From Rags to Riches: Tapping the Social Capital within the Solid Waste Informal Sector

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-89
Author(s):  
Sameer Prasad ◽  
Ashish Jain ◽  
Jasmine Tata ◽  
Shantha Parthan
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Solid Waste ◽  
Informal Sector ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Promising Area ◽  
Value Streams

Many large cities in the developing world cannot keep up with the vast quantities of solid waste being produced on a daily basis. Often, only 15 per cent of the waste is handled by municipal waste management systems; the rest is handled by the informal sector consisting of networks of rag-pickers who collect, sort, process and dispose of solid waste. These networks and waste streams hold not only economic but also environmental and social value. The current literature, however, has largely ignored this promising area of study, and provides limited direction in terms of the informal networks and their influence on economic, environmental and social outcomes. In this research, we use qualitative methodology and archival data to develop a typology connecting social capital to three value streams within this informal solid waste network. We find that the social capital of the rag-pickers provides superior economic, social and environmental yields. In addition, we discuss the role of NGOs in fostering social capital.

Social Capital of Youth in a Modern City: Opportunities for Empirical Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-140
Author(s):  
Anna Vladimirovna Shentyakova
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Capital Theory ◽  
High Population Density ◽  
Behavioral Models ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Institutional Approach ◽  
The Social ◽  
Behavior Motivation ◽  
Network Component

Modern megalopolis concentrates all groups of resources including economic, political, cultural, information, human resources, etc. The high population density, economic and geographic situation, complex multiethnic and multicultural structure of large cities contribute to certain types of values and behavioral models in the younger generation. The neo-institutional approach and social capital theory were chosen as a methodological basis. The article examines a number of methodological works devoted to various aspects of the social capital and explores the opportunity for this concept application for analysis of the protest behavior motivation and assessment of the protest potential of young people. Combination of the economic model of multilevel analysis for measuring social capital by S.А. Sysoev and socio-political parameters for the empirical part allowed to clearly defining the main categories and indicators of analysis. Measuring the levels of social capital of a megalopolis with the inclusion a network component expands the range of opportunities for assessing and identifying the protest potential of large Russian cities residents.

scholarly journals Does Participation in Social Networks Foster Trust and Respect for Other People—Evidence from Poland

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beata Łopaciuk-Gonczaryk
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Social Trust ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Generalized Trust ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family

A shortage of social capital may hinder sustainable development. According to the “social capital dream” there is a virtuous circle between participation in social networks, trust, and cooperation. It is a promising idea for proponents of sustainability, as it is easier to promote participation than affect social norms. Participation may, however, lead to particularized and not generalized trust, which hinders social inclusion and undermines the idea of a sustainable society. The aim of this paper is to validate the role of participation in informal and formal social networks in enhancing social trust and respect towards others. The relevance of both strong and weak ties is considered. Fixed-effects modeling on three-wave data from a Polish social survey is utilized. An increase in generalized trust corresponds with an increase in the acquaintances network, a decrease in the family and friends network, and an increase in volunteering. A rise in expectations about the cooperativeness of others is enhanced by an increase in the family and friends network, and by volunteering. The lack of respect for some groups of people is not affected by participation in organizations and informal networks. Overall within-person heterogeneity is small, suggesting that possibilities for fostering moral trust by participation are limited.

scholarly journals Modelling and Analysis of a Solid Waste Composter for Urban Houses

2021 ◽  
Vol 850 (1) ◽  
pp. 012004
Author(s):  
Naveen Raj Srinivasan ◽  
J Chamala Vaishnavi ◽  
V Anuja ◽  
S Akash Menon ◽  
Devendrán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solid Waste ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Kitchen Gardens ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Proven Method ◽  
Original Amount

