paper contends that the engagement with non-humans establishes community identity, but changes in relations de-territorialise the assemblage and trigger new contingencies. The precarious nature of human-watermelon relationships have repercussions on stability as they may serve as drivers of change. • Structure-agency and bounce back-transformative resilience divisions may be dissolved by assemblage approaches. • Resilience is a system of processes and a phenomenon constantly reproduced by daily practices of agricultural production. • Rural communities are assembled of human and non-human components that take material and expressive roles. • Changing relations between humans and non-humans triggers non-human agency. • Territorialising and de-territorialising forces may unravel how temporal stability and new contingencies are emerging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper unpacks the relational processes that shape industrial developments in rural settings and offers a springboard for reflecting upon rural clusters as social constructs that result from a complex and dynamic process, which is a subject to constant change. To identify and map different types of social ties as well as analyze their role in different phases of bio-cluster development, the paper proposes an analytical framework that combines the function of social ties (bonding, bridging and linking) with aspects of geographical and organised proximity. A 'critical case' design has been employed to operationalize the analytical framework proposed and test its suitability for grasping and explaining real-life phenomena. This 'critical case' illustrates the long and winding relational routes collegially taken by local entrepreneurs in bringing together what eventually became a rural cluster. • Applied an evolutionary proximity approach to explain the social constructing of a rural cluster. • Social capital helps to unfold entrepreneurial discovery process in practice.Social entrepreneuril • Adopitin The play out of social capital varies at different stages of cluster formation.. • Entrepreneurial networks are mostly composed of dormant, yet proximate and actionable relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Building resilience requires imagining more just futures. • Resilience building results from transformations that unlock adaptations. • Transformations are achieved challenging power from below. • Adaptations are achieved through partnerships of local actors with the state. • Resilience is better explained as a longitudinal process. Building resilience in marginal urban areas of the Global South is an urgent task figuring at the top of global development agendas. Resilience has been critiqued as an instrument to maintain structural conditions that reproduce the vulnerability of marginal urban dwellers. An alternative resilience agenda, focusing on the transformation of flawed institutional practices, promises to revert the root causes of vulnerability. However, empirical evidence of transformations to inform theory and practice is still required, particularly in vulnerable urban settings of the Global South. This paper addresses this gap by presenting the historical case of Neza, a self-help settlement in the metropolitan area of Mexico City where the longitudinal engagement of its residents (1953–1984) was key in addressing institutional and environmental threats. The paper looks into the actions of Neza residents in forwarding transformations to unlock adaptations. Semi-structured interviews to participants of historical actions (collected in 2015–2016) are thematically analysed through the theoretical lenses of social capital and socioecological resilience. Results suggest that the long-term engagement of residents of self-help settlements is key for resilience building and can be explained through scaling up social ties and strategies, from street-level solidarity in emergency response, to settlement-wide deliberation, political engagement, and building social pressure; each being instrumental in opening up spaces of negotiation with the state to achieve transformations and adaptations. Addressing environmental threats in marginal settlements of the Global South requires fixing institutional flaws. This is a responsibility that cannot be taken by residents alone, state action is necessary for resilience building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper argues that social capital and parental economic capital give young adults a greater ability to establish an independent household. • The results show that, for the 22-year-olds under study, social capital is related to a higher likelihood of leaving the parental home, while parental economic capital is not. • Children of immigrants are less likely to use contacts to find a home, but the access or return deficit of their social capital does not explain this less frequent contact use. • This study found an extensive social network is related to finding homes through tips from contacts and a higher likelihood of living in housing with an informal second-hand rental contract. • The findings showing that social capital is related to contact use and one particular housing tenure – informal agreements – arguably provide evidence for a causal interpretation of social capital's effect on housing outcomes. Young adults in Europe sometimes have trouble moving away from their parents and obtaining a home of their own, which is considered an important step in the transition to adulthood. This paper investigates whether nest-leaving is affected by individual social capital and parental economic capital. The paper also examines how these resources are related to the type of housing tenure obtained and whether the housing was acquired through informal channels. In addition, the paper assesses whether differences in access and returns to social capital can explain the later nest-leaving of the children of immigrants. The study uses a Swedish two-wave panel survey of young adults aged between 19 and 22. Individual social capital is operationalized as an extensive social network measured with the position generator, while parental economic capital is estimated with registered disposable income. The results show that individual social capital is positively related to prospective nest-leaving, but