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Involvement in sports is considered a powerful way to generate social capital. However, the role of sport engagement in the development of social relationships of older adults has not received much attention. Remarkably, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the quality and diversity of social relations built through active sport participation and spectatorship. This paper attempts to assess the relationship between sport engagement and various measures of network social capital, including the extension and quality of social networks and the heterogeneity of personal relationships. Also, it proposes new and more informative measurements of an individual's quantity and quality of social ties. By analysing data from a survey in Spain (N = 600) and applying logistic regressions, the results show that sport participation and attendance at sporting events are closely related to different dimensions of network social capital. Concerning people who are not actively engaged in sports, more extensive social networks characterise those who frequently attend sporting events. In contrast, active sport participation is associated with the extensity and quality measures of social connectedness, the level of satisfaction with friends and the opportunity to enjoy close relationships. Therefore, this paper provides new evidence on how sport engagement may result in tighter and extensive networks for older adults and serve as support for emphasising sports, physical activity and leisure as strategies for maintaining and boosting older people's social and psychological health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wide circulation of conspiracy narratives and their frequent intertwining with populist rhetoric is both an element of concern and a topic of intense scientific and philosophical debate. The depth of the link between conspiracy theories and populism represents a crucial issue whose comprehension can facilitate understanding their specific nature and the factors behind their diffusion in public communication. To this end, it is necessary to cultivate an interdisciplinary approach and great critical attention, eschewing monocausal explanations. This paper addresses the question of the essentially political nature of conspiracism, confronting the recent epistemological debate that, by putting the positivist paradigm aside, has sought to explore and understand the socio-cultural roots of conspiracy rhetoric, with its sceptical, antagonistic and hermetic traits. By integrating the reflections of epistemologists such as Cassam or Harris with the considerations of political scientists such as Taggart and with Schmitt's radical reflections on politics, it is perhaps possible to reintegrate the different approaches to populist conspiracism into an overall social genealogical perspective, thanks also to recent demographic elaborations. Thus, we could ascribe the spread of conspiracism to the prevalence in societies of a hyperpolitical discursive regime, i.e., founded on the principle of opposition, without the possibility of compromise, between different groups and interests. At the basis of such Manichaeism, it is plausible to place in the first place the growing inequalities and related social disintegration, which hinder the circulation of trust and recognition between individuals and groups, thus ending up undermining democracy at its roots, as a political system that legitimises and thus peacefully regulates conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the hard work, skill, and social capital of female insurance agents and their success in gwonyu gaip (solicitation subscription) sales, which fueled the rapid growth of the insurance industry in South Korea from the 1960s through the 1980s. Such success is even more striking considering the systemic discrimination female agents faced within the industry, even as male agents got away with actual misconduct. This paper argues that female agents' high success in solicitation sales facilitated the economic value of the social network in individual insurance sales, and broke down the negative utility of the social network in the male-centered business world. Persistent gender bias in the insurance industry resulted in the feminization of insurance sales, providing much-needed employment opportunities for women from the 1960s to the 1980s, but at a cost: female agents were unfairly viewed as overbearing and unprofessional, which undercut their credibility and led to client mistrust, policy cancellations, and agent resignations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present article we examine a sub-segment of the 'locally integrated social group': rural and small-town entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are especially interesting from the integration point of view since, in the current academic discourse, entrepreneurship is considered a contextual process in which the former depend on local information and resources and base their activities on the needs of the local environment. Accordingly, rural and small-town entrepreneurs are commonly studied through the concepts of local embeddedness, social capital, and trust. The aim of our paper is to contribute to the understanding of those mechanisms: the impact of trust among entrepreneurs and their social networks that result in the local integration of this rural group. The study, based on 25 semi-structured in-depth interviews, focuses on the role of values, attitudes, social capital, and trust networks in local economic success in three Hungarian settlements of different sizes: a small village of 300, a small town of 3,000 and a medium-sized town of 30,000 inhabitants. Our conclusion is that in the case of rural and small-town entrepreneurship, community resources (values, attitudes, social capital, and trust) play a chief role in the foundation and existence of a local entrepreneurial ecosystem. However, their efforts must be accompanied by an institutional framework to make them sustainable in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical debate on the relationship between the quality of government, social capital and corruption remains underspecified in relation to the analysis of local governance. This paper asks how quality of government (QoG) impacts on the role of social capital (SC), and how SC connects with corruption in the local governance context. The paper develops a local governance approach in order to better understand this relationship through an in-depth qualitative case-study of the governance of Batkhela Bazaar in Malakand District of Pakistan. Three findings emerge: Firstly, the results demonstrate how QoG and socioeconomic inequalities shape the context for SC development and its role in corruption, which feeds into the poor QoG. Secondly, unlike the existing mainstream literature, the results show the fundamental importance of petty corruption to levels of trust within a society. Thirdly, reciprocity plays a crucial role in maintaining trusting ties in the context of ineffective formal institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the process and outcomes from a five-year, community-based participatory research (CBPR) study of a community building initiative to strengthen two neighborhoods in a mid-size, Mid-Atlantic city. In addition to supporting over 50 resident-led projects during the five-year initiative, outcomes included positive changes in resident perceptions about some aspects of neighborhood safety, cleanliness, greening, and vibrancy, and in both neighborhoods respondents