scholarly journals Closed circles of mistrust: envy, aspirations and urban sociality in coastal Madagascar

Africa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 88 (S1) ◽  
pp. S117-S139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Desplat
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Port City ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Malicious Envy ◽  
Responsible Adult ◽  
Favourable Environment ◽  
The City

AbstractIn this article, I examine the fear of others’ envy among young students and graduates in the port city of Mahajanga, Madagascar. Although the city provides a favourable environment in relation to the economy, employment and general well-being, many young people from middle-class milieus worry that their aspirations will remain unfulfilled because of envious peers who resent them for any advantage they might have gained. While malicious envy is most expected within close social relations in which social comparison and competition are prevalent, most social actors respond to this threat with tactical practices of secrecy that arguably help to secure an individual's well-being and shield them from unsocial behaviour. I scrutinize these micro-politics of life projects, social comparison, increasing inequalities and a rising sense of mutual mistrust. Yet, I depart from approaches that frame envy as a human condition that socially produces either a prosocial levelling mechanism or a destructive force that bulldozes social bonds. Instead, I understand envy as an assemblage that points to intertwined and often ambivalent social aspects. For many young individuals, overcoming their fear of envy is part of becoming a complete person, a sign of being successful and a responsible adult.

scholarly journals Viva o esporte: uma análise da política pública de esportes de um município do interior do estado do Rio de Janeiro

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (48) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Mario Mecenas Pagani ◽  
Fernando Antônio Leite Cabral Loureiro ◽  
Sérgio Henrique de Mattos Machado ◽  
Ludmila Gonçalves Da Matta
Keyword(s):  
Health Spending ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Power ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
The Public ◽  
Palabras Clave ◽  
Politica Publica ◽  
Incentive Policies ◽  
The City

RESUMO:Políticas públicas são diretrizes da ação do poder público junto a sociedade, normas e procedimentos para as relações dos atores sociais e o Estado. O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever e analisar as políticas públicas de esporte da Fundação Municipal de Esporte (FME), da cidade de Campos dos Goytacazes-RJ. A metodologia utilizada caracterizou-se como descritiva. Os resultados do estudo indicam que o município estrutura o seu trabalho através da FME e que ela apresenta resultados expressivos nas políticas de incentivo ao esporte. Os programas de esporte oferecidos pelo município sofreram significativa redução no número de profissionais de educação física entre os anos de 2016 a 2018, entretanto, houve aumento no número de participações e ofertas de modalidades esportivas nos programas. Em 2016 eram 1.200 participantes em 9 modalidades e em 2018 foram 15.000 participantes e 41 modalidades. Por meio do estudo, foi possível concluir que a política pública do município de Campos dos Goytacazes voltada para o esporte proporciona excelentes resultados para a saúde e bem-estar da população refletindo, inclusive, na redução com os gastos em saúde. Palavras-chave: Políticas Públicas; Esporte; Lazer.  ABSTRACT:Public policies are guidelines for the action of the public power with society, norms and procedures for the relations of social actors and the state. The aim of this study was to describe and analyze the public sports policies of the Municipal Sports Foundation (FME), in the city of Campos dos Goytacazes-RJ. The methodology used was characterized as descriptive. The results of the study indicate that the municipality structures its work through the FME and that it has significant results in sports incentive policies. The sports programs offered by the municipality suffered a significant reduction in the number of physical education professionals between 2016 and 2018, however, there was an increase in the number of participants and offers of sports in the programs. In 2016 there were 1,200 participants in 9 modalities and in 2018 there were 15,000 participants and 41 modalities. Through the study, it was concluded that the public policy of the city of Campos dos Goytacazes focused on sports provides excellent results for the health and well-being of the population, including the reduction in health spending. Keywords: Public Policies; Sport; Recreation.RESUMEN:Las políticas públicas son pautas para la acción del poder público con la sociedad, normas y procedimientos para las relaciones de los actores sociales y el estado. El objetivo de este estudio fue describir y analizar las políticas deportivas públicas de la Fundación Deportiva Municipal (FME), en la ciudad de Campos dos Goytacazes-RJ. La metodología utilizada se caracterizó como descriptiva. Los resultados del estudio indican que el municipio estructura su trabajo a través del FME y que tiene resultados expresivos en las políticas de incentivos deportivos. Los programas deportivos ofrecidos por el municipio sufrieron una reducción significativa en el número de profesionales de educación física entre 2016 y 2018, sin embargo, hubo un aumento en el número de participantes y ofertas de deportes en los programas. En 2016 hubo 1,200 participantes en 9 modalidades y en 2018 hubo 15,000 participantes y 41 modalidades. A través del estudio, se concluyó que la política pública de la ciudad de Campos dos Goytacazes centrada en el deporte proporciona excelentes resultados para la salud y el bienestar de la población, incluida la reducción del gasto en salud. Palabras clave: Políticas públicas; Deporte; Ocio.