parental income is not. Nevertheless, both individual social capital and parental economic capital are related to the obtained housing tenure type: social capital is linked to informal 'second-hand' rental agreements often acquired through contacts, whereas having high-income parents is linked to obtaining owned housing tenure. The children of immigrants are found to be more likely to live with their parents, but this is not explained by lower access or return to social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper examines the economic effects of multiple earthquakes in China using prefecture-level data and a DID approach. • Both moderate and strong earthquakes have a significant long-term negative effect on affected prefectures' GDP per capita. • Earthquakes' effects vary based on government fiscal autonomy, social capital intensity, and infrastructure development. • Household savings rate, fixed asset investment, and innovation mainly contribute to long-term negative effects. This paper examines the short-term and long-term economic impacts of relative-ly small but more frequent earthquakes in China. Using a difference-in-differences approach based on prefecture-level city panel data, combined with a unique data set on seismic events in China, we find that both moderate and strong earthquakes significantly decrease affected prefectures' GDP per capita in the long run. These effects vary depending on the level of local government fiscal autonomy, social capital intensity, and infrastructure development. We also find that three mechanisms contribute to long-term negative effects: the household savings rate, fixed asset investment, and innovation. Our results provide new insights for policymakers to address relatively small disasters, which can have a significant impact on the local economy in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Participatory research approaches offer new opportunities for studying mentoring and social capital. • Presents experiences with two user groups: mentoring practitioners and migrant youth (mentees). • Challenges in youth understanding and meaningful engagement. • Challenges in practitioner blending of roles and resource constraints. • Close researcher-practitioner collaboration provided benefits for the mentoring organization, as well as meaningful participation and benefits for a few of the youth. Participatory approaches have gained broad interest among researchers as a vehicle for allowing participants' experiences and voices to inform research, beyond simply being a source of data. However, participants in mentoring programs, particularly young people, often are not included in research partnerships in a meaningful way. Additionally, practitioners often struggle to translate research findings into program improvements. This paper examines the experiences of a research team collaborating with two user groups: mentoring practitioners, and youth with migrant and refugee backgrounds participating in mentoring programs. With ambitions for meaningful user involvement, our aim was to develop and test a digital intervention for supporting social capital in mentoring. The paper draws primarily upon participant observation and qualitative data from a focus group and panel discussions. While youth voices did inform and shape the research, we also experienced challenges related to youth understanding and engagement. The adult practitioners participated actively but encountered tensions due to their dual roles as co-researchers and mentoring professionals, and resource constraints. Ultimately, a close collaboration enabled the co-creation of adaptations to our research approaches, allowing meaningful participation for some of the youth, and facilitating program changes. This paper offers lessons for researchers wishing to conduct participatory research in the context of youth mentoring, as well as specific suggestions for those studying social capital. It contributes to the discussion on participatory approaches with multicultural youth, presenting critical reflections on our experiences within this mentoring context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We study the effect of CSR disclosure on stock liquidity through a quasi-natural experiment in China. • Mandatory CSR disclosure significantly increases stock liquidity by reducing information asymmetry and the reputation effect. • Companies with better corporate governance, higher profitability, and larger QFII ownership strengthen this positive relationship. • We make a horse race between mandatory and voluntary CSR disclosure, which is rarely discussed in prior literature. This paper examines how and when mandatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure impacts stock liquidity by using a quasi-natural experiment in China. We find that mandatory CSR disclosure significantly increases stock liquidity compared to voluntary CSR disclosure. Furthermore, the positive effect is stronger for firms with better corporate governance, higher profitability, and more QFII ownership. Our paper is a supplementary argument to information asymmetry theory and social capital theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmentally friendly behaviors of Chinese residents still remain at a low level and need to be further improved to cope with severe environmental problems. Using the 2010 China General Social Survey data, this paper explores whether social capital can be used as a lubricant to effectively promote residents' environmentally friendly behaviors, including private domain, public domain, and payment-oriented environmental behaviors. The results show that social network expansion has a significantly positive effect on all three types of environmentally friendly behaviors, while social trust and social equity are only closely related to payment-oriented environmental behaviors. This paper further introduces environmental cognitive variables as mediating variables to test the mechanism of the influence of social capital on environmentally friendly behaviors. In general, environmental knowledge, environmental concern, and environmental attitudes play important roles in the impact of social networks on residents' pro-environmental behaviors. This paper provides a reference for the government to take measures to encourage