11. Social Capital and Civil Society

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Letki
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Political Change ◽  
New Democracies ◽  
Modern Democracy ◽  
Civic Activism ◽  
Trust And Reciprocity ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter examines the role of civil society and social capital in democratization processes. It begins by reconstructing the definitions of civil society and social capital in the context of political change, followed by an analysis of the ways in which civil society and social capital are functional for the initiation and consolidation of democracies. It then considers the relationship between civil society and attitudes of trust and reciprocity, the function of networks and associations in democratization, paradoxes of civil society and social capital in new democracies, and main arguments cast against the idea that civic activism and attitudes are a necessary precondition for a modern democracy. The chapter argues that civil society and social capital and their relation to political and economic institutions are context specific.

11. Social Capital and Civil Society

2018 ◽  
pp. 171-181
Author(s):  
Natalia Letki
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Political Change ◽  
New Democracies ◽  
Modern Democracy ◽  
Civic Activism ◽  
Trust And Reciprocity ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter examines the role of civil society and social capital in democratization processes. It begins by reconstructing the definitions of civil society and social capital in the context of political change, followed by an analysis of the ways in which civil society and social capital are functional for the initiation and consolidation of democracies. It then considers the relationship between civil society and attitudes of trust and reciprocity, the function of networks and associations in democratization, paradoxes of civil society and social capital in new democracies, and the main arguments cast against the idea that civic activism and attitudes are a necessary precondition for a modern democracy. The chapter argues that civil society and social capital and their relation to political and economic institutions are context specific.

scholarly journals Invited Commentary: Social Cohesion, Depression, and the Role of Welfare States

2019 ◽  
Vol 189 (4) ◽  
pp. 354-357
Author(s):  
Mikael Rostila
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
State Theory ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Neighborhood Disorder ◽  
Welfare Regimes ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract In this issue of the Journal, Baranyi et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2019;000(00):000–000) examine the longitudinal associations of perceived neighborhood disorder and social cohesion with depressive symptoms among persons aged 50 years or more in 16 different countries. An important contribution of their article is that they study how neighborhood-level social capital relates to depression in different welfare-state contexts. Although the authors provide empirical evidence for some significant differences between welfare states in the relationship between social capital and depression, they say little about potential explanations. In this commentary, I draw attention to welfare-state theory and how it could provide us with a greater understanding of Baranyi et al.’s findings. I also discuss the potential downsides of grouping countries into welfare regimes. I primarily focus on the associations between social cohesion and depression, as these associations were generally stronger than those for neighborhood disorder and depression. Finally, I provide some suggestions for future research within the field and discuss whether the findings could be used to guide policies aimed at increasing social cohesion and health.

Impact of organizational citizenship behavior on job performance in Indian healthcare industries

2017 ◽  
Vol 66 (6) ◽  
pp. 780-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eeman Basu ◽  
Rabindra Kumar Pradhan ◽  
Hare Ram Tewari
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Job Performance ◽  
Organizational Citizenship ◽  
Organizational Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and job performance. It also examines the mediating role of social capital in influencing the relationship between OCB and job performance. Design/methodology/approach The study explores the dynamic relationship among the variables of OCB and job performance and social capital. Data were collected from 501 respondents working in 15 healthcare organizations in Kolkata, India, through questionnaire survey. Likert-type rating scales of OCB, job performance and social capital with sound reliability and validity were used to carry out the survey. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings The results of the present study show that OCB significantly predicts job performance in healthcare organizations. Social capital found to be a significant mediator between OCB and job performance. Research limitations/implications The findings of the study have a number of implications for organizations in acknowledging and leveraging social capital and encouraging OCB to facilitate superior performance of employees. The generalization of the findings of the study should be restricted to the healthcare organizations in Kolkata due to its own style of functioning, workforce and work environment. The role of demographic variables in influencing the outcome measures has not been considered for the present study. Further research on these aspects may reveal more interesting results with regard to the dynamics among organizational citizenship behavior, social capital and job performance. Practical implications Employee-friendly management practices should be adopted in organizations to facilitate the formation of network building and development of social capital which serves as an asset to organizations and creates competitive advantage. Originality/value The research findings enrich our understanding of voluntary social participation and citizenship behavior of employees for influencing performance at work. The study also provides useful and unique insight on the benefits of networking in healthcare organizations particularly helping employees to cope with emergency situations. The findings as well as methodology used in this study are original and unique.

The effects of social capital on knowledge heterogeneity

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 1237-1253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fu-Sheng Tsai ◽  
I-Chieh Hsu
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
New Product ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Epistemological Dimension

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the influences of social capital on knowledge heterogeneity in order to advance the understanding of the effects and to reconcile existing inconsistent findings. Design/methodology/approach Survey data collected from 105 new product development (NPD) projects were analyzed with regression-based methods. Findings The results indicated that trust, centralization and shared vision as the three social capital dimensions generally have negative impacts on the domain and presentation dimensions of knowledge heterogeneity. However, the three dimensions of social capital do not exhibit consistent influences on the tacitness heterogeneity (i.e. an epistemological dimension of knowledge heterogeneity). Research limitations/implications More research is needed to explore the role of social capital dimensions in developing a range of knowledge attributes of NPD teams, among which knowledge heterogeneity is one. The various dimensions of knowledge an NPD team possesses should have performance implications and deserve future investigation. Originality/value The study is one of the first documented attempts to demonstrate contingencies in the relationship between social capital and knowledge heterogeneity. The effect of social capital on knowledge heterogeneity should be understood at the level of dimensions of the two respective constructs.

