The role of telecommunications in facilitating community engagement, social capital and social inclusion

Social capital discourse has come to be the foremost and essential aspects in achieving sustainable development, participatory democracy and just cities. Indonesia is like most Asian countries where people spatially and socially co-live in a community that is related to a network of small clusters. However, the formal study related to social capital is hardly founded. Based on its characters, Gotong Royong which is a socio-cultural ethic of the togetherness philosophy in Indonesia can be perceived as an Indonesian social capital practice. Advancing social capital through participatory approaches will need a deep consideration about the role of professional and community engagement. Successful collaborations between wider actors in participatory approaches could lead to a fundamental transformation that can both preserve and nurture social capital values. High level of social capital within communities can potentially underpin the successful community participation towards communal goals.

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

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11061733 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 1733 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

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.

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Do social capital and networks facilitate community participation?

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy ◽

10.1108/ijssp-01-2021-0022 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Mudit Kumar Singh ◽

James Moody

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Community Engagement ◽

Community Participation ◽

Local Governance ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

Network Size ◽

Small Sample ◽

Large Network ◽

Content Type

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to find theoretical and practical linkages between social capital, network and community participation. The study examines the role of popular social capital and its forms in shaping community participation under the influence of socioeconomic status of individuals.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses household survey data (N = 135) from select north Indian villages to assess the role of social capital and individuals