who were most involved with the lead community-based organizations (CBOs) reported significantly higher social capital compared to those least involved. Nevertheless, analysis of the evaluation process revealed certain data were more meaningful to stakeholders during and at the end of the initiative, and other data were less worth the effort and cost to collect. This study offers insights for how foundations and nonprofit organizations can best use their evaluation resources in small-scale community-building efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the past several years, a considerable body of research on adherence to diabetes regimen has emerged in public health. However, the focus of the vast majority of these studies has been on the individual traits and attitudes affecting adherence. Still little is known on the role of the social and physical context in supporting or hindering diabetes self-management, particularly from a qualitative standpoint. To address these limitations, this paper presents the findings of a Photovoice study on a sample of 10 type 2 diabetic older adults living in a deprived neighbourhood of an Italian city. The findings reveal that the possibility to engage in diet, exercise and blood sugar monitoring seems to be more affected by physical and social elements of the respondents' environment than by the interviewees' beliefs and attitudes. Both environmental barriers and social isolation emerge as barriers to lifestyle changes and self-care activities related to blood sugar monitoring. The predominance of bonding social capital, the scant level of trust and the negative perception of local health services result in a low level of social cohesion, a limited circulation of health information on diabetes management and, consequently, in poor health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present the results of an experiment conducted in Italy on trusting behaviour. Our subjects participated in a trust game and filled in a questionnaire on trust and trustworthiness based on the attitudinal questions reported in the European Value Survey. The aims of the research are twofold. Firstly, using the experimental dataset, we construct two measures of trustworthiness among all recipients in the experiment, one based on the questionnaires' answers and another based on the strategy method. We then compare the ex-ante behavioural decision to trust (before participants are allocated to a group) with the ex-post decision to trust (after participants are allocated to a group and trustors are informed of the level of trustworthiness of all the recipients who have been randomly allocated to each group). Our main finding is that trust strongly varies once the information is disclosed to trustors. The effect on trust is greater when the strategy method is used. Secondly, we compare the behavioural measure of trust with the attitudinal measures of trust and trustworthiness and find that there is only a weak correlation between the two measures, thus confirming, for the Italian case, similar findings in country-based studies on trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on social capital and its economic implications shows that trust plays a significant role in the transaction of goods and services. However, few studies empirically investigate the evolution of trust over time. In this paper, we show how individuals' trust in Pakistan is affected by the persistent shock of terrorism. By matching the country representative survey data with district-level terrorist attacks, we observe that exposure to terrorism is associated with lower levels of interpersonal trust. This finding is robust to various robustness checks including different indicators of terrorism risk and trust. Furthermore, our results are also consistent with the IV identification strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social capital is an important factor that stimulates integration and engagement of local communities. Libraries may contribute to these processes, provided they meet specific conditions. First of all, the librarians need to be outgoing, trusting and eager to help, to make contacts with users easier. A high level of individual social capital and an active and extensive social network (measured by the number of acquaintances) contribute to the development of social capital in library communities. The purpose of the analysis presented in this paper is to show the social activity of library personnel, focusing in particular on the number of acquaintances. A statistical analysis of survey feedback from librarians from 20 countries across the world was conducted in order to determine how extensive the social network of librarians working in different types of libraries and on different positions is and what independent variables influence that network. The number of acquaintances is another indicator, alongside the level of trust, of social capital. The study provided a better insight into the social relations mechanisms that take place in libraries. This is important, because library functions have been evolving in recent years, shifting their focus to social engagement and integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yellow pitahaya (Selenicereus megalanthus) has become an alternative for agricultural production in several municipalities of the province of Lengupá, in the department of Boyacá, Colombia, with an expanding and consolidating international market due to its status as an exotic fruit. This paper presents the results of a mixed methods research conducted with producers affiliated with the PITAFCOL organization in the municipality of Miraflores. The characteristics of the fruit and its market were described, and the socioeconomic conditions of the members of the association, as well as their attitudes of trust, reciprocity, and solidarity under the perspective of social capital (bonding type) were characterized. The conclusions point to the need to strengthen the trust within the organization for its consolidation, improve the organizational practices and seek new allies for processing the fruit to generate added value to the product, as well as alternative economic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The social media have become powerful tools that can be used to do much more than connecting relatives and friends, helping find a job or providing advertising space. This study aims to present the benefits of combining the subjects related to Knowledge Sharing, Social Media and Social Capital theory. Design/methodology/approach - Literature review of 22 papers identified as relevant when combining the subjects Social Media, Social Capital and Knowledge Sharing. The 22 documents were subjected of content analysis. Findings - The analysis of the literature revealed two fundamental roles for social media within organizations - an operational role - working as a channel or tool; a transformative role - used to support organizational strategy. Research limitations/implications - The limitation of this study is related to the limited number of papers that resulted from the search. Practical implications - The benefits of combining the three subjects include improvements on informal communication, better collaboration and cooperation, and a positive influence on job performance and innovation. Originality/value - The proposed research agenda highlights the importance of future investigations into the sharing of tacit knowledge through Social Media; focusing on how to generate trust via Social Media and suggests research attention related to knowledge protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite strong evidence supporting the expansion of midwife‐led unit provision, as a result of optimal maternal and perinatal outcomes, cost‐effectiveness, and positive service user and staff experiences, scaling‐up has been slow. Systemic barriers associated with gender, professional, economic, cultural, and social factors continue to constrain the expansion of midwifery as a public health intervention globally. This article aimed to explore relationships and trust as key components of a well‐functioning freestanding midwifery unit (FMU). Method(s): A critical realist ethnographic study of an FMU located in East London, England, was conducted over a period of 15 months. Recruitment of the 82 participants was purposive. Data collection included participant observation and semi‐structured interviews, and data were analyzed thematically along with relevant local guidelines and documents. Results: Twelve themes emerged. Relationships and Trust were identified as a core theme. The other 11 themes were grouped into six families, three of which: Ownership, Autonomy, and Continuous Learning; Team Spirit, Interdependency, and Power Relations; and Salutogenesis will be covered in this paper. The remaining three families: Friendly Environment; Having Time and Mindfulness; and Social Capital, will be covered in a separate paper. Conclusions: A relationship‐based model of care was crucial for both the functioning of the FMU and service users' satisfaction and may offer a compelling response to high levels of stress and burnout among midwives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of institutionalist and communitarian views of social capital accumulation is increasingly advocated in order to analyse civil society dynamics, in particular in transitional countries such as former socialist states. The present paper is an attempt at reconciling the two views through a micro level‐focused approach. Such a perspective allows investigating linkages between institutional perception, civic engagement, and trust in society, with the support of social cognition frameworks (social categorization and shared agency). The approach emphasizes the linkages existing between trust toward institutions and perceptions of civic empowerment on the one hand, and civic engagement and trust in society on the other, while also taking into account the role of interpersonal (informal) networking. The analysis, carried out through structural equation modelling, is based on more than 2,000 observations from two federal districts of the Russian Federation. The results show a relevant positive correlation between institutional perception and social capital, and a moderate correlation between bonding (personal networking) and trust in society; on the other hand, civic engagement and trust in society appear to be uncorrelated with each other and with different forms of institutional perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable natural resource management encompasses not only technical aspects but also the capacity and inclination for collective action. Using semi-structured interview data and social network analysis, this paper assesses the characteristics of three elements of social capital (norms, communication networks, and trustworthiness) and their effects on collective action, in the context of the marketization of rural collectively-owned operating construction land (COCL) in Dingluan Town, Henan Province, China. The results reveal that villagers possess a superficial understanding of compensation schemes at the normative-level analysis, impeding effective collective decision-making. Communication network analysis exposes strong ties that may impede collective action if only information flows within villages. In contrast, weak ties serve as vital bridges promoting marketization. Additionally, we observe that groups with strong ties rely more on key actors for accurate calls to action, underscoring the importance of trustworthiness. More importantly, the results point to three dilemmas regarding land marketization in rural China: cognitive bias of norms, challenges in expressing stakeholders' demands, and crisis of trust among key actors. We further highlight trust as a potent means of breakthrough to address these dilemmas rooted in normative, communicative, and trust-related aspects that present formidable challenges to collective action. These results provide important insights for trust-building strategies for researchers and policy promoters to solve the collective action dilemma in environmental management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the association between social capital of young people at 12–13 years and their subjective well-being using Finland's sub-sample of the third wave of the International Survey of Children's Well-Being. Despite much previous research on this topic, relatively little knowledge is accumulated given that different studies define and measure social capital differently. In line with Robert Putnam, we understand social capital as a combination of social networks, trust, and norms of reciprocity. We measure well-being with two context-free scales: a one-dimensional overall life satisfaction scale and a five-dimensional Student's life satisfaction scale. The analysis is done with linear and unconditional quantile regression. The results indicate that all three dimensions of social capital are significantly associated with well-being. Of the three, trust is the strongest predictor explaining over 30% of the variance in both well-being scales. The study demonstrates the relevance of considering all dimensions of social capital together to avoid unobserved variable bias. Quantile regression reveals that while social capital is important for well-being across the quantiles, it is particularly important for the youth who fare poorly otherwise. Family-related variables showed the strongest association with well-being while relationships with friends, schoolmates, teachers, and other people mattered considerably less. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the pioneering study by Banfield, the North‐South gap in Italian social capital has been considered by international scholars as an example of how cultural diversity within a country can generate different developmental outcomes. Most studies, however, suffer from limited external validity and measurement error. This paper exploits a new and representative online lab‐experiment to assess social‐capital patterns in Italy. Unlike previous experiments, we do not inform participants about the geographic origins of their counterparts. This feature allows us to assess the North‐South gap in universal, as opposed to parochial, behavior. Results suggest that Southerners and Northerners do not systematically differ in generalized prosocial preferences. Only trustworthiness is higher among. Northerners, while they are statistically similar to Southerners in many other economic preferences such as cooperation, trust, expected trustworthiness, altruism, and risk tolerance. We also show that the gap in trustworthiness stems from the lower reciprocity of Southerners in response to large transfers, and it is characterized by the intergenerational transmission of norms. Possible policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political theorists are familiar with the proposition that social capital in the form of trust, membership in voluntary organizations, and community engagement, is conducive to democracy. Corroborating empirical evidence exists but it is patchy and inconclusive because it