residents to participate in environmental protection. • We analyze the relationship between social capital and environmentally friendly behaviors in China. • Social networks have the most significant impact on environmentally friendly behaviors among social capital. • Payment-oriented environmental behaviors are obviously influenced by social trust and social equity. • Environmental cognitive variables moderate the impact of social capital on environmentally friendly behaviors. • Environmental policies should emphasize the potential of stimulating social capital as a new way to protect the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies how capital structure (physical, human, environmental, and social capital) affects sustainable development. This paper constructs a model for optimal sustainable development and deduces the necessary condition is that the input ratio of per capita human capital, environmental capital, and social capital are equal to their respective output elasticity ratios. Using data from China (2007–2020), empirical tests confirm smaller deviations between output elasticity ratios and the actual input ratio are associated with higher sustainable development. This paper concludes that, unlike physical capital, investment in human, environmental, and social capital promote sustainable development. • This paper establishes a sustainable development model that introduces human capital, environmental capital, and social capital into an endogenous model to analyze how capital should be optimally allocated to achieve the goal of sustainable development. • This paper constructs an indicator to measure sustainable development by defining utility function and the connotation of sustainable development. • This study calculates each type of capital in detail by distinguishing between the private and public sectors and measures the output elasticity of capital in China from 2007 to 2020 through the translog function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the concept of Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) in the context of the tourism industry. It emphasizes the importance of collaboration and competition among companies within regional systems to foster innovation. It also discusses the role of social capital, relational assets, and social relationships in driving innovation within RIS. The Campania Region recognizes the importance of tourism for its development and supports the digital transition, modernization of public administration, communication infrastructure, and production system. In this vein, the paper proposes a theoretical framework that combines dynamic capabilities, relational view, and resource-based theory to explain the mechanisms and dynamics of RIS. The co-creation of innovation and strategic plans within a system of regional assets is highlighted as a key aspect of RIS. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for collaboration, innovation, and the integration of various stakeholders' interests in the development of sustainable and innovative regional systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crystal-facet dependent CeO 2 results different charge transferring pathways and activities. [Display omitted] • With richer social capital, peasants are more willing to recycle garbage. • Social engagement becomes an important factor influencing garbage recycling. • Class identity had a significantly positive effect on the garbage recycling. • Class identity moderates the relationship between social capital and HGSR. Based on the literature review, this paper analyzes how social capital and class identity influence peasants' behavior in household garbage sorting and recycling. We carried out field study in Shaanxi Province, China and collected 686 valid questionnaires as basic data for this study. The empirical results of Logit regression model indicate that social network, social prestige and social engagement are all positively correlated with household garbage sorting and recycling behavior of peasants, and class identity is also positively correlated with household garbage sorting and recycling behavior of peasants. The results also show that smaller families are more likely to carry out garbage sorting and recycling. In addition, we also found that class identity moderates the relationship between social trust and household garbage sorting and recycling behavior of peasants. Finally, the theoretical and practical significance, limitations of the study, and future directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The banking system in developing countries is much less developed than in other parts of the world; hence it is more common for households to borrow money through informal channels. Informal loans are characterised by social collateral rather than physical collateral. The literature shows that social networks and social trust are important components of social collateral. While many studies show empirical evidence of an association between social networks and informal borrowing, there is a lack of empirical evidence of the way in which social networks and social trust play as social collaterals. This paper uses a longitudinal dataset to examine the role of generalised trust and social networks, under organisational networking resources, in informal loans among rural households in twelve provinces across Vietnam. Empirical results show that community social networks impose a positive effect on obtaining informal loans and on repayment performance, while generalised trust is associated with the probability of falling into arrears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

