Substantive collectivism: collectivism in practice

2019 ◽  
pp. 3-22
Author(s):  
Paul Spicker
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Common Identity ◽  
Informal Groups

Substantive collectivism is the idea that we live, not as 'individuals', but as a member of social groups, and that many of our actions are done together with others in organisations and social institutions, such as schools and businesses. Social groups are distinguished by a common identity, a network of relationships between people and a capacity for collective action. The relationships are clearest in discussions of formal organisations, but the same principles extend to informal groups, such as families, neighbourhoods and communities.

Thinking Collectively

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Spicker
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Democratic Deliberation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Working Together ◽  
The Common

Thinking collectively is a book about the meaning, implications and value of collectivism in social policy. Collectivism is not a single, unitary idea; it covers a wide range of approaches that depend on the importance of groups and organisations in social life. Substantive collectivism is the idea that we live, not as 'individuals', but as the members of social groups, like families, neighbourhoods and communities, and that many of our actions are done together with others in organisations and social institutions. Methodological collectivism looks for explanations and patterns of behaviour not in the actions of individual human beings, but in the actions of groups. Moral collectivism begins from the premise that collective social groups - families, businesses, institutions, governments and countries - are moral agents; that they have rights and responsibilities, that groups as well as individuals can take moral action, and that the morality of their actions can sensibly be assessed in those terms. Collective action is defined, not by what is to be done, but how. The practice of collective action, and the character of provision made, tend in their turn to influence the kinds of things that people want their services to do. Democratic deliberation, voice and empowerment become the expectation and practice of public services; co-operation, working together, sharing and solidarity come to be seen as virtues in themselves. The book makes a case for a collective approach to the common weal, based on society, the common good, solidarity, stewardship, rights, equality and a sense of common enterprise.

scholarly journals Social contract in the era of the 90s

Inter ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 55-79
Author(s):  
Elena Rozhdestvenskaya
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Social Contract ◽  
Historical Memory ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Russian Society ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Social Contracts ◽  
Public Opinion Polls ◽  
Opinion Polls

The article deals with the changing social contract in the era of the 90s. Combined several levels of analysis: reconstruction of the era of the 90s by methods of public opinion polls and a qualitative analysis of narratives about the era of the 90s, representatives of various social groups (workers, employees / civil servants, entrepreneurs). If public opinion polls the most important events of the era, which made up the historical memory of the generation who participated in the changes of Russian society, the narratives of the 90s contain a description of the experience and reflection of social actors regarding the limits and possibilities of this era. The conceptual framework of the study describes the concept of a social contract as a balance of expectations between its performing individuals and social institutions. The social contract is operationalized as a set of action strategies that have been implemented by individuals and are the subject of their memories in the biographical interview mode. As a result of the study, a specifcation was made for representatives of the above-mentioned social groups of various social contracts that have undergone devaluation and changed during the 90s.

scholarly journals Commentary on "Congressional Informal Groups as Representative Responsiveness"

1993 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 375-379
Author(s):  
Susan Webb Hammond
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Theoretical Concept ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Concept Representation ◽  
Institutional Goals ◽  
Interesting Topic ◽  
Informal Groups ◽  
Formal Recognition

“Congressional Informal Groups as Representative Responsiveness” by Arturo Vega focuses on an interesting topic-congressional caucuses-and examines an important theoretical concept-representation-using a new data set that he has gathered. In the contemporary era, congressional caucuses-voluntary groups of members of Congress, without formal recognition in chamber rules or line-item appropriations that seek a role in the policy process-are increasingly salient congressional actors. The number of caucuses has increased dramatically during the 1980s; about 140 operated during the 102nd Congress (1991-1992). It is not surprising that caucuses have flourished during the 1970s and 1980s, two decades of structural decentralization during which members of Congress often pursued individual goals at the expense of collective action. I have argued elsewhere that caucuses, particularly in this environment, assist members in achieving individual goals and also help Congress achieve institutional goals (Hammond 1989). Vega’s focus on caucuses is useful.

scholarly journals Realisation of Social Needs of Students in the Field of Education in Ukraine

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 38-43
Author(s):  
T. G. Yermakova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
Personal Qualities ◽  
The Individual