is usually based on aggregate, often country-level data or isolated case studies, and the identified relationship is associative rather than causal. In this paper, I use some of the most recent large-scale micro-level datasets to establish that the relationship between social capital and democracy is indeed strong and causal as predicted by theory. I find that citizens who have more trust in others, attend community meetings, and belong to voluntary organizations tend to prefer democracy to any other kind of governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classical theories of social capital identify its two dimensions: structural capital and cognitive capital. The structural dimension is associated with networks and connections within groups, while the cognitive dimension concerns trust and social norms that affect the building of communication and community. The paper discusses the concept of "trust", which is believed to be a necessary condition to develop social capital and crucial in building relationships among library employees as well as contacts with the external environment, in particular the local communities visiting the library. Trust strengthens relationships with the neighbourhood, facilitates cooperation with partners and colleagues, reduces fear and conflicts, and may also stimulate development. Accordingly, this factor should be taken into consideration by library managers in their managerial decisions. In order to analyse trust among library workers, a study was conducted in 20 countries of the world. The analysis presented in the paper determined both the level of trust among the professional group of librarians and its correlation with other factors (independent variables, such as age, type of library, position, etc.) and dependent variables. It was established that librarians have a high level of trust in other people and that respondents declaring to trust others also have a higher level of individual social capital and a larger social network, are more willing to engage in charity and civic activities, and family and friends are important to them. It seems that such pro-social attitudes may be particularly desirable on specific positions within the library structure: those involving direct contact with patrons and managerial positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social capital is a concept that has attracted increased interest among researchers in social science. It was originally introduced to sociological literature in the 1970s by Pierre Bourdieu. The term "social capital" is used to signify a set of specific behaviours and social interactions that many researchers associate with a positive impact on various aspects of human life. These include: democracy, economic development, effective governance, development of communities, education and culture, individual and public health and wellbeing, or even crime prevention. It is often claimed now that libraries as institutions intended to satisfy the intellectual needs of a society and stimulate social development may participate in the development of this capital. The paper presents the results of research on individual social capital of librarians in 20 countries across the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of the creation of social trust and social capital indicate that informal social contact has a positive effect. Some studies find that uncorrupt public institutions have positive effects on trust and social capital. Additionally, a number of papers show that public libraries have a similar effect. The mechanisms that generate trust, however, remain largely unspecified. Therefore, research describing micro-level processes is needed to uncover the mechanisms creating trust. This article reports a study of change in social trust among first-generation Mexican immigrants who participated in English as a second language ðESLÞ classes, computer classes, and civics classes in six US public libraries. These students displayed little trust outside their family and friends; however, after participating in library programs, they became more trusting of the library, the librarians, their fellow students, and other library users. These effects can be considered a starting point for a spiral of increasing generalized trust among the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper investigates the association between the Great Recession and educational inequalities in self‐rated general health in 25 European countries. We investigate four different indicators related to economic recession: GDP; unemployment; austerity and a ‘crisis’ indicator signifying severe simultaneous drops in GDP and welfare generosity. We also assess the extent to which health inequality changes can be attributed to changes in the economic conditions and social capital in the European populations. The paper uses data from the European Social Survey (2002–2014). The analyses include both cross‐sectional and lagged associations using multilevel linear regression models with country fixed effects. This approach allows us to identify health inequality changes net of all time‐invariant differences between countries. GDP drops and increasing unemployment were associated with decreasing health inequalities. Austerity, however, was related to increasing health inequalities, an association that grew stronger with time. The strongest increase in health inequality was found for the more robust ‘crisis’ indicator. Changes in trust, social relationships and in the experience of economic hardship of the populations accounted for much of the increase in health inequality. The paper concludes that social policy has an important role in the development of health inequalities, particularly during times of economic crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, trust has been conceptualized as an important source of social capital, setting off cross‐disciplinary research on both the benefits and predictors of trust at the individual and contextual level. In this paper, we turn to the individual outcomes of living in a trustful context, and explore the relationship between trust, itself one of the main components of social capital, and social support, seen as one of the most important effects of social capital. In particular, we ask how social capital—and the relationship between trust and social support—functions in the context of unequal societies. We model perceived support as an outcome across three levels, from no support to proximate to distal support, and using a cross‐national study of Roma and non‐Roma across 12 European countries, we track the relationship between trust and support across both mainstream and marginalized populations. Our findings suggest that living in contexts with more trust has protective effects particularly for members of marginalized groups: the Roma are more likely to have distal support in contexts with higher trust. We conclude that contextual trust helps to broaden the circle of support beyond family and friends; thus, trust can indeed be a synthetic force that binds individuals together in broadened structures of support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes how the concept of trust is built within the market space. The bazaar, also known as haat belong to members of the Karbi community who live in an urban village of Guwahati. I had begun my study on the functioning of the market with an unstated assumption that it would be primarily about the buying and selling of commodities every week. What I found was that without the unstated presence of 'trust' and 'belongingness' which binds the