this paper analyzes social class inequalities in access to social capital. Quantitative methodology was used with data from the PI-Clases "Reproduction and social mobility in family trajectories and life courses" survey, conducted in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires in 2015 (n = 1065). Social capital measures where derived from the Position Generator (Lin, 2001) to identify the volume, status and range of the respondent's networks. Results show that there are class inequalities in access to social capital in terms of the number of contacts, mean status of contacts, range of contact's status and highest status of contacts. Also, the working class is more heterogeneous in its access to social capital, suggesting it has a sector that has network ties with people from the middle class and a sector with lower social capital. The observed trend is of gradational differences between class strata, with more marked inequalities between the service, intermediate and working class, but with fluid class boundaries without social segregation. Also, social capital is conditioned by intergenerational mobility trajectory, showing a trend of elasticity in the class composition of social relationships. The upwardly mobile can increase their access to social capital but don't reach the same level as the intergenerationally stable, while the downwardly mobile retain some social capital from their class origins. • We analyzed social class inequalities in access to social capital in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires • There are inequalities in access to social capital between social classes, but with fluid class boundaries without social segregation • Class origins influence social capital, showing a trend of elasticity in the class composition of social relationships • The intergenerationally stable access more social capital than the upwardly mobile, and the downwardly mobile retain some social capital from their class origins [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To systematically adjust and coordinate interest conflicts, it is necessary to identify the influencing factors of interest conflicts comprehensively and accurately. Based on theoretical and practical research, this paper initially screened 52 factors affecting the interest conflict in the construction of smart city PPP projects, and then conducted expert interviews and questionnaire analysis to adjust and revise the index system, and finally formed 27 relevant index systems. In order to further identify the key influencing factors and clarify the importance of the factors, the interval gray number-DEMETAL method is used to identify the key factors that induce multiple interest conflicts in the construction of smart city PPP projects to enhance the identification effect. The research shows that: the complexity of the project, the comprehensive quality of project personnel, and the differences in ideological and cultural concepts have become the main factors. Project social benefit, project quality compliance rate, project profit rate or rate of return become the most important result factors. Government behavior is the primary influence and restriction of the interest conflict in the construction of smart city PPP projects. In addition, interest conflicts are closely related to other project stakeholders, especially the private sector, social capital, and public behavior. Therefore, the government's decision-making behavior and incentive and restraint mechanism must first examine the interests of stakeholders and their behavior strategies, especially the behavior evolution trend under the government's incentive and restraint mechanism, which implement a flexible incentive and restraint mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'war for talent', the knowledge economy, and subsequent aging and exodus of the Boomer generation have put the topic of talent management at the forefront of practitioner literature for the past 30 years. Academic research, however, has taken time to catch up; where the topic of talent management remains a relatively unexplored, underdeveloped concept today. With the dynamic nature of today's world of work, this paper looks to close current gaps in the talent management literature and contribute to broadening its scope. By connecting social capital theory, the process of knowledge transfer, and the concept of talent management, this paper makes six propositions regarding the barriers to, and subsequent facilitating practices of, knowledge sharing specifically in the context of a public sector organisation. The contributions and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the role of networking as a marketing strategy for alternative equine therapists in rural areas. The importance of social capital in the rural economy as well as the role of reciprocity is explored. There has been an increasing interest in the role of both alternative therapies and micro businesses over the last twenty to thirty years. Although there has been a considerable amount of research into rural entrepreneurship as well as social capital and networks, there has been very little on the equine therapists and their marketing strategies. Many entrepreneurs providing complementary therapies for horses in the equine sub culture struggle to gain sufficient customers to survive. The aim of the research is to understand the business model of the equine complementary therapists within their markets, and in particular their marketing approach. Equine complementary therapists work within the equine sub-culture, often at a local level. Their client base is also part of this sub-culture and relies on trusted advisors to make high involvement decisions such as the choice of practitioner for their horse. This paper informs policy makers by highlighting the issues faced by rural entrepreneurs in order to develop strategies to support and encourage these businesses. A model is developed that shows the development of reputation and trust amongst all actors through interactions, qualifications and results. There are implications for practice within the study as the results and the reputation and trust model aids the therapists in changing their marketing practice and overcoming barriers to market overall. Some therapists were already entrepreneurial with a good understanding of their markets and their overall value offering to each marketplace. Others were marginal businesses and the therapists had to increase their income through part time work. Although all therapists had intrinsic reasons for becoming therapists, those with marginal businesses are likely to benefit the most from the findings, which would allow them to take a more professional approach to their offering – developing relevant trust networks and collaborative provision with clients and intermediaries. • Rural entrepreneurship in the equine sub-culture. • Marketing for micro-businesses in rural areas. • Social capital, trust and