Abstract Disposal of waste is an important issue faced by sanitation agencies, especially in India, where the volume of waste generated has been increasing rapidly over the last few years. According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, as of January 2020, 147,613 metric tonnes (MT) of solid waste is generated per day in the country. Part of the waste that is expunged on a daily basis from homes, is food and other kitchen waste, which are biodegradable or compostable. In rural areas, such waste is disposed of in landfills, such that they get decomposed to form compost that is used as manure for crops. But this is not feasible in large cities where empty land, as well as the time required for waste to get converted into compost, is in short supply. Composting is a proven method to reduce the volume of waste, to almost 15-20% of its original amount. Therefore, this work is focused on designing an electric composter that could decompose waste artificially, and is compact, efficient, odourless, and easy to operate. This product can thus manage biodegradable waste at the source of its generation, and effectively supplant the wastebasket in a kitchen by occupying no greater space than the latter. The yield of compost would also provide nutritive natural fertilizer to homes wherein kitchen gardens or terrace farms have been set up, as well as promote the creation of the same wherever space is available. In this paper, the important parameters involved in the design of composter, including geometry parameters and the ones of operational significance such as speed and number of blades of agitator and bin temperature, have been discussed thoroughly, along with providing an understanding of the processes and considerations necessitated.

scholarly journals Innovations in veterinary markets: opinion leaders’ social capital

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignat Kulkov ◽  
Wilhelm Barner-Rasmussen ◽  
Maria Ivanova-Gongne ◽  
Anastasia Tsvetkova ◽  
Magnus Hellström ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Opinion Leader ◽  
Opinion Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adoption Of Innovations ◽  
Start Up ◽  
The Social ◽  
Start Ups

Purpose This study aims to identify how the personal social capital of opinion leaders contributes to the market adoption of start-up innovations. Design/methodology/approach A design-oriented case study is undertaken with a start-up company focusing on the development and commercialization of innovations in the veterinary market. Based on a literature review, the authors examine the social capital in value creation and the role of opinion leaders and use qualitative methodology and semi-structured in-depth interviews to collect data. Findings The adoption of innovations could start with opinion leaders that will later share their experience with other members of the professional community. In turn, social capital allows for creating a collaboration between start-ups and leaders based on a number of specific parameters. Originality/value This paper contributes to marketing literature by providing new insights regarding collaboration between start-ups and opinion leaders. The collaboration between opinion leaders and start-ups could be implemented not only in the veterinary industry but also in other industries with minor adaptations. Authors demonstrate how the social capital of external stakeholders may be used as a resource of the company for business development. The main contribution of this study is to demonstrate that social capital could be used as a parameter for the adoption of innovations. The key parameters that allow creating cooperation between start-up and opinion leader have been identified.

Pushing Elusive Alliances into the Light - Discovering the Value of Informal Networks on the Internet

2004 ◽  
pp. 292-310
Author(s):  
Rian van der Merwe ◽  
Leyland F. Pitt
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Codes Of Conduct ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
The Social ◽  
Network Organizations ◽  
New Form

Sociologists have for many years explored the value of social capital, or the resources embedded in social relations and social network structures. In recent years, organizational forms such as strategic alliances and network organizations have been an important new form of entrepreneurial venture, particularly in business markets. An important and often overlooked type of alliance on the Internet is what we call the “elusive alliance”. These alliances are not formally acknowledged, they are difficult to identify and can often be unknown, even to the members of the alliance themselves. They consist of informal links and social networks on the Internet—unspoken connections and codes of conduct that are extremely valuable because of the social capital embedded in them. This chapter aims to find ways to formally identify and expand these alliances in entrepreneurial ways that will improve their effectiveness, usefulness and ultimately, their social capital, translated into financial returns. We use Social Network Theory as the framework to study these networks.

Socio-cultural Resource for Kazakhstan Modernization

2012 ◽  
pp. 74-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Stavinskaya ◽  
E. Nikishina
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Cultural Capital ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Cultural Resource ◽  
Bonding Social Capital ◽  
Social And Cultural Capital ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social And Economic Development ◽  
Cultural Features

The opportunities of the competitive advantages use of the social and cultural capital for pro-modernization institutional reforms in Kazakhstan are considered in the article. Based on a number of sociological surveys national-specific features of the cultural capital are marked, which can encourage the country's social and economic development: bonding social capital, propensity for taking executive positions (not ordinary), mobility and adaptability (characteristic for nomad cultures), high value of education. The analysis shows the resources of the productive use of these socio-cultural features.

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