Social context and tracing household wealth over time in rural Uganda 1994–2018

Recent archaeological efforts to explain the emergence and persistence of social inequality have been hampered by little information about how wealth was transmitted across generations, and how it may have accumulated or diminished over time. Building on studies that have shown domestic architecture to be an excellent material expression of household wealth, we provide a method for reconstructing the amount of labor invested in house construction among the Hohokam of southern Arizona. We also account for different architectural styles from different time periods. To illustrate the utility of the method for addressing broader social issues, we investigate the relationship among population increases, resource shortages, and wealth differentials at Pueblo Grande—one of the preeminent settlements in the Hohokam region. Inequality at Pueblo Grande was tracked over time and compared to similar results at the Grewe site. High-status households at both sites were distinguished architecturally by larger and, in some instances, more elaborate houses. The proximity of these households to public areas for ceremonial expression further suggests that access to ritual played a key role in creating and maintaining inequality in Hohokam society.

Download Full-text

The trend of full vaccination coverage in infants and inequalities by wealth quintile and maternal education: Analysis from four recent Demographic and Health Surveys in Nepal

10.21203/rs.2.13937/v3 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Kiran Acharya ◽

Yuba Raj Paudel ◽

Dinesh Dharel

Keyword(s):

Vaccination Coverage ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Immunization Coverage ◽

Wealth Quintile ◽

Educational Status ◽

Household Wealth ◽

Demographic And Health Surveys ◽

Relative Index ◽

Index Of Inequality ◽

Over Time

Abstract Background Despite policy intention to reach disadvantaged populations, inequalities in child health care use and health outcomes persist in Nepal. The current study aimed to investigate the trend of full vaccination coverage among infants and its equity gaps between Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS) 2001 and 2016.Methods Using data from NDHS conducted in 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016, we investigated the trend of coverage of six antigens:Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG), Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus (DPT), Polio, and Measles during their infancy among children aged 12-23 months. We presented trends and correlates of vaccination coverage by different socio-demographic factors. We measured inequalities in full vaccination coverage by wealth quintile and maternal education using absolute measure (slope index of inequality) and relative measures (Relative index of inequality, concentration index) of inequalities.Results Full immunization coverage among infants steadily increased from 65.6% in 2001 to 87.0% in 2011; however, it decreased to 77.8% in 2016. Province 2 had a significantly lower full vaccination coverage compared to Province1.Although decreasing over time, there were significant inequalities by household wealth quintiles and maternal educational status. The slope index of inequality (SII) for wealth quintiles decreased from -32.3 [-45.5,-19.1] in 2001 to an SII of-8.4 [-18.6,-1.7] in 2016. Similarly, the SII for education decreased from -61.8 [-73.5,-50.1] in 2001 to an SII of -30.5 [-40.7,-20.2] in 2016. Similarly, the relative index of inequality (RII) also showed an improvement over time, indicating the narrowing equity gap. Additionally, concentration index on full immunization coverage by wealth quintiles dropped from 0.21 (0.12-0.28) in 2001 to 0.054 (-0.01-0.12) in 2016. Absolute and relative inequalities were persistently larger by maternal educational status compared to household wealth quintiles throughout the study period.Conclusion Full vaccination coverage in Nepal increased from 2001 until 2011 but saw a significant decrement away from the national target after 2011. However, the equity gap by household wealth quintile and maternal education status has narrowed over time. National Immunization programs need to give higher emphasis to infants born to mothers with less education, those born in the poorer wealth quintile households, and those living in Province 2.