reciprocity. • Networks and word of mouth marketing. • Cycle of reducing confidence leading to prices that are too low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects upon ethnographic work carried out in a suburban Massachusetts town that has experienced particularly high rates of opioid mis/use. In open-ended conversations, residents attributed the local opioid crisis to institutional betrayals of various sorts. Building upon the idea that social capital tends to be health-enhancing, this paper traces the decline in the infrastructure of social capital and the associated decline in cultural capital or scripts for making sense out of life's challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper analyzes how the Monterrey Metropolitan Area (MMA), Mexico's third most populous urban area, has built up resilience to flash floods over time. • For metropolises like Monterrey that contribute significantly to their national economy, increasing their urban resilience to floods clearly is a matter of national interest. • The case of the MMA illustrates that increasing urban resilience is an achievable goal; moreover, the process is comprehensible although its complex nature precludes simple explanations. • Beyond the five basic questions of resilience for whom, what, when, where and why lie three major ones, which are often not dealt with in the literature or in practice: how, at what cost and who finances. • Knowledge co-production reveals its own complexities and dependence on local social capital and the wider national governance architecture. In 2010, flash floods triggered by Hurricane Alex caused fifteen fatalities in the Monterrey Metropolitan Area (MMA). In contrast, an estimated 225 people died in the 1988 Hurricane Gilbert disaster and reputedly, over 5,000 in the historical flood of 1909. The magnitude of hurricane-related impacts thus appears to be decreasing, indicating higher resilience to this hazard. This paper analyses the process of building resilience to flash floods in the MMA over the last several decades. Knowledge co-production plays a significant role in that process, particularly through the Nuevo Leon State Reconstruction Council, the multi-institutional, public-private-civil group of stakeholders established to guide and coordinate reconstruction efforts following the Hurricane Alex disaster. Findings reveal a complex, protracted and incremental resilience building process, conditioned by the nature of the hazard (infrequent but liable to cause significant damages) and contingent upon the city's socioeconomic and institutional local context. This local context is embedded in a highly fragmented national water governance architecture that lacks inter-institutional co-ordination and has limited the city's adaptive responses. Despite definite gains in building resilience, the city faces challenges notably in terms of the conservation and continuing development of knowledge co-produced in the aftermath of disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates the negative effects of motorised road traffic on the travel and walking behaviour of local residents in Great Britain and the cost of the wider negative impacts on local economic activity, external effects of motorised transport, social exclusion, neighbourhood social capital, self-rated health, and subjective wellbeing. We use the results of a survey (n = 3038) and models linking the characteristics of roads and pedestrian crossing facilities in each participant's local area, travel and walking behaviour, and the level and monetary value of the wider impacts of travel behaviour. The costs of road traffic borne by local communities were estimated as £31.9 billion per year, i.e. 1.6% of the Gross Domestic Product, or £631 per person. This value varies within the interval £569-£698/person/year, depending on the assumptions made. The highest estimated costs of motorised road traffic are reduced neighbourhood social capital (£236) and reduced subjective wellbeing (£196/person/year). The costs for some population segments, such as London residents, city residents, and people aged 25–34 are higher than the average. The characteristic of roads causing the highest costs is volume of motorised traffic above low (£264/person/year), followed by multiple lanes (£148), traffic speeds above low (£119), and absence of a median strip (£60). By quantifying for the first time, at the national level, the costs of the negative community effects of motor vehicles, this study provides evidence supporting policies to reduce traffic volumes and speeds and reallocate roadspace to pedestrians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The institutions are crucial to regional innovation activities in specific stage. • The interaction between formal and informal institutions is explored. • Cognitive social capital and governance quality are substitutable in innovation. • We decompose the R&D process into two stages to study the black-box of innovation. Most studies demonstrate the determinants of institutional factors on regional innovation behavior in an isolated way, thus ignoring the interaction between different dimensions of institutions. This paper brings heterogeneous social capital and governance quality into the category of regional innovation efficiency. An empirical study based on China's provincial data showed that R&D resources and innovation capability combined in developed regions. Structural social capital led to a significant reduction in R&D input and output, which actually deviated from the original intention to improve the efficiency in regional innovation. Governance quality moderated structural social capital and regional innovation activities positively. The mechanism of cognitive social capital was similar with that of governance quality in enhancing regional innovation efficiency because innovation output greatly exceeded R&D investment. The negative moderating effect of governance quality revealed the substitution relationship between cognitive social capital and governance quality in the regional innovation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) framework for systematic evaluation and alignment of business models for community microgrids within local energy markets (LEMs). Our approach uniquely integrates social capital