scholarly journals Prosocial Behaviour in Interethnic Encounters: Evidence from a Field Experiment with High- and Low-Status Immigrants

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 582-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Amelie Aidenberger ◽  
Heiko Rauhut ◽  
Fabian Winter
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Field Experiment ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Prosocial Behaviour ◽  
Direct Test ◽  
Train Station ◽  
Considerable Debate ◽  
Multiethnic Societies ◽  
Shed Light

Abstract Recent waves of immigration have changed the demographic face of European societies and fueled considerable debate over the consequences of ethnic diversity for social cohesion. One prominent argument in this debate holds that individuals are less willing to extend trust and solidarity across ethnic lines, leading to lower social capital in multiethnic communities. We present a direct test of this proposition in a field experiment involving native-immigrant interactions in Zurich's Central Train Station. Our intervention consists of approaching commuters with a small request for assistance (borrowing a mobile phone), which we take as a measure of prosociality. We further differentiate between reactions towards natives as well as both high- and low-status immigrant groups. Compared to native-native interactions, we find lower solidarity in native-immigrant encounters, especially in cases involving stereotypically low-status immigrants. In exploratory analyses, we further show that discrimination only obtains in 'low cost' situations where commuters could easily justify not helping (e.g. by claiming not to carry a phone). Overall our results shed light on key theoretical mechanisms underlying patterns of solidarity in contemporary multiethnic societies.

scholarly journals Wider-community Segregation and the Effect of Neighbourhood Ethnic Diversity on Social Capital: An Investigation into Intra-Neighbourhood Trust in Great Britain and London

Sociology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 1011-1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Laurence
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Models ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Community Segregation ◽  
Do So

Extensive research has demonstrated that neighbourhood ethnic diversity is negatively associated with intra-neighbourhood social capital. This study explores the role of segregation and integration in this relationship. To do so it applies three-level hierarchical linear models to two sets of data from across Great Britain and within London, and examines how segregation across the wider-community in which a neighbourhood is nested impacts trust amongst neighbours. This study replicates the increasingly ubiquitous finding that neighbourhood diversity is negatively associated with neighbour-trust. However, we demonstrate that this relationship is highly dependent on the level of segregation across the wider-community in which a neighbourhood is nested. Increasing neighbourhood diversity only negatively impacts neighbour-trust when nested in more segregated wider-communities. Individuals living in diverse neighbourhoods nested within integrated wider-communities experience no trust-penalty. These findings show that segregation plays a critical role in the neighbourhood diversity/trust relationship, and that its absence from the literature biases our understanding of how ethnic diversity affects social cohesion.

scholarly journals The Bridging Activity of Multiracial Congregations

Religions ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
Edward Polson ◽  
Rachel Gillespie
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Social Trust ◽  
Ethnic Composition ◽  
Religious Congregations ◽  
Bridging Social Capital ◽  
Service Programs ◽  
Multiracial Congregations ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Racial Ethnic

The growing diversity of U.S. communities has led scholars to explore how racial/ethnic diversity effects social capital, civic engagement, and social trust. Less is known about the relationship between diversity and the work of community-based organizations (CBOs). In this study, we examine how the racial/ethnic composition of one ubiquitous type of CBO, religious congregations, is related to measures of organizational bridging social capital. Analyzing data collected through a census of congregations in one Midwestern county, we explore the relationship between racial/ethnic diversity and the bridging activity of religious congregations. We find that multiracial congregations are more likely to be involved with externally focused service programs, tend to support a larger number of programs, and report more interorganizational collaborators than other congregations. Our findings suggest that multiracial congregations can provide a valuable resource for increasingly diverse communities and civil society.

scholarly journals Social Capital and Civic Engagement in Times Of Tension: An Evidence from Interethnic Relation Developed in Stella Maris Credit Union Pontianak, West Kalimantan