different stakeholders, the market would not function. The periodic market functions every week with this trust and belonginess that is the glue that ties community members on the basis of ethnicity. This paper draws upon what one observed and what one gleaned through their narratives. It looks at how the question of trust comes with a certain 'social capital' that helps them to be a part of an active member of the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper refers to the widespread notion that voluntary (sport) organizations produce social capital, popularized through the works of Robert D. Putnam, and compares social trust levels of sport club members with members in other voluntary associations and non-members. We differentiate between in-group trust and out-group trust, highlighting that not only the level of trust but also the "trust radius" counts for social cohesion in modern societies. Refining Putnam's claims, we argue that social trust among members varies with the quality and intensity of participation captured (for instance, through volunteering), diverse social contacts and the level of membership trust experienced in an association. Based on a nation-wide survey, carried out in Germany during 2017/2018, it is demonstrated that members of civic associations indicate higher levels of trust towards in-groups and out-groups compared to non-members and they regard present society as more solidary and trusting. A fine-grained analysis among members of associations further shows that increased trust is typical for volunteers and individuals in socially diverse associations which, at the same time, are characterized by high levels of membership trust. We conclude that sports clubs need to provide beneficial context conditions for producing high levels and a wider radius of trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the testimony of former President Jacob Zuma, given at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. It focuses on the revelations of the former President and their possible implications for political trust in South Africa. It uses a framework by Francis Fukuyama (1995), who argues that trust or social capital is an important factor in achieving collaboration and prosperity in society. The article argues that the revelations of the former President will possibly affect trust negatively. They have the potential to affect trust among members within the African National Congress (ANC), people's trust of the ANC, the trust of the private sector, the office of the Public Protector and the media by the ANC and the general public. The paper argues that it will be difficult to grow South Africa together in a trust deficient environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the practice and science of social good and identify avenues for producing research and evidence-based practice in this area. The main proposition of this paper is that social good has the potential to promote ideals that directly align with social work values, offer new alliances and innovative technologies for achieving them, and spark interest in macro practice. Method: To gain an understanding of social good, a three-pronged approach was used: (a) review of multidisciplinary academic literature; (b) review of web-based information; and (c) analysis of qualitative interviews with nine social good experts. Results: The combined data indicated three social good domains: diversity and inclusion, environmental justice and sustainability, and peace and collaboration. A proposed definition and conceptual model of social good has emerged from the data: (I) social good domains; (II) unconventional systems of change; and (III) innovative technologies and approaches. Conclusions: Social good can open up new opportunities for the social work profession, together with allied disciplines, to lead the development of evidence-based practices and educational programs aimed at promoting social justice. It can bring a fresh direction to social work, rooted in the profession's bedrock values and befitting the entrepreneurial spirit, advances and technological innovations of the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores social capital in the tourism destination of Bohemian Switzerland, located in the north of the Czech Republic. The research uses the synergy view on social capital, which incorporates organisational and institutional actors as well as local community. Through interviewing different types of stakeholders from the destination, data were collected and consequently analysed with the use of thematic analysis. An important element was identified: trust, which is especially necessary in order to facilitate collaboration. Furthermore, positive influence from communication and local engagement in collaborations was noted. In addition, the role of institutions and tourism organisations in the creation and positive demonstration of social capital in a tourism destination was emphasized. Therefore, there is a need to recognise the complementary relationships of different agents in tourism destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A majority of the activities performed in higher education institutions are routines that need to be learned, remembered and refined for improvement. These include academic and administrative tasks that are central to the proper functioning of the institution. In addition to this, as any business, higher education institutions need to compete and innovate at a time when their performances are measured in detail by their management, students, governments and other external bodies. Staff members in various roles often become familiar with certain routine tasks. Although an institution may rely on these members and others who master a particular activity whenever needed, there is no guarantee that staff members or even teams will stay with the institution. Therefore, it would be necessary to ensure that institutional knowledge does not become synonymous with individual staff members and, therefore, the knowledge is available only when these individuals are present and absent when they are away. This paper looks into how higher education institutions can enhance their knowledge sharing practices by cultivating social capital among its employees. It employs a set of semi-structured interviews to gauge the attitudes of employees of two institutions in Saudi Arabia. This is complemented by a literature survey looking into how social capital theory is adapted by earlier researchers in the area of knowledge sharing. The findings indicate that trust, social interactions, participation and rewards have strong influence in knowledge sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes a clustering approach as it attempts to investigate localised learning within a rice cluster in Malaysia and to examine the role of institutions, social capital and geographical proximity in helping promote localised learning. The paper argues that the development of social capital within a cluster needs to take place in its institutional context, and that development policies must address the 'soft' elements of the cluster in fostering cooperative relationships and 'social contracts' among the cluster actors. Evidence shows that learning processes and gains from learning in a cluster occur mainly in the form of informal learning - in which the effects of social cohesiveness, trust and connectedness are particularly important. Geographic proximity also plays an important role when it comes to the regional embedding of knowledge and learning processes. This paper shows supporting evidence that