The role of public libraries in the development of social capital in local communities – a theoretical study

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-196
Author(s):  
Maja Dorota Wojciechowska
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

PurposeSocial capital, understood as intangible community values available through a network of connections, is a factor in the development of societies and improving quality of life. It helps to remove economic inequalities and prevent poverty and social exclusion, stimulate social and regional development, civic attitudes and social engagement and build a civic society as well as local and regional identity. Many of these tasks may be implemented by libraries, which, apart from providing access to information, may also offer a number of services associated with social needs. The purpose of this paper is to present the roles and functions that libraries may serve in local communities in terms of assistance, integration and development based on classical social capital theories.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the classical concepts of social capital in the context of libraries. It analyses the findings of Pierre-Félix Bourdieu, James Coleman, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Putnam, Nan Lin, Ronald Stuart Burt, Wayne Baker and Alejandro Portes. Based on their respective concepts, the paper analyses the role of the contemporary library in the social life of local communities. In particular, it focuses on the possible new functions that public libraries may serve.FindingsA critical review of the concept of social capital revealed certain dependencies between libraries and their neighbourhoods. With new services that respond to the actual social needs, libraries may serve as a keystone, namely they may integrate, animate and engage local communities. This, however, requires a certain approach to be adopted by the personnel and governing authorities as well as infrastructure and tangible resources.Originality/valueThe social engagement of libraries is usually described from the practical perspective (reports on the services provided) or in the context of research on the impact of respective projects on specific groups of users (research reports). A broader approach, based on original social theories, is rarely encountered. The paper draws on classical concepts of social capital and is a contribution to the discussion on possible uses of those concepts based on an analysis of the role of libraries in social life and in strengthening the social capital of local communities.

Social capital and national innovation system: a cross-country analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sepehr Ghazinoory ◽  
Ali Bitaab ◽  
Ardeshir Lohrasbi
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
National Level ◽  
Innovation System ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect

Purpose – In the last two decades, researchers have paid much attention to the role of cultural values on economic and social development. In particular, the crucial role of different aspects of culture on the development of innovation has been stressed in the literature. Consequently, it is vital to understand how social capital, as a core cultural value, affects the innovation process and the innovative performance at the national level. However, to date, the impact of different dimensions of social capital and innovation has not been properly portrayed or explained. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of four different dimensions of social capital (institutional and interpersonal, associational life and norms) on two of the main functions of national innovation system (NIS) (entrepreneurship and knowledge creation) based on over 50,000 observations in 34 countries. Design/methodology/approach – In this regard, national-level data from the World Values Survey database was employed to quantify social capital. Entrepreneurship is, in turn, assumed to consist of three sub-indexes and 14 indicators based on the Global Entrepreneurship Index. Knowledge creation is also measured through US Patent Office applications. Also, exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling approach were used to build the measurement model and investigate the impact that each factor of social capital had on entrepreneurship and knowledge application, respectively. Measurement and structural models were built and their reliability and validity were tested using various fit indices. Research findings suggest the strong positive effect of institutional trust and networking on entrepreneurship. Also, interpersonal trust and networks were shown to have high influence on knowledge development at the national level. Norms appear to have naïve to medium negative effects on both functions. Findings – Research findings suggest the strong positive effect of institutional trust and networking on entrepreneurship. Also, interpersonal trust and networks were shown to have high influence on knowledge development at the national level. Norms appear to have naïve to medium negative effects on both functions. Originality/value – However, to date, the impact of different dimensions of social capital and innovation has not been properly portrayed or explained.

Social capital in the theory and research of LIS professionals in the light of the literature on the subject. Review of current knowledge

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Dorota Wojciechowska
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Social Capital ◽  
Rural Libraries ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to present the latest scholarly trends in the field of social capital in libraries, to review research concepts published by LIS professionals and to suggest further research possibilities in this area. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a review and critical analysis of literature associated with research on social capital in libraries to highlight its importance for the development of LIS and its impact on the functioning of environments linked with various types of libraries. The goal of literature analysis was to determine the current condition of research on social capital in libraries. The main trends were identified and the need for further qualitative analyses, which are missing at the moment, was confirmed. Findings It was determined that, so far, LIS professionals have focussed mainly on the role of municipal libraries in developing social capital, the problem of building trust, especially in immigrant circles and the impact of libraries on promoting a civil society. Academic libraries, rural libraries, organisational capital in libraries and individual social capital of librarians were a much less frequent subject of research. The role of libraries in developing social capital in educational (primary and secondary education) and professional (non-university professionals) circles is practically non-existent in research, and it will require in-depth studies and analyses in the coming years. Originality/value This paper constitutes a synthetic review of the latest research concepts concerning social capital in libraries. It identifies the most important research trends and areas that so far have not been explored and suggests research methods to help LIS professionals design future research in this area more effectively.

scholarly journals Oddziaływanie programu LEADER na kapitał społeczny mieszkanek wsi

2014 ◽  
pp. 55-68
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Zajda ◽  
Elżbieta Psyk-Piotrowska
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Local Action ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
The Social ◽  
Science Centre ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Network Component ◽  
Action Groups

In the article there is an analysis of the impact of the LEADER approach on the social capital of rural women involved in the local action groups. The aim of the article is to characterize the features of this capital taking into consideration the capital belonging to men involved in these organizations. The question is whether the role of local action groups as far as the social capital is concerned equally applies to women and men associated in these structures. On the basis of the research carried out in 2011–2013 (on a sample of 238 women and 327 men) within the framework of the project entitled: “Structure and determinants of social capital of local action groups” (National Science Centre grant) women social capital analysis was made (with its definition by R. Putnam). In the social survey distributed surveys technique was used. The result of the analysis is a statement that women social capital differs from men social capital mainly in the area of trust component and network component.