Download Full-text

Development of a temporally harmonized asset index: Evidence from across 50 years of follow up of a birth cohort in Guatemala

10.21203/rs.3.rs-147811/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jithin Sam Varghese ◽

John Maluccio ◽

Solveig Cunningham ◽

Manuel Ramirez-Zea ◽

Aryeh Stein

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Extraction Procedure ◽

Household Wealth ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Household Asset ◽

Middle Income ◽

Asset Index ◽

Housing Characteristics ◽

Over Time

Abstract Background Asset-based indices are widely-used proxy measures of wealth in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). The stability of these indices within households over time is not known. Methods We develop a harmonized household asset index for the participants (n = 2392) of INCAP Longitudinal Study, Guatemala using data from six waves of follow-up over the period of 1965–2018. We estimate its cross-sectional association with parental schooling (in 1967-75) and attained schooling (in 2015-18) of cohort members. We study how patterns of cross-sectional loadings change over time and between urban-rural settings. We assess its robustness to omission of assets or study waves and alternate specifications of factor extraction procedure. Results The harmonized index created using 8 assets and 11 housing characteristics explained 32.4% of the variance. Most households increased in absolute wealth over time with median wealth (25th percentile, 75th percentile; households) increasing from − 3.74 (-4.42, -3.07; 547) in 1967 to 2.08 (1.41, 2.67; 1145) in 2017-18. Ownership of television, electricity, quality of flooring and sanitary installation explained the largest proportion of variance. The index is positively associated with measures of schooling (maternal: r = 0.16; paternal: r = 0.10; attained: r = 0.35, all p < 0.001). In 2015-18, house ownership versus housing characteristics and ownership of electronic goods differentiate households in urban and rural areas respectively. The index is robust for omission of assets or study waves, indicator categorization and factor extraction method. Conclusion A temporally harmonized asset index administered consistently over time may allow study of associations of life-course social mobility with human capital outcomes in LMIC contexts. Our approach permits exploration of trends in household wealth of the sample over a follow-up period against repeated cross-sectional surveys which permit the estimation of only the mean trajectory.

Download Full-text

Cognitive Development

The Oxford Handbook of Developmental Psychology, Vol. 1 ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199958450.013.0016 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 446-476

Author(s):

David F. Bjorklund

Keyword(s):

Social Context ◽

Cognitive Development ◽

Intentional Control ◽

Contemporary Research ◽

Developmental Science ◽

Exogenous Factors ◽

Development Proceeds ◽

Behavior And Cognition ◽

Over Time ◽

The Way

In this overview, I focus on contemporary research and theory related to five “truths” of cognitive development: (1) cognitive development proceeds as a result of the dynamic and reciprocal transaction of endogenous and exogenous factors; (2) cognitive development involves both stability and plasticity over time; (3) cognitive development involves changes in the way information is represented, although children of every age possess a variety of ways to represent experiences; (4) children develop increasing intentional control over their behavior and cognition; and (5) cognitive development occurs within a social context. Cognitive development happens at a variety of levels, and developmental scientists are becoming increasingly aware of the need to be cognizant of this and the interactions among the various levels to produce a true developmental science.

Download Full-text

Individuality and habits in institutional economics

Journal of Institutional Economics ◽

10.1017/s1744137419000171 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (5) ◽

pp. 791-809

Author(s):

Heath Spong

Keyword(s):

Social Context ◽

Social Environment ◽

Institutional Economics ◽

Individual Development ◽

Self Concept ◽

Structure Framework ◽

The Social ◽

The Impact ◽

Over Time

AbstractIn this paper a sophisticated conception of individuality is developed that extends beyond simple heterogeneity and is consistent with the approach of institutional economics. Studies of human biological and psychological development are used to illustrate the foundations of human individuality and the impact of the social environment on individual development. The link between the social environment and ongoing agential properties is established through the role of habits, which provide some continuity to individual personalities over time and assist them in navigating the social context they inhabit. Reflexivity is established via an agency-structure framework that endows individuals a changeable self-concept and an ability to interpret their relationship to the social context. The coordination of different individuals is explained not simply through reference to institutional structure, but also through the agent-level properties of shared habits. While reducing differences between individuals to one of degrees, shared habits are shown to be particularly important in the context of agent-sensitive institutions. Finally, the potential for different institutional experiences to impact the reflexivity of individuals is explored.