Education of students in today’s conditions requires new ideas and concepts that are related to the peculiarities of the socio-economic situation in society, namely: revaluation of values, changes in priorities of prestigious professions, contradictory attitude to education in the labor market, lack of a clear youth policy, adequate to modern conditions.Today’s education should become not just one of the subsystems of the social sphere, which satisfies a number of personal needs, but also a specific domain of social life, in which the future is modeled, resources of development are formed, and the negative effects of the functioning of other social institutions are compensated. As a result, the education system essentially extends its sphere of influence. One of the most important characteristics of student youth is its social needs, a large proportion of which is implemented in the field of education. Concerning higher education, certain requirements are put forward regarding the implementation of social needs of student youth; at the same time it is the institutional environment that mostly influences the formation of student social.Defining the development vectors of the education system requires the search for answers to questions relating to contemporary students, its social needs and expectations in relation to higher education, as well as the clarification of the conditions correspondence that education creates to realize its demands. The article highlights the peculiarities of student social needs in the field of education and their implementation; the content of such concepts as «needs», «social needs», «educational needs» were clarified.It was emphasized that social needs are connected with the inclusion of the individual in the family, in various social groups and communities, in the various spheres of production and non-production activities, in the life of society as a whole. These are the needs for work, social and economic activity, as well as spiritual culture, that is, everything that is a product of social life. They are needs of a special kind, the satisfaction of which is necessary to support the life of the social person, social groups and society as a whole.Social needs are met by the organizational efforts of society members through social institutions. Satisfying needs ensures social stability and social progress, dissatisfaction generates social conflicts. Social institutions are the leading components of the social structure of society, which integrate and coordinate the actions of society members, social groups and regulate social relations in various spheres of public life. Four groups of social needs were defined:- Vital for the social person needs, whose dissatisfaction leads to the elimination of a social person or the revolutionary transformation of social institutions, within which this satisfaction occurs;- Needs, the satisfaction of which ensures the functioning of the social person at the level of social norms, as well as allows the evolution of social institutions to be realized;- Needs, the satisfaction of which occurs at the level of minimum social norms, which ensures the preservation of the social person, but not its development; - Needs, the satisfaction of which provides comfortable (for data of socio-cultural area and social time) conditions of operation and development.The article gives attention to the relation between the concepts of «social needs» and «educational needs» and shows where they overlap. The existence of educational needs is an essential feature of students. Educational need is a need arising from the contradiction between the existing and necessary (desired) level of education and encourages the person to eliminate this contradiction.Educational needs were defined as the needs for the formation of the education means of those personal qualities that contribute to personal self-realization and the formation of personal qualities in the field of education that will enable them to obtain the desired social benefits and improve the social well-being of the individual. Such qualities are: high level of intellectual development; theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary for professional activity; communicative skills and a high level of culture; personal qualities (integrity, workability, creativity, etc.). Education itself is a factor that allows the formation and accumulation of socially significant qualities in an individual’s arsenal that enable them to receive the benefits, satisfy the urgent needs and be realized as an active and active-oriented member of society.It was emphasized that in today’s conditions, students according to their characteristics are quite different from all other sections of the population, first of all ideological formation, influence mobility and their kinds of needs, which to a great extent determine its social well-being.Social needs of students are considered in connection with the functions of education, primarily with the functions of intelligence reproduction of society, vocational, economic and social. The article used data from nationwide surveys of students «Higher Education in Ukraine: Students’ Public Opinion» and «Higher Education in Reform Conditions: Changes in Public Opinion» conducted by Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation in 2015 and 2017 respectively; the data of a sociological survey «Values of Ukrainian Youth», conducted in 2016 by the Center for Independent Sociological Research «OMEGA», by request of Ministry of Youth and Sport of Ukraine.Based on the data of sociological research, we concluded that the level of social needs satisfaction of students in the field of higher education is not high. We need more detailed analysis of students who are studying at various educational institutions, as well as to identify the trends that are characteristic for education sections in different areas of study.

Social Embeddedness and Rational Turnout

2019 ◽  
pp. 360-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carole Jean Uhlaner
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Rational Choice ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Social Embeddedness ◽  
Relational Goods ◽  
The Social ◽  
Group Identities ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Theoretical Developments

Models that embed people in social groups provide solutions to the paradox of voting. This chapter summarizes several approaches that use group identities and loyalties to generate substantial turnout even within rational choice models of participation (whether voting or collective action more broadly). One theoretical move introduces leaders acting instrumentally to mobilize individuals who belong to some group, thereby integrating the individual citizen’s consumption term into an instrumental calculus. Other, complementary, theoretical developments introduce relational goods, which exist only with interaction among specific people, as part of the mobilizing arsenal, or more generally develop relational motivations for collective action. The chapter briefly discusses some empirical findings, notably including experiments that show that shame, pride, and digital social networks increase turnout, and argues that these results provide support for the social embeddedness models.

Joseph Marcus. Social and Political History of the Jews in Poland, 1979-1939. (Studies in the Social Sciences.) Berlin, New York, Amsterdam: Mouton Publishers. 1983. Pp. 569.

2004 ◽  
pp. 382-387
Author(s):  
Jerzy Holzer
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Social History ◽  
Political History ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
National Income ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Economic Politics ◽  
Specialized Section ◽  
History Of

This chapter assesses Joseph Marcus's Social and Political History of the Jews in Poland, 1919–1939 (1983). Marcus's book consists of an introductory section in which he sketches the thousand-year history of the Jews in Poland and gives basic information concerning Poland's history between the two world wars. There is also a section on social history, the longest and most specialized section, where the author discusses the problems of social structure, national income, social groups, social institutions, education, demography, housing conditions, social politics, economic politics, and the wealth accumulated by Polish Jews. Finally, there is a section on political history with an extensive chapter on Jewish political parties, three chronological chapters, and two chapters dealing with various related issues such as emigration and the preparations for war. The whole is supplemented by notes, appendices, a bibliography and an index of names and institutions.