Social capital, knowledge sharing, work meaningfulness and creativity: evidence from the Pakistani pharmaceutical industry

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabeen Hussain Bhatti ◽  
Dmitriy Vorobyev ◽  
Ramsha Zakariya ◽  
Michael Christofi
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Employee Creativity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Social Capital ◽  
Work Meaningfulness ◽  
The Impact

PurposeAs an integral part of intellectual capital (IC), social capital (SC) has been studied as an asset crucial to social relationships among individuals and groups of individuals, which in turn have a significant impact on organizational performance outcomes. This study investigates the impact of organizational social capital (OSC) on employee creativity through the mediation role of knowledge sharing (KS) and moderation of work meaningfulness (WM).Design/methodology/approachThe authors base the analysis on employee-level data gathered via a cross-sectional survey designed for this study. The authors surveyed 217 employees of the pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan. The authors run a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and use structural equation modeling (SEM) and Hayes method to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe authors find that OSC positively affects employees’ willingness to share their knowledge with colleagues, which in turn has a positive effect on employee creativity (EC). The results also show that the relationship between social capital and knowledge sharing is moderated by work meaningfulness.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the IC in general and the SC literature in particular, by providing empirical evidence that shows how creativity could be a focal and pivotal performance outcome of organizational social capital through the moderated mediation roles of work meaningfulness and knowledge sharing.Originality/valueThe authors adopt the concept of SC from the organizational level to the individual level, examining how an individual's perception of organizational capital influences his or her creative behavior and exploring the role of KS and job meaningfulness (JM) in this relationship.

Social impact of Polish public libraries

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 168-178
Author(s):  
Magdalena Paul
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Instrument ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the methodological issues around developing a quantitative research instrument of the social impact of Polish public libraries. The results of the use of this instrument to survey users of Mazovian Province, Poland, are summarized as an example of its use. Design/methodology/approach The research focused on informational, educational and participatory aspects of social impact on the sidelines leaving cultural heritage issues. “Impact” and “social impact” were defined according to ISO 16439:2014. Information and documentation – methods and procedures for assessing the impact of libraries. The research instrument included questions both about the activities taken in libraries by its users and the benefits they gained. The questionnaire also contained questions which allowed to control the variables such as frequency of using libraries, socioeconomic factors and cultural practices. To describe dependencies, various statistical tests were applied. The study was conducted on the group of 1,098 users of 38 public libraries between February and June 2017. Findings Younger and people from smaller towns felt more benefits from using libraries. There are significant differences between types of benefits people of various age, financial status and household size experienced. People who went to libraries and other cultural institutions often experienced more benefits. The more a person performs activities in libraries, the more benefits he or she has. Some added value of particular activities is also visible. Research limitations/implications Despite the efforts and the size of the sample, it is not representative of the population of library users in the Mazovian Province (mainly due to the data collection method – auditory survey). Originality/value Studying the social impact of the libraries in Poland is still at its beginning. The presented research is, therefore, exploratory in terms of cognitive and methodological value.

scholarly journals Anticipated embarrassment due to social presence withholds consumers from purchasing products that feature a lucky charm

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1612-1630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Wang ◽  
Harmen Oppewal ◽  
Dominic Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Impression Management ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Purchase Decisions ◽  
Product Selection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Superstitious Beliefs

Purpose Several studies have shown that superstitious beliefs, such as beliefs in “lucky” product attributes, influence consumer purchase behaviour. Still, little is known about how social influence, in particular mere social presence, impacts consumer superstition-related purchase decisions. Drawing on impression management theory, this paper aims to investigate the effect of social presence on consumer purchase decisions of products featuring lucky charms including the role of anticipated embarrassment as a mediator of the social presence effect. Design/methodology/approach In three studies, participants select products that feature or do not feature a lucky charm. They make these selections under varying conditions of social presence, as induced by the shopping setting in the scenario or through the use of confederates or fellow participants observing them make a real product selection. Participants are students from Australia and China. Findings The studies show that social presence makes consumers less likely to select products that feature a lucky charm. This suppressing effect is mediated by the consumers’ anticipated embarrassment. Research limitations/implications The study investigates the effect of social presence but does not investigate different parameters of social presence such as the number of people present and their familiarity. The study investigates effects for purchase settings but does not include effects of usage and neither does it look into differences across product types or lucky charm types. Practical implications Marketers should be careful to not make lucky charms too publicly salient. Online settings are more suitable than mortar-and-brick settings for selling products featuring a lucky charm. Originality/value The present research is the first to investigate consumer purchase behaviour for a product featuring a lucky charm. It is also the first to investigate the impact of social influence on superstition-based decision-making.