as a critical metric for assessing the success of these models. The framework's robustness is demonstrated through a case study application, showcasing its utility as a decision-support tool. This tool effectively bridges the gap between the operational and technical aspects of microgrids with the socio-economic context of the communities they serve. A key contribution is the establishment of a systematic categorisation of business models and LEMs facilitated by the MCDA framework. This approach emphasises the importance of analysing the synergy between business model components (ownership, revenue/pricing, activities, value proposition) and the corresponding market mechanisms, infrastructure, and ICT frameworks. The results demonstrate how the framework guides an informed and context-sensitive selection of business models, leveraging the interconnected socio-technical dynamics inherent to community energy systems. • MCDA framework integrating social capital for community microgrids. • New approach for selecting context-sensitive business models. • Case study demonstrating the framework as an effective decision-support tool. • Analysis of business model components and market mechanisms for optimal selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the relationship between the Covid-19 pandemic, subjective wellbeing and social capital in the UK. I exploit the pandemic as a quasi-natural experiment of an exogenously induced reduction of social capital as an explanation of the frequently documented reduction in wellbeing during the pandemic period. Differently from the literature, results show that after the onset of the pandemic - when the imposition of restrictions to social interactions occurred - both mental health and life satisfaction substantially decreased, and this decrease was larger for the people who reported having higher pre-pandemic social capital. Results also show however that their wellbeing decrease was not high enough to fully overturn the wellbeing gap usually in their favour. This suggests that the positive effects of social capital for wellbeing are via at least two pathways: in-person social interactions and via the value of having social networks. These results contribute to the literature on the relationship between social capital and wellbeing, as well as the one on the effects of the pandemic for mental health and life satisfaction. Policy implications include investing in social capital to increase overall populations' wellbeing; and, during epidemiological crises, facilitating online psychological support to hamper the negative effects of social isolation, and campaigning to encourage people to keep as much as possible in touch with loved ones and their communities via online social networks and online events to prevent a further degradation of the quantity and quality of social interactions. • I analyse the relationship between Covid-19, wellbeing and pre-pandemic social capital. • The pandemic is treated as an exogenously imposed reduction to social capital. • This explains the documented wellbeing decrease throughout the pandemic. • Highs social capital people suffered larger deteriorations in mental health and life satisfaction. • These deteriorations were not high enough to overturn the wellbeing gap in their favour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates the role of social capital in hazard management in a case area which was overwhelmingly swept by flood in mid-2021. The interplay among social capital, hazard preparedness, response and recovery are explored by using structure equation modeling. Data were gathered from over 413 villages from August 2021 to September 2021, which is one month after the flood occurred. Research findings show that villagers in region with abundant social capital are more likely to contribute to hazard preparedness. We have also confirmed the positive role of social capital in restraining the pursuit of self-interests. Villagers are more willing to help others, and take care of vulnerable population when the hazard strikes. However, it is surprising to note that social capital fails to motivates residents to make preparedness plans for future risks. This retreat effect exists when big loss occurred and failed to meet local people's expectations. Overall, this study implies that the impact of social capital on hazard risk management is extremely complex and such complexity should not be attribute solely to divergent forms of network relationship. The above conclusion enables policy makers to pay attention to the psychological foundation of social capital while cultivating it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmers' participation in rural public goods provision (PGP) is vital to improving rural public goods conditions and achieving rural revitalization in China. The factors influencing farmers' participation are, however, far from clear. This paper aims to investigate how social capital and income, the two most prominent factors, affect rural residents' participation in PGP. We use the Heckman sample selection model to empirically estimate the effects of both social capital and family income on farmers' participation and contribution to PGP based on a household survey conducted in four representative provinces in China. We further investigate the moderating effect of village location and elite ability on the effect of social capital on farmers' participation. Our results show that social capital generally has a positive impact on farmers' participation. Specifically, improving the formal norm, size of networks, and density of network would increase farmers' participation propensity. Enriching norms, particularly formal norms, can significantly improve farmers' contribution to public goods. Surprisingly, family income, mainly non-farm income, has a slightly negative effect on farmers' participation. Moreover, village-county distance can undermine the effect of social norms on farmers' participation, while elite ability can enhance the effect of social trust on farmers' participation. Thus, we suggest authorities should focus on enhancing social capital in the rural community to promote farmers' participation in PGP. • Nearly 50% Chinese farmers have never participated in public goods provision. • Social capital such as formal norms has a