Al-Albab ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-106
Author(s):  
Alanuari Alanuari ◽  
Mohammad Iqbal Ahnaf
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Peace Education ◽  
Credit Union ◽  
Main Question ◽  
Interethnic Relations ◽  
West Kalimantan ◽  
Political Tension ◽  
Ethnic Tension

This paper begins by questioning the sustainability of civic engagement with the notion of ‘social capital’ as the key concept of Peace and Conflict Studies. The main question is: to what extent does socio-political tension affect forms of civic engagement? This paper examines interethnic relations (Dayak, Malay, Chinese, and Javanese) developed in the Stella Maris Credit Union (SMCU) in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia under the context of ethnic tension. SMCU is a microfinance association where people with various backgrounds (religion, race, and ethnicity) interact in an economic community, sharing benefits and values. In the beginning, SMCU was initiated as an economic program of Stella Maris Catholic Church in North Pontianak. This church did not only serve the church members, but also for all ethnicities and religions through Pontianak. As a site drastically impacted by ethnic conflict in the post-Suharto era, Pontianak recently has been growing as a city of ethnic diversity. However, the recent rise of ethnic tension has contested this growing multiethnic coexistence. It is important to see the strength of civic engagement in responding to issues of conflict in a multiethnic society. This study explores SMCU members and their personal experiences, wondering whether the tension may or may not affect the forms of civic engagement. It argues civic engagement can sustain under the moment of socio-political tension. Developing economy and peace education are the main reasons for interethnic relations among SMCU members. Moreover, although there are treats for the plural society, experiencing diversity in the form of associational and neighborhood relations contributes to social coexistence. This study finds that forms of civic engagement among the members shape expressions and attitudes of resilience in facing social tension.

scholarly journals Local Institutional Role Analysis Of Economic Condition Of Multiethnic Rural Community In Bonegunu District North Buton Regency

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 147
Author(s):  
Zessy Ardinal Barlan
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Community ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Economic Condition ◽  
Community Values ◽  
Economic Problems ◽  
Local Institution ◽  
Norms And Values ◽  
Irrigation Channels

Indonesia is famous for its diverse ethnicity. This ethnic diversity affects the diversity of community values in building interactions. People build interaction one of them to meet the needs of his life, so that people in general use institutional as a container to interact with each other in accordance with prevailing norms and values. The most primary needs of the community is to meet the needs of food and board clothing. Institutions that meet this need are economic institutions. The formulation of the problem of this research are (1) How is local institution developing in multiethnic rural community in Bonegunu Sub-district of North Buton Regency ? (2) What is the economic condition of multiethnic rural community in Bonegunu Sub-district of North Buton Regency ? and (3) How is the Institutional Role local in improving the economy of multiethnic rural communities in Bonegunu Sub-district of North Buton Regency ? This research is a qualitative research with purposive informant selection technique. The result of this research is the local institution that developed in Bonegunu Sub-district that is Customary Institution. Bonegunu Sub-district generally has high potential of rice fields. However, this potential has not been utilized properly due to the absence of adequate irrigation channels. Therefore, people use social capital and kinship relationships that exist between them. In addition, the consensus is built between ethnic groups also make multiethnic communities can together to solve economic problems without losing their identity.Keywords: Ethnicity, Poverty, Social Capital---------------------------------ABSTRAKIndonesia terkenal dengan keragaman etnisnya. Keragaman etnis ini mempengaruhi keragaman nilai-nilai masyarakat dalam membangun interaksi. Orang membangun interaksi salah satunya untuk memenuhi kebutuhan hidupnya, sehingga orang pada umumnya menggunakan kelembagaan sebagai wadah untuk berinteraksi satu sama lain sesuai dengan norma dan nilai yang berlaku. Kebutuhan utama masyarakat adalah untuk memenuhi kebutuhan makanan, pakaian, dan papan. Lembaga yang memenuhi kebutuhan ini adalah lembaga ekonomi. Kabupaten Buton Utara merupakan kabupaten baru yang mekar dari kabupaten induknya yaitu kabupaten buton pada tahun 2007. Adanya kebijakan transmigrasi di Kabupaten Buton, membuat kabupaten ini memiliki masyarakat yang sangat heterogen. Terkait dengan keberagaman masyarakat Buton Utara akibat adanya kebijakan transmigrasi maka menarik untuk melihat bagaimana peran kelembagaan dalam meningkatkan kesejahteraan masyarakat? Merujuk hal tersebut, rumusan masalah dalam penelitian ini adalah (1) Bagaimana institusi lokal berkembang di masyarakat pedesaan multietnis di Bonegunu Kecamatan Kabupaten Buton Utara?, (2) Bagaimana kondisi ekonomi masyarakat pedesaan multietnis di Kecamatan Bonegunu Kabupaten Buton Utara ?, dan (3) Bagaimana Peran Kelembagaan dalam meningkatkan ekonomi masyarakat pedesaan multietnis di Bonegunu Kecamatan Kabupaten Buton Utara ?. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif dengan teknik pemilihan informan purposive. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah institusi lokal yang berkembang di Kecamatan Bonegunu yang merupakan Lembaga Adat. Kecamatan Bonegunu umumnya memiliki potensi sawah yang tinggi. Namun, potensi ini belum dimanfaatkan dengan baik karena tidak adanya saluran irigasi yang memadai. Karena itu, orang menggunakan modal sosial dan hubungan kekeluargaan yang ada di antara mereka. Selain itu, konsensus yang dibangun antar kelompok etnis juga membuat komunitas multietnis dapat bersama-sama memecahkan masalah ekonomi tanpa kehilangan identitasnya.Kata Kunci: Etnisitas, Kemiskinan, Modal Sosial