Community rebuilding processes in a disaster-damaged area through community currency

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiromi Nakazato ◽  
Seunghoo Lim
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Community Currency ◽  
Community Rebuilding ◽  
Potential Tool

Purpose Community currency (CC) is used as a tool for reviving local communities by promoting economic growth and facilitating the formation of social capital. Although the Japanese CC movement has stagnated since mid-2005, a new experiment, Fukkou Ouen Chiiki Tsuka (CC for supporting disaster recovery), was introduced across disaster-damaged areas after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of March 2011. Previous studies assessing the role of CC in these earthquake-damaged areas are rare; the purpose of this paper is to examine the micro processes of community rebuilding that underlie the transactional networks mediated by one of the experiments, Domo, in Kamaishi. Design/methodology/approach Using transactional records capturing residents’ CC activities during the five-month pilot period before actual implementation of Domo simultaneous investigation for empirical network analysis techniques identify the network configuration dynamics representing the multiple observed forms of social capital in this disaster-affected local community. Findings This study of the five-month pilot for the Domo system revealed: intensive dependence on the coordinating role of core members (i.e. the creation of weak ties), a lack of balanced support among members and the resulting uni-directional transactions (i.e. the avoidance of generalized exchanges), and the reinforcement of previous transactional ties via reciprocation or transitive triads (i.e. the formation of strong ties). Originality/value This study provides guidance for practitioners, researchers, and policy makers on how community residents’ engagement in CC activities could function as a potential tool for generating positive socio-economic effects for local communities in disaster areas.

Financing social marketing programs through sponsorship: implications for evaluation

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Madill ◽  
Norm O'Reilly ◽  
John Nadeau
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Marketing ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Campaign ◽  
Social Marketing Campaign ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mental Health Association ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on research designed to assess the impact of sponsorship financing of social marketing initiatives on the evaluation of those social marketing programs. Design/methodology/approach – The research utilizes an in-depth, multi-method case study of the Canadian Mental Health Association Calgary Region (CMHA-CR) who carried out a social marketing campaign concerning mental health behaviors that was largely financed by sponsors. Findings – The sponsorship of the CMHA-CR social marketing program was complex with a total of 15 stakeholders involved as sponsors, partners and grantors. The research reveals that while there is considerable sharing of objectives among the stakeholders in this sponsorship, not all objectives are shared between sponsors and sponsees, and not all objectives are shared between the public and private sector sponsors of the program. Practical implications – The research showed that because sponsors and sponsees share in many of the objectives of the social marketing campaign, the evaluation of the social marketing campaign, particularly its ability to achieve the social marketing-specific objectives, is of interest to all the stakeholder parties, and effective social marketing evaluation must also incorporate evaluation of the non-shared objectives of all sponsorship stakeholders. Originality/value – Increasing social needs, accompanied by reduced government funding and increased competition amongst not-for-profit (NFP) organizations for that funding, are driving NFPs to seek innovative approaches to financing their social programs. The research reports initial findings critical in this environment, as well as raises issues and questions related to future research.

scholarly journals THE IMPACT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION ON SMEs PERFORMANCE IN GHANA: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL AND GOVERNMENT SUPPORT POLICIES

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-114
Author(s):  
Solomon Gbene Zaato ◽  
Mohammad Ismail ◽  
Sathiswaran Uthamaputhran ◽  
Wilberforce Owusu-Ansah
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Resource Based View ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

The primary purpose of this study was to propose a conceptual framework on the impact of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on SMEs performance in Ghana: The role of social capital (SC) and government support policies (GSPs). The study re­viewed existing literature pertaining the five dimensions of EO and used measures of SC, and GSPs in relation to SMEs performance in Ghana. This study would be anchored on two theories thus the resource-based view and the social capital theories stressing the need for SMEs to focus more on their unique resources that existed with­in their social network relations. The study would further provide new insight to prac­titioners to understand and appreciate the role of SC and GSPs on SMEs performance

scholarly journals Social Capital Existence in Bali’s Microfinance: Evidence from Village Credit Institution (LPD)

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (01) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Pera Sundarianingsih ◽  
Khusnul Ashar ◽  
Putu Mahardika Adi Saputra
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Customary Law ◽  
Credit Institution ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Traditional Institution ◽  
The Social ◽  
Economical Aspect ◽  
Administrative Village

Bali has two village governance systems: administrative-village and customary-village. Administrative-village is the extension of government’s authority in administrative aspects. Meanwhile, customary-village (pakraman village) denotes traditional institution that has a function to organize krama (residents) based on the awig-awig (customary law). The role of customary-village is fundamental in carrying on the custom and culture of Bali as well as triggering the economical aspect from the society through Village Credit Institution (LPD). This study is intended to describe the existence of social capital over the LPD by employing inductive-qualitative approach. Social capital over the LPD can improve the societies’ harmony that have been established in advance. Furthermore, the social capital bonding, bridging and linking can be used continuously in social life.

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