positive effect on farmers' participation. • Social capital matters more than income in promoting farmers' participation. • The distance to county capital moderates the effect of social capital on farmers' participation. • The elite ability can enhance the effect of social capital on farmers' participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the role of digital solutions in (re)shaping farms' relational architectures and new territorial proximities. More precisely, our study aims to explore the reconfiguration of social capital relations when digital solutions are adopted in rural contexts and, consequently, the emergence of new territorial proximities that combine geographical and organized proximities. A qualitative research design permitted us to uncover diversified paths of relational reconfiguration as the outcome of the uptake of a digital solution. As a further result, the analysis evidences how the unchanged and the new relational architectures differently affect the reconfiguration of territorial proximities, only partially redesigning rural development trajectories. We conclude by arguing that digital technologies either engender temporary territorial proximities or may act as "context enablers". CONCLUSION. New and old relational architectures differently affect the reconfiguration of territorial proximities and redesign different trajectories of (smart) rural development. [Display omitted] • Digital transition in rural areas is meant as a sociotechnical process. • New relational architectures and territorial proximities are affected by digitalisation in remote rural areas. • Digital solutions influence relational architectures, by affecting (or not) different dimensions of social capital. • Diversified dynamics of relational configuration differently impact on processes of territorial rural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings on Middle Eastern immigrant entrepreneurs in Australia. The extent to which perceived discrimination and acculturation influence their social and psychological capital, and the effects of social and psychological capital on their firm performance, are explored. We found that such immigrants, who are highly acculturated to the mainstream culture, not only tend to have many social interactions outside their community but also possess strong psychological capital. Although perceived discrimination has been associated with low social involvement outside an immigrant community, we found that perceived discrimination does not exert a statistically significant effect on psychological capital. Importantly, both social and psychological capital are found to exert positive effects on firm performance. The findings have implications for enhancing the capacity of policy makers to provide high impact to immigrant entrepreneurs. Specific interventions are suggested to assist such entrepreneurs to leverage their social and psychological capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study examines the impact of social capital on the digital transformation of firms in China. • The findings reveal that social capital reduces digital transformation by limiting managerial risk-taking behaviors. • The role of social capital exhibits heterogeneity across diverse firms, with its impact being more pronounced in firms characterized by high levels of over-investment and growth rates, as well as non-state-owned enterprises. • The sub-sample analysis reveals that the inhibitory effect of social capital on digital transformation dissipates in post-COVID-19 years. This study examines the relationship between social capital and firm digital transformation in China. We find that firms located in high social capital provinces, especially those with more advanced social networks, demonstrate a lower propensity for digital transformation. High social capital reduces digital transformation by decreasing managerial risk-taking. Further analysis indicates that social capital has a stronger impact on digital transformation among firms exhibiting high levels of over-investment and growth rate, along with non-state-owned entities. Moreover, the negative effect of social capital disappears after COVID-19. This paper contributes insights into the role social capital plays in determining firm development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population aging poses a central challenge to human society in the 21st century, and a notable correlation has been found between loneliness and age, particularly old age. Loneliness not only substantially impacts the physical and mental well-being of elderly residents but also escalates the burden of old-age care and medical services. As the global trend of aging continues to intensify, tackling population aging and its associated problems has become a common strategic choice of nations worldwide. Grounded in the mediating effect of social capital, this paper explores both the impact and mechanism by which the use of neighborhood green spaces mitigates loneliness among elderly residents. The findings show that, in terms of overall effects, the use of neighborhood green spaces effectively mitigates negative living conditions and psychological problems, thereby fostering the alleviation of loneliness in elderly residents. From a mediating effects perspective, relationship networks, interpersonal trust, and reciprocity norms within social capital play distinct roles in the relationship between the use of neighborhood green spaces and the reduction of loneliness in elderly residents. The direct effect is not statistically significant, which implies a comprehensive mediating role of social capital. In aging neighborhoods, it is imperative to recognize the role of green spaces in promoting elderly well-being and to ensure ample provision of such spaces. Additionally, considering the decline in physical functions among elderly residents, it is crucial to acknowledge their unique sensory thresholds and usage characteristics and compare these to other age groups. Thus, implementing appropriate aging-friendly reforms in green space planning becomes essential to align the allocation of green space resources with the specific needs of elderly residents while catering to the broader population. • The use of neighborhood green spaces effectively alleviates the loneliness