Social Capital and Diversity Generalized Trust, Social Cohesion and Regimes of Diversity

2007 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 709-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Hooghe
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Capital Social ◽  
Generalized Trust ◽  
Absolute Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
The Individual

Abstract.In recent years an impressive amount of evidence has been collected documenting a negative relationship between levels of ethnic diversity and social capital indicators, in particular generalized trust. In this article we raise a number of theoretical arguments that should be addressed before these findings can be generalized. First, it has to be remembered that most of these studies focus on generalized trust as a social capital indicator, while trust probably is most vulnerable for the effects of weakening homogeneity. Second, it is argued that in order to arrive at a better understanding of the relation between diversity and social capital, at least three intermediary variables need to be taken into account: 1) the question whether diversity entails segregation of networks at the individual level; 2) the increase in diversity rather than the absolute level; 3) the regimes societies use to govern diversity, and especially the variation with regard to the openness of these regimes. We close by exploring the suggestion that in more diverse societies, recognition of group differences and identities, and group relations based on equality-based concepts of reciprocity should be considered as potentially more meaningful strategies.Résumé.Dans les dernières années, une quantité impressionnante de preuves ont été rassemblées, qui documentent une relation négative entre le niveau de diversité ethnique et les indicateurs de capital social, en particulier la confiance généralisée. Dans cet article, nous soulevons un certain nombre d'arguments théoriques qu'il faut examiner avant de pouvoir généraliser ces résultats. D'abord il faut noter que la plupart de ces études se sont concentrées sur la confiance généralisée comme indicateur de capital social alors que la confiance est probablement particulièrement vulnérable aux effets d'une érosion de l'homogénéité. Deuxièmement, nous avançons que, pour mieux comprendre la relation entre diversité et capital social, trois variables intermédiaires au moins doivent être prises en considération : 1) l'existence d'une ségrégation des réseaux au niveau individuel du fait de la diversité; 2) l'augmentation de la diversité plutôt que son niveau absolu; 3) les régimes que les sociétés utilisent pour gouverner la diversité et surtout le degré d'ouverture de ces régimes. Pour finir, nous explorons la suggestion que, dans des sociétés plus diverses, la reconnaissance des différences et identités des groupes, et des relations inter-groupes basées sur des concepts d'égalité et de réciprocité devraient être considérées comme des stratégies potentiellement plus significatives.