social proximity is the main dimension that should be embedded within the geographical and institutional proximity for agricultural cluster development. Geographical proximity improves social capital: a top-down policy approach in cluster development can therefore often be unsuccessful, given the failure to understand the dynamics of the cluster-actor interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In many countries, those with lower socioeconomic status are disproportionately affected by poor oral health. This can be attributed, at least in part, to differences in preventive dental visiting. While several theories have been applied to the area, they generally fail to capture the recursive nature of dental visiting behaviour, and fall short of informing the design of complex interventions to tackle inequalities. Objective To undertake a systematic review and synthesis of theory in order to provide an overview of the pathways which bring about socioeconomic inequalities in early dental visiting, and identify possible intervention points. Methods Electronic searching identified 8947 titles and abstracts. Paper screening and citation snowballing left 77 included papers. Drawing on the tenets of Critical Interpretive Synthesis, data extraction involved capturing concepts and relationships and translating these sometimes into synthetic constructs. Results We theorize that at the individual (micro-level), dental visiting behaviour is influenced by: the ' Importance of obtaining care', ' Emotional response' and ' Perceived control', which feed into a balancing of ' Competing Demands' against ' Internal resources' (coping, self-identity), although attendance is tempered by the effective ' Affordability and Availability of services'. Positive Care experiences are theorized to lower the demands and increase internal resources associated with dental visiting. We also outline meso-level factors ' Social norms and sanctions', 'Obligations, expectations and trust', 'Information channels', 'Social structures' and theorize how these can exert an overwhelming influence in deprived areas. Conclusions Socioeconomic inequalities in early dental visiting emerge from several stages in the care-seeking process. Dental visiting behaviour should be viewed not just as a one-off event, but extending over time and social space. Since there is recursivity in peoples' most recent dental experience any future visits we identify that interventions which make care a positive experience for low socioeconomic patients may be particularly beneficial in reducing inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on ethnographic research with kanyeleng fertility society performers and health workers in The Gambia (2012–2013), this paper uses a social capital approach to analyze the relationship between musical performance and health communication. Health communication research has demonstrated the important role of social capital in mediating the impact of interventions. Music research has drawn attention to performance as a site in which social relationships and obligations are produced and negotiated. In this paper, I bring these two perspectives together in order to open up new ways of thinking about musical performance as a culturally appropriate strategy in health communication. Drawing on participant observation as well as individual and group interviews with performers and health workers (126 participants), I argue that kanyeleng performance facilitates health communication by building on existing social networks and forms of social capital. This research contributes to a paradigm shift in research on performance and health communication, moving away from individual-focused behaviour change communication, and toward a culture-centered approach that considers community participation in relation to broader social and structural issues. This research suggests that musical genres such as kanyeleng performance may help build trust between health professionals and target communities while also facilitating information dissemination and public debate on sensitive health topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on water resource conflicts needs to be better aligned with practitioner approaches to water resources development, chiefly integrated water resources management (IWRM). This paper bridges the gap between research and practice through a novel application of the social-ecological systems framework to a set of 10 conflict cases from an IWRM initiative in rural Central America. The conflicts in the empirical cases are found to be primarily the result of sociopolitical variables, particularly low levels of trust and social capital, and peacebuilding is suggested as a promising approach to address this suite of conflicts. The paper concludes with a proposed course of research designed to further both theoretical and applied knowledge of water resource conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of social capital shows great promise for its potential to influence individual and population health. Yet challenges persist in defining and measuring social capital, and little is known about the mechanisms that link social capital and health. This paper reports on the quantitative phase of a sequential explanatory mixed methods study using data from Canada's 2013 General Social Survey (data collected 2013–14). An exploratory factor analysis revealed six underlying dimensions of social capital for 7,187 adults living in Ontario, Canada. These factors included trust in people, neighbourhood social capital, trust in institutions, sense of belonging, civic engagement, and social network size. A logistic regression indicated that having high Trust in People and Trust in Institutions were associated with better mental health while high Trust in Institutions, Sense of Belonging, and Civic Engagement were associated with better physical health. When comparing rural and urban residents, there were no differences in their self‐reported health, nor did social capital influence their health any differently, despite rural residents having higher social capital scores. The study findings are important for understanding the nature of social capital and how it influences health, and provide direction for targeted health promotion strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reindeer herding is a nature-based livelihood of the indigenous Sámi people in northern parts of Europe and Russia. During the last decades, reindeer herding has become a more significant issue in the context of the market economy: the livelihood has transformed toward entrepreneurship, and the subsidies demand growth in the scale of herding. According to the national administration, the market values are highlighted. However, for herders, market economies are only one part of their livelihood. Another important part is their experience of reindeer herding as a way of life; for many reindeer herders trust in their livelihood and the social relations associated with their way of life are of equal or greater importance than economic aspects. In this paper, the role of social trust in the changing process of reindeer herding is discussed. Inherited tacit and cultural knowledge, as a part of social capital, strengthen reindeer herders’ experience of trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural-amenity migration is changing the social and ecological compositions of landscapes globally. The in-migration of new landholders is contributing to significant biophysical changes to rural landscapes, as well as the weakening of collective awareness, knowledge