among elderly residents. • Social capital promotes social contact and strengthens social cohesion among elderly neighbors. • Most of elderly residents are more likely to experience a shrinking of social capital and networks. • It is crucial to implement appropriate aging-friendly reforms in neighborhood green spaces in old age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By introducing geographic social capital, this paper highlights the role of social and spatial proximity in facilitating the spatial agglomeration of the informal female labour market for glove manufacturing in Gaozhou. It examines the town-village nodes within the network, interacting with pre-existing rural conditions to display discursive uncertainty. Further, it focuses on the agency manifested by different actors within the multi-layered nodes, capturing the resources embedded in the network in the specific geographic context or milieu. The results suggest that spatial proximity promotes social proximity, but also generates spatial lock-in, which can be avoided by becoming a 'focal actor' or a 'boundary spanner'. The boundary between the 'core' and the 'periphery' has become blurred. The social value of skilled workers located near the top of the network has changed. The node of village farmers at the end of the network has become increasingly important; they are perceived to be a 'reservoir' of labour resources. The survey results show a compound social network of establishments and workshops that mainly feature an informal network within the specific context of geographical localities. 'Hybrid spaces' discovered through ethnographical immersion investigation embody the spatial embeddedness of social relationships and cultural constructions in the glove manufacturing workplace, reemphasizing the importance of people as a resource in the sustainability of rural development. • Social and spatial proximity explain agglomeration of informal female labor market and place rootness. • Multifaceted social network of glove-making are featured informal network under specific geographical localities. • "Hybrid spaces" accounts for a dynamic networks study on embeddness. • Multi-disciplined mixture of sociology, geography and phenomenology is used to analyze informal economic phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural China has undergone dramatic socioeconomic and spatial restructuring as a result of rapid urbanization and the implementation of a series of top-down reforms. In this paper, based on the actor-network perspective, we examine the actor translation process associated with implementation of various governmental strategies in Haoqiao, a poor village located in the northern Jiangsu Province in China. We mainly focus on interactions between participants as well as their influences on the rural restructuring process. The findings proved the crucial role of township government in implementing restructuring at village-level. Motivated by acquisition of land-related finance, the performance evaluation system of local officials, and public accountability, the town government is keen to mobilize others in the action coalition promoting rural restructuring. However, it is noteworthy that many farming households are reluctant to comply with community planning, because they have to cover large price gap between their old houses and residential land and new houses for resettlement. We also discuss the motivations for diverse human actors and the potentially negative impacts that domestic macro-economic situation plays on the circulation of rural residential land consolidation which mainly underpin the rural restructuring. • Linkage among institutional changes, incentives, local actors' behaviors, and rural restructuring is explored. • Actor-network approach is used to describe the actor coalition constructing process leading to rural restructuring. • As one of the public actors, the town government plays a crucial role in promoting rural restructuring. • The land revenue plays major part in mobilizing public actors compared with public accountability. • Farming households with poor social capital are represented by powerful actors in the decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the coronavirus emerged in early 2020, older adults were at heightened risk of contracting the virus, and of suffering mental health consequences from the pandemic and from the precautions designed to mitigate it. In this paper, we examine how social networks prior to the pandemic helped to shape health beliefs, behaviors, and outcomes among older adults during its onset, focusing on (1) perceived risk of COVID-19, (2) preventative health behaviors, and (3) mental health, including loneliness, perceived stress, depression, and anxiety. Drawing on the longitudinal Social Networks in Alzheimer Disease study, we find that networks high in bridging social capital predict greater perceived risk and more precautions taken, but worse mental health. In contrast, networks high in bonding social capital predict less perceived risk and fewer precautions taken, but better mental health. We discuss this apparent tradeoff between physical and mental health. • We examined how the networks of older adults influenced their health beliefs, behaviors, and mental health outcomes during the pandemic. • We divided social network characteristics into two broad categories: bonding social capital and bridging social capital. • Findings suggest an apparent tradeoff between preventing infection and promoting mental health depending on one's network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connections between mobility and social exclusion have been of research and policy interest for some years, a high monetary value being estimated for additional trips by those at risk of mobility-related exclusion. Those monetary values have been based on individual-level characteristics. To date, the influence of place, or neighbourhood, on risk of social exclusion and on the associated value of trip making by at-risk people has not been considered. This paper adds a measure of neighbourhood to individual factors to explore risk of social exclusion and then shows how the monetary value of additional trips varies by level of social exclusion risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]