Post-Disaster Recovery and Social Capital

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Vallance ◽  
Ashley Rudkevitch
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Considerable Debate ◽  
Trust And Reciprocity ◽  
Complex Picture ◽  
Bridging Capital ◽  
Bonding Capital ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Post Disaster

Disaster scholarship has resurrected interest in social capital, and it has become well established that strong social ties—bonding capital—can also help individuals and communities to survive in times of crisis, as well as provide substantial and wide-ranging benefits on the long road to recovery. The theoretical tripartite of bonding capital generated in “close ties,” bridging capital developed through “associations,” and linking capital from possibly cool but nonetheless “civil” encounters is also reasonably well established. So too are the currencies of trust and reciprocity. Social capital is noted to be a potent resource capable of facilitating many benefits in terms of health and well-being, and it is considered fundamental to post-disaster attempts to Build Back Better in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Indeed, the idea of social capital has become almost synonymous with resilience. Nonetheless, it is also acknowledged that there may be disadvantages associated with social capital, such as tribalism, neoptism, and marginalization. Scholarship therefore paints a rather complex picture, and there is still considerable debate about what social capital is: what it does, where it comes from and where it goes, and for what purpose. Without denying the value of a celebratory approach that focuses on the benefits, it is concluded that there is a need for more attention to be given to the broader ideological contexts that may shape the generative and distributional effects of social capital, particularly as these underscore health and well-being outcomes post-disaster.

Ethnic Homogeneity and Community Policing: The Surprising Effects of Social Capital in Two Cape Town Neighborhoods

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-355
Author(s):  
Ann K. Karreth
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Community Policing ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Distinct Advantage ◽  
Individual Action ◽  
Comparative Political Economy ◽  
Public Goods Provision ◽  
Bonding Social Capital ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractUnder what conditions does coethnicity undermine mutually beneficial collective action? One of the most enduring hypotheses in a comparative political economy decade is that ethnic diversity tends to undermine public goods provision. Ethnically homogenous communities are assumed to have a distinct advantage in local goods provision because shared identities tend to facilitate cooperation among coethnics. However, one can observe variation in the success of local goods provision across homogenous communities. To explain this puzzling occurrence, I explore the relationship between coethnicity and social capital, examining how they interact differently in different contexts. Empirically, I conduct an analysis of my own fieldwork on community policing efforts in two ethnically homogenous communities in Cape Town, South Africa. Ultimately, the paper demonstrates that, in some contexts, coethnicity facilitates the development of bonding social capital, a type of social capital that constricts opportunities for individual action by creating certain expectations about behavior. In the context of community policing, those expectations can discourage individuals from participating in collective efforts.

Can Nonexperimental Methods Provide Unbiased Estimates of a Breastfeeding Intervention? A Within-Study Comparison of Peer Counseling in Oregon

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 152-188
Author(s):  
Onur Altindag ◽  
Theodore J. Joyce ◽  
Julie A. Reeder
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Field Experiment ◽  
Exclusive Breastfeeding ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
The United States ◽  
Peer Counseling ◽  
Counseling Intervention ◽  
Randomized Field Experiment ◽  
Unbiased Estimates ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Program

Between July 2005 and July 2007, the Oregon Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children program conducted the largest randomized field experiment (RFE) ever in the United States to assess the effectiveness of a low-cost peer counseling intervention to promote exclusive breastfeeding. We undertook a within-study comparison of the intervention using unique administrative data between July 2005 and July 2010. We found no difference between experimental and nonexperimental estimates but failed to determine correspondence based on more stringent criteria. We show that tests for nonconsent bias in the benchmark RFE might provide an important signal as to confounding in the nonexperimental estimates.

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