and skills needed to manage natural resources. This is leading to the proliferation of environmental harm. This paper focuses on invasive plants as one such harm, detailing how collective action is developed and challenged in a rural landscape undergoing increasing property turnover and diversifying management priorities. Focusing on the role of a Landcare group, located in southern New South Wales, Australia, I explore how social capital - with a particular focus on trust and social norms - is mobilised to recruit newly arrived residents and maintain commitment among landholders to manage invasive plants. This research provides insights into how policy can better steer management interventions, particularly how to develop and maintain collective action in diversifying rural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, nonprofit scholars have increasingly studied the phenomenon of social enterprises which has become a generic term describing a wider reorientation among third sector organizations. The emergence of social enterprises has also led to a dynamic of hybridization and broadening in the cooperative sector, similar to an earlier dynamic of 'economization', but this time on the other end of the organizational spectrum. This paper aims at developing a fine-grained conceptual understanding of how this organizational dynamic is shaped in terms of member coordination, thus contributing to a more comprehensive theoretical understanding of different organizational forms of cooperatives. Specifically, to highlight the difference to traditional member-focused cooperatives, the paper introduces the term third-party-focused cooperatives for those social enterprises which emphasize economic goals as well as control and ownership by a particular community (typically place-based). The key result of the paper is that with the shift from member- to community-focus in cooperatives, the main coordination mechanism becomes one of norm-based trust on the basis of generalized reciprocity. In contrast to traditional maxim-based trust member coordination on the basis of relation-specific reciprocity, this enables third-party-focused cooperatives to mobilize bridging and linking social capital, facilitating collective action aimed towards the community interest. The findings suggest that this identity shift requires a mutual re-positioning between the cooperative and the nonprofit sector, in terms of umbrellas as well as regulatory and legislative bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. There has been a growing number of studies focusing on the issue of trust in inter-organisational networks. However, there are few publications which focus on the possibility of using trust as a coordination mechanism in inter-organisational networks. Research aims. The main purpose of the paper is to construct and present a framework for analysing the mechanism of trust and credibility in inter-organisational networks. Methodology. A critical literature review method was adopted in this paper. The method constitutes a process, a set of cognitive behaviours, as well as the product of this process. Key findings. In the results from this paper, the different dimensions of trust were analysed. Relations in inter-organisational networks go beyond trust and credibility. Trust may be one of the resources which enables the process of cooperation to start. However, credibility is only one of the reasons that cooperation works within inter-organisational networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of studies have addressed the determinants of suicide. Social capital is a key factor in preventing suicide. However, little is known about the experience of suicide ideation using subjective values. From the viewpoint of suicide prevention, it is worth examining how people think of suicide. This paper attempts to examine the effect of social capital on suicide ideation. Furthermore, the paper compares the effect of social capital between urban and non-urban areas. In this paper, urban areas are equivalent to mega-cities with populations over one million. Non-urban areas are cities with populations of less than one million, towns and villages. Individual-level data from the Japanese General Social Surveys (JGSSs) are used. The survey, which was conducted in 2006, provides information about the subjective value of suicide ideation. The survey was answered by 1413 subjects with a mean age of 54.5. Of the subjects, 49% were male. Social trust is used to measure the degree of social capital, and the outcome of interest is suicide ideation within the past 5 years. After controlling for various factors, the major findings are that both individual-level social trust and social trust accumulated in one's residential administrative district reduce the probability that one will consider suicide. After dividing the sample into urban and non-urban residents, particularized trust plays a role in deterring suicide ideation in urban areas, while generalized trust plays a role in deterring suicide ideation in non-urban areas. The effect of each type of trust depends on its scarcity in residential areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to investigate the association between structural and cognitive aspects of social capital and self-rated health among adults aged 50 or more, living in three countries: Finland, Poland and Spain. The study, which was based on data from the European Social Survey (2008/09), was a part of the EU research project COURAGE in Europe. More specifically the paper assesses the association between social capital indicators – informal social network and general trust – and good self-rated health through single-level and joint effects analyses. The results showed that Finland was a country of high social capital, in terms of both social networks and general trust, while Spain showed low levels of general trust and Poland low levels of informal social networks. As to the association between social capital and self-rated health, high levels of general trust and high networks were found to be associated with good health among all countries' respondents. Older persons living in partnerships, with higher education, higher levels of engagement in informal networks and general trust, were found to be more likely to show good self-rated health. Our comparative analyses revealed different associations between social capital and health according to country. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of social capital in its applications for enterprise (and entrepreneurship) in order to facilitate its incorporation into the relevant education and training programmes. Design/methodology/approach -- Based on examples from the literature and his own experience the author highlights a variety of different uses for social capital in an enterprise context. Findings -- This exploration not only confirms social capital's relevance for enterprise but also illustrates and categorises some of the different forms it can take -- for instance forms which provide access to relevant information; forms which facilitate trust, mutual obligations and/or credibility; and forms which promote shared norms of behaviour and commitment. Practical implications -- Because these different forms can all be crucial but cannot be substituted one for another, they act in the enterprise mix rather like vitamins in a diet. Understanding the variety and uses of social capital is thus important for enterprise and communicating this should form a key part of entrepreneurship education. Originality/value -- While some attention is being paid to the relevance