Central Asia After Three Decades of Independence

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
International Security ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Central Asian Countries

On the 30th anniversary of the dissolution of the USSR, this book collects selected contributions which analyse patterns of stability and transformation that characterise the politics and societies of three Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan—along with those of Central Asia as a region. In particular, this edited volume investigates gender equality discourses in Uzbekistan, the electoral rights of people with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan, neo-realism in the regional context of Central Asia, the role of Islam in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan as a provider of international security as well as the EU’s support of civil society and social capital in Kazakhstan. With contributions by Nora Becker, Dr. Shalva Dzebisashvili, Aziz Elmuradov, Prof. Dr. Matthias Kortmann, Dr. Aliia Maralbaeva, Laura Karoline Nette, Dr. Chiara Pierobon and Dr. Steve Schlegel.

Natural Disasters Management and the Challenge of Governability in Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 627-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Efendi ◽  
Agustiyara ◽  
Husni Amriyanto Putra
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Disaster Management ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
Major Transformation ◽  
The Relationship

Since 1998, Indonesia has experienced a major transformation in the relationship between the rulers and the ruled. State–society relationships were previously subject-object, military-civilian, or superior-inferior. In other words, the state played a central role in all matters, while civil society ‘Muhammadiyah’ was limited to political and social activities. This tended to negatively impact community involvement in prevention and risk-reduction for natural disasters. This paper examines the role of civil society in disaster management in Indonesia. It does so in relation to the particular example of Yogyakarta, a special province where local values traditionally have more inherent authority than government-imposed law. The paper further discusses how there are important lessons for the future to be drawn from a Yogyakarta case study of how the national government has generally failed to build a private–public partnership and state–society relationship to deal with natural disasters based on local community needs.

Social capital, employees' well-being and knowledge sharing: does enterprise social networks use matter? Case of Tunisian knowledge-intensive firms

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1153-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarra Berraies ◽  
Rym Lajili ◽  
Rached Chtioui
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Enterprise Social Networks ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe objective of this research is to examine the mediating role of employees' well-being in the workplace in the relationship between the dimensions of social capital, namely structural, relational and cognitive social capital and knowledge sharing, as well as the moderating role of enterprise social networks between knowledge sharing and employees' well-being.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was performed within a sample of 168 middle managers working in knowledge-intensive firms in Tunisia. The Partial Least Squares method was used to analyze the data collected.FindingsResults highlight the importance of the dimensions of social capital as a lever for boosting knowledge sharing. It also reveals that employees' well-being plays a mediating role in the link between structural and relational social capital and knowledge sharing. Moreover, findings show that while enterprise social networks use does not moderate the relationship between employees' well-being and knowledge sharing, it has a positive and significant effect on knowledge sharing.Originality/valueOn the basis of a socio-technical perspective of knowledge management, this research pioneers the examination of the mediating effect of employees' well-being in the link between dimensions of social capital and knowledge sharing and the moderating role of enterprise social networks use within knowledge-intensive firms. Findings of this study may help managers of knowledge-intensive firms in boosting knowledge sharing within organizations, in improving knowledge workers' well-being and thus in motivating and retaining these talented employees.

scholarly journals Religion, civil society and conflict: What is it that religion does for and to society?

2011 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaco Beyers
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Sociology Of Religion ◽  
Multiple Realities ◽  
Moral Discernment ◽  
Sense Of Reality ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into

Human consciousness instinctively tries to make sense of reality. Different human interpretations of reality lead to a world consisting of multiple realities. Conflict occurs when differing realities (worldviews) encounter one another. Worldviews are socially created and determine human behaviour and, as such, most often find expression in religion. The discussion of conflict and the role of religion in civil society take place within the discourse of the sociology of religion. Religion is socially determined. Peter Berger’s insight into the sociology of religion therefore plays an important role in establishing the relationship between religion and civil society as one that takes on different forms. Thus, a clear definition of both civil society and religion was needed to understand the nature of these relationships. The role of religion in civil society with regard to the presence of conflict in society was further investigated in this article. The conditions under which conflict in society occurs were discussed, as were the conditions for tolerance in society, for religion ultimately becomes the provider of moral discernment when conflict occurs in civil society.

The relationship between social capital and innovativeness climate in schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanifi Parlar ◽  
Mahmut Polatcan ◽  
Ramazan Cansoy
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Social Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relationship Networks ◽  
Intermediary Role ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Professional learning communities that merge under the same goal in schools where social relationship networks are strong can contribute to creating an atmosphere which provides a basis for innovativeness. In this study the relationships between social capital, innovativeness climate and professional learning communities were examined through the views of teachers working at public schools. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The data of this study, which utilised correlational survey model, were collected from 734 teachers who work in the Umraniye district of Istanbul, Turkey. Findings The findings revealed that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between social capital, innovativeness climate and professional learning communities. The results demonstrated that teachers’ perceptions of social capital in schools affected their perceptions of innovativeness climate and that professional learning communities had an intermediary role in this relationship. These findings showed that the richness in social relationship networks provided a basis for the development of innovative teaching practices in schools and the professional learning environments created in schools contributed to this process. Research limitations/implications In this study, the intermediary role of professional learning communities on the effect of social capital on innovativeness climate was analysed via teachers’ views. In the literature no study studying the relationship between social capital, innovativeness climate and professional learning communities was found. Practical implications It can be put forward that there is a need for studies that analyse the effect of the roots of social capital on innovativeness culture to identify other variables that may potentially be relevant. In addition, this study may be a contribution to the literature by providing a study on the concepts of social capital and innovativeness climate, which were studied in the fields of social sciences extensively, in educational settings and this supports the field through theoretical and empirical studies. Originality/value This study demonstrated the effects of the concept of social capital on innovativeness climate which provides a basis for innovativeness in educational institutions. This topic is currently on the agenda of the OECD and World Bank. Moreover, this study aims to show the intermediary role of professional learning communities in the relationship between social capital and innovativeness climate.

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