Download Full-text

Negotiation of power and solidarity in email

Journal of Asian Pacific Communication ◽

10.1075/japc.24.1.04nak ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 60-80

Author(s):

Ikuko Nakane ◽

Chihiro Kinoshita Thomson ◽

Satoko Tokumaru

Keyword(s):

Social Context ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Intercultural Communication ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Foreign Language Teaching ◽

Language Learner ◽

Prior Exposure ◽

Cultural Backgrounds ◽

Essay Writing ◽

Over Time

The issue of e-politeness has been attracting increasing attention in the field of foreign language teaching and learning. This article examines how students of Japanese as a foreign language in Australia negotiated power and solidarity in their email correspondence with ‘facilitators’ in Japan who provided support in essay writing tasks. Their relationships, which were neither completely status-unequal nor status-equal, offer a unique social context for an examination of politeness. The study examines whether and how power and solidarity shifted over the 12 weeks of email exchanges. The results show varying levels of rapport and orientations to politeness developing over time, as well as evidence of students applying implicit input from the facilitators’ email messages. The article also considers the impacts, on the politeness phenomena in the data, of students’ cultural backgrounds and prior exposure to casual Japanese. The findings are discussed in relation to the question of ‘appropriateness’ in fostering foreign language learner ability to negotiate power and solidarity in intercultural communication.

Download Full-text

What makes employees engaged with their work? The role of self-efficacy and employee’s perceptions of social context over time

Career Development International ◽

10.1108/cdi-03-2015-0045 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 125-143 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Chiara Consiglio ◽

Laura Borgogni ◽

Cristina Di Tecco ◽

Wilmar B. Schaufeli

Keyword(s):

Social Work ◽

Social Context ◽

Work Engagement ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Substantial Contribution ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Content Type ◽

The Social ◽

Over Time

Purpose – Work engagement represents an important aspect of employee well-being and performance and has been related to both job and personal resources. The purpose of this paper, based on Social Cognitive Theory, is to emphasize the proactive role of self-efficacy which is hypothesized to predict work engagement, not only directly, but also indirectly through positive changes in employee’s perceptions of social context (PoSC); namely, perceptions of one’s immediate supervisor, colleagues and top management. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 741 employees of a communication service company completed two questionnaires, with a time interval of three years. Structural equation modeling was performed in order to test the hypothesized model. Findings – Results revealed that, as expected: first, initial self-efficacy predicts work engagement three years later; and second, positive changes in employee’s perceptions of the social work context across the three year period, mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and work engagement. Research limitations/implications – Results relied only upon self-report data. Moreover, each variable was only measured at the time in which it was hypothesized by the conceptual model. Practical implications – The significant role of self-efficacy as a direct and indirect predictor of work engagement suggests the development of training programs centered on the main sources of self-efficacy, specifically focussed on the social work domain. Originality/value – This research provides evidence of the substantial contribution of self-efficacy to work engagement over time. Moreover, the results also support the beneficial effects of self-efficacy through its influence on the improvements in the individuals’ perceptions of their social context.

Download Full-text

Two's Company, Three's a Crowd: Differences in Dominance Relationships in Isolated Versus Socially Embedded Pairs of Fish

Behaviour ◽

10.1163/156853903771980558 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 140 (10) ◽

pp. 1193-1217 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Peter Murch ◽

Craig Tovey ◽

Ivan Chase

Keyword(s):

Social Context ◽

Cichlid Fish ◽

Dominance Behavior ◽

Dyadic Interactions ◽

Theoretical Approaches ◽

Dominance Relationships ◽

The Social ◽

Game Theoretic ◽

The Stability ◽

Over Time

AbstractWe performed experiments with cichlid fish to test whether several basic aspects of dominance were the same in isolated pairs as in pairs within a social group of three or four. We found that the social context, whether a pair was isolated or within a group, strongly affected the basic properties of dominance relationships. In particular, the stability of relationships over time, the replication of relationships in successive meetings, and the extent of the loser effect were all significantly less in socially embedded pairs than in isolated pairs. We found no significant winner effect in either isolated or socially embedded pairs. These findings call into question many current approaches to dominance that do not consider social context as an important factor in dominance behavior. These findings also cast serious doubt on the validity of empirical and theoretical approaches based on dyadic interactions. Among these approaches are game theoretic models for the evolution of aggressive behavior, experimental designs evaluating how asymmetries in attributes influence the outcome of dominance

Download Full-text