of social capital for enterprise, it receives less recognition as a component of the enterprise mix than factors such as financial and human capital -- and is rarely included in enterprise education and training programmes. To help educators to correct this omission the paper supplements the theory by suggesting practical examples of the reality of social capital's varied forms and uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines policy and practice within microfinance programs adopting a self-help group (SHG) model in India, and the impact on social order. Observations and interviews with government administrators and women in poor communities (both members and non-members of SHGs) reveal that activities within SHGs generated trust as a foundation for enhanced social harmony between women in the SHGs and within the wider community. Enhanced social harmony was identified at three levels of analysis, attributed to bonding within the SHGs, and bridging between SHG members and the wider community. Implications extend to both social capital theory and microfinance practice, and include the potential for microfinance programs to foster both financial and social capital, beyond the program boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of disaster rehabilitation interventions on bonding social capital in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda.Design/methodology/approach The data from the project are drawn from eight barangays in Tacloban City, the Philippines. Local residents and politicians were surveyed and interviewed to examine perceptions of resilience and community self-help.Findings The evidence shows that haphazard or inequitable distribution of relief goods and services generated discontent within communities. However, whilst perceptions of community cooperation and self-help are relatively low, perceptions of resilience are relatively high.Research limitations/implications This research was conducted in urban communities after a sudden large-scale disaster. The findings are not necessarily applicable in the rural context or in relation to slow onset disasters.Practical implications Relief agencies should think more carefully about the social impact of the distribution of relief goods and services. Inequality can undermine community level cooperation.Social implications A better consideration of social as well as material capital in the aftermath of disaster could help community self-help, resilience and positive adaptation.Originality/value This study draws on evidence from local communities to contradict the overarching rhetoric of resilience in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: During the recent decade, scholars have started to pay more attention to how the local socio‐institutional environment affects the outcome of regional cross‐border co‐operation (CBC) programmes and projects. This paper studies the social capital processes of CBC, particular focus being on how power and trust relations are manifested in project networking and implementation governed by public authorities. The examination focuses on the border towns of Tornio (Finland) and Haparanda (Sweden) which share a common cultural history and a long tradition of co‐operation. The results, based on document analysis and 16 interviews, show that the CBC at Tornio‐Haparanda is not unproblematic but contested by different interest groups and actors. It involves practices of inclusion and exclusion that influence mobilisation, engagement and trust building between different actors. The social capital processes are intertwined with the local norms and values as well as with the strategic networking and pursuance of specific development objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social capital has becomean influential concept in debating and understanding the modernworld. Within the drug and alcohol sector, the concept of 'recovery capital'has gained tractionwith researchers suggesting that people who have access to such capital are better placed to overcome their substance use-related problems than those who do not (Cloud and Granfield, 2008), leading to requests for interventions that focus on building social capital networks (Neale & Stevenson, 2015). While accepting that the concept of social capital has enormous potential for addressing the problems associated with drug use, this paper also considers its 'dark side'. Methods: Data were drawn from semi-structured interviews with 180 participants including 135 people who use drugs and 45 people who formerly used drugs. Results: High levels of trust, acquired through the establishment of dense social networks, are required to initiate recovery. However, these 'strong bonds'may also lead to the emergence of what is perceived by others as an exclusive social network that limits membership to those who qualify and abide by the 'rules'of the recovery community, particularly around continuous abstinence. Conclusions: Depending on the nature of the networks and the types of links participants have into them being socially connected can both inhibit and encourage recovery. Therefore, the successful application of social capital within the drugs and alcohol field requires a consideration of not only the presence or absence of social connections but their nature, the value they produce, and the social contexts within which they are developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to evaluate the perception of the state by students in the context of research on social capital. The paper uses the results of a survey conducted at the Faculty of Economics and Management University of Szczecin, Faculty of Politics and Management Mykolo Romeris University in Vilnius and Faculty of Economics, Matej Bel University Banska Bystrica Theoretical part of the article presents chosen issues concerning social capital in relation to the state. This part has also become a foundation to the analysis of the survey outcomes conducted among students in Poland, Lithuania and Slovakia. It was preceded by presentation of research methodology. The article presents conclusions regarding the assessment of the state by students in Poland, Lithuania and Slovakia in the context of democracy, social participation, trust and social norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prominent versions of social capital theory presume a positive link between voluntary memberships-including religious memberships-and generalized trust in society. Yet this relationship has not been tested in sub-Saharan Africa, a region with low average levels of generalized trust and high levels of religious membership and participation, where the rise of Charismatic Evangelical churches has recently transformed the religious landscape. Contrary hypotheses based in a theory of oppositional subcultures would suggest that memberships in such churches could dampen generalized trust due to their oppositional discourse vis a vis the wider society. In this paper, I use 2008 Afrobarometer survey data from seven countries in the region to test these contrasting hypotheses, analyzing both the pooled data and the separate country datasets. I find mixed evidence for the link between religious membership and generalized trust, and more consistent evidence that affiliating with a Charismatic Evangelical group is negatively associated with generalized trust. The study supports the conclusion that the link between religious membership and generalized trust is dependent on both the context and the content of the discourse circulating in religious settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]