Society and Politics

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Himanshu ◽  
Peter Lanjouw ◽  
Nicholas Stern
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Economic Change ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Economic Importance ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
The Village

This chapter examines the village as a society and polity, showing how relations between different social groups in Palanpur have changed and how the interactions of institutions and politics with economic change can help explain the nature and evolution of society. It also looks at the state of public institutions in Palanpur, documenting a decay in the quality and provision of public services, as well as an absence of any significant collective action to change this. It would be overly simplistic to argue that, because caste relations were historically centred around agricultural production, they are weakening with the declining economic importance of agriculture. Rather, there has been an emergence of caste as a proxy for trust in an increasingly informal and anonymous labour market outside the village. Furthermore, exogenously imposed changes, such as the introduction of panchayat elections, have seen new alliances being built.

Socio-Psychological Determinants of Recidivism

2021 ◽  
pp. 265-269
Author(s):  
Olga V. Filippova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Work Teams ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Repeat Offenders ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Psychological Determinants ◽  
The Individual

This article examines the socio-psychological determinants of recidivism. At the socio-psychological level, the determinants of crime are manifested in the criminogenic impact on the individual from small social groups. The closest environment has the most serious influence on the formation of personality. This environment is represented by such small social groups as the family, educational and work teams, everyday and informal milieu. Repeat offenders have no family connection and contacts with educational and work teams. Most repeat offenders are unmarried, they do not work or study. Family desocialization of criminals, their negative attitude towards educational and work activities lead to alienation from the main social institutions and positive microgroups, which is accompanied by joining an informal antisocial environment and establishing strong ties with it. In the course of the study, the author generalized criminological views on the determination of recidivism, analyzed information on the characteristics of repeat criminals, and studied the data on the level of recidivism among those convicted to various measures of criminal liability and the statistics of convictions. The author also surveyed the staff of penitentiary institutions about the causes and conditions of recidivism, and convicts who committed a repeat crime and were serving imprisonment. When studying the determinants of crime recurrence, it is necessary to take into account the criminogenic influence of the factors that determined the primary crime, including at the level of small social groups. After conviction, criminals, as a rule, do not change their immediate environment and contacts, and continue to lead the same way of life. Deficiencies in the punishment system also play a criminogenic role in the determination of recidivism. As a result of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that, at the socio-psychological level, the repeated commission of crimes is due to the absence of positive changes in the convicts' microenvironment with a negative immediate environment retaining its influence and also due to the ineffectiveness of the current punishment system, which is unable to ensure the correction of convicts and prevent recidivism.

Globalization and Social Movements

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Almeida ◽  
Chris Chase-Dunn
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Economic Globalization ◽  
Economic Liberalization ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
Transnational Social Movements

A growing body of scholarship acknowledges the increasing influence of global forces on social institutions and societies on multiple scales. We focus here on the role of globalization processes in shaping collective action and social movements. Three areas of global change and movements are examined: first, long-term global trends and collective action; second, research on national and local challenges to economic globalization, including backlash movements and the types of economic liberalization measures most associated with inducing oppositional movements; and third, the emergence of contemporary transnational social movements. In each of these arenas we address debates on diffusion, intervening mechanisms, and the outcomes of collective mobilization in response to global pressures.

The Kataragama Pilgrimage: Hindu-Buddhist Interaction and Its Significance in Sri Lanka's Polyethnic Social System

1979 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Pfaffenberger
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Social System ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
The Future ◽  
Common Identity ◽  
Religious Lives ◽  
The Way

Tamil Hindu and Sinhalese Buddhist pilgrims gather each year at Sri Lanka's most important polyethnic shrine, Kataragama, where they worship the deity Skanda (or Murukanṉ). The remarkable tone of ecumenism and tolerance there stands in clear contrast to the mutual mistrust which has recently characterized Tamil-Sinhalese interaction in other social institutions. Does Kataragama help to quell mistrust and to create a bond of common identity between Hindus and Buddhists? The role of Kataragama in Sri Lanka's poly-ethnic social system is examined by comparing the role of the Kataragama pilgrimage in the religious lives of Hindu and Buddhist villagers. These roles are radically different; indeed, most Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims find themselves in disagreement about the qualities of the deity and about the way he ought to be worshipped. Despite the appearance of ethnic harmony at the site, pilgrims are today likely to leave with a sharp impression of the gulf that separates Tamil and Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka—yet there is evidence that the site may come to play a different role in the future.

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