Beyond GDP: The Quest for a Measure of Social Welfare. Part II

2012 ◽  
pp. 32-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fleurbaey
Keyword(s):  
Social Welfare ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Welfare Economics ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Alternative Approaches ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Beyond Gdp

The second part of the paper is devoted to the non-monetary indicators of social welfare. Various approaches to the study of subjective well-being and happiness are described. The author shows what problems a researcher would encounter trying to analyze welfare on the micro-level and to take account of the cognitive and affective aspects of the individuals assessment of their well-being, as well as the relevance of social relations. The author also shows to what extent the alternative approaches, particularly the analysis of functionings and capabilities advanced by A. Sen are compatible to the modern welfare economics and what prospects the latter has.

Envy and Social Comparison

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niels van de Ven ◽  
Marcel Zeelenberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Past Work ◽  
Good Fortune ◽  
Malicious Envy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Upward Social Comparison

Upward social comparison can give rise to the emotion of envy: the pain caused by the good fortune of others. We explain what envy is, and what the possible function of envy is to an organism experiencing it. We provide an overview of past work on envy, the distinction between two subtypes (benign and malicious envy), possible antecedents of envy, possible consequences of envy, and the responses to being envied by others. In each of these areas there are clear links to research on social comparison, and research on envy has greatly benefitted from insights from the social comparison literature. Given the surge in research on envy in the last decade, we hope that the findings on envy can also inspire those investigating social comparisons.

Challenges and opportunities for the affective sciences.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew S. Fox ◽  
Regina Lapate ◽  
Alexander J. Shackman ◽  
Richard J Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Quarter Century ◽  
Core Feature ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Improved Methods ◽  
Health And Well Being

Emotion is a core feature of the human condition, with profound consequences for health, wealth, and wellbeing. Over the past quarter-century, improved methods for manipulating and measuring different features of emotion have yielded steady advances in our scientific understanding emotional states, traits, and disorders. Yet, it is clear that most of the work remains undone. Here, we highlight key challenges facing the field of affective sciences. Addressing these challenges will provide critical opportunities not just for understanding the mind, but also for increasing the impact of the affective sciences on public health and well-being.

Entanglements between Agency and Vulnerability in the Phenomenon of Birth. Reflections on Children’s Expressions about ‘Being Born’

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2-2020) ◽  
pp. 135-146
Author(s):  
Catrin Heite ◽  
Veronika Magyar-Haas
Keyword(s):  
Social Studies ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family ◽  
Cultural Embeddedness

Analogously to the works in the field of new social studies of childhood, this contribution deals with the concept of childhood as a social construction, in which children are considered as social actors in their own living environment, engaged in interpretive reproduction of the social. In this perspective the concept of agency is strongly stressed, and the vulnerability of children is not sufficiently taken into account. But in combining vulnerability and agency lies the possibility to consider the perspective of the subjects in the context of their social, political and cultural embeddedness. In this paper we show that what children say, what is important to them in general and for their well-being, is shaped by the care experiences within the family and by their social contexts. The argumentation for the intertwining of vulnerability and agency is exemplified by the expressions of an interviewed girl about her birth and by reference to philosophical concepts about birth and natality.

How a Lingua Franca Spreads

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Mc Laughlin
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Everyday Language ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Speakers Of Other Languages ◽  
Realistic View ◽  
Atlantic Language ◽  
The City

This chapter considers how Wolof, an Atlantic language spoken in Senegal, has become an important lingua franca, and how French has contributed to the ascent of Wolof. The nature of social relations between Africans and French in cities along the Atlantic coast in the 18th and 19th centuries were such that a prestigious urban way of speaking Wolof that made liberal use of French borrowings became the language of the city. As an index of urban belonging, opportunity, and modernity, Wolof was viewed as a useful language, a trend that has continued up to the present. Four case studies illustrate how the use of Wolof facilitates mobility for speakers of other languages in Senegal. By drawing a distinction between the formal and informal language sectors, this chapter offers a more realistic view of everyday language practices in Senegal, where Wolof is the dominant language.

Constructivist Moral Realism

1998 ◽  
pp. 147-153
Author(s):  
J. K. Swindler
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Moral Realism ◽  
Social Ontology ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social World ◽  
Moral Law ◽  
Social Morality ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Realm

We are social animals in the sense that we spontaneously invent and continuously re-invent the social realm. But, not unlike other artifacts, once real, social relations, practices, institutions, etc., obey prior laws, some of which are moral laws. Hence, with regard to social reality, we ought to be ontological constructivists and moral realists. This is the view sketched here, taking as points of departure Searle's recent work on social ontology and May's on group morality. Moral and social selves are distinguished to acknowledge that social reality is constructed but social morality is not. It is shown how and why moral law requiring respect for the dignity and well being of agents governs a social world comprising roles that are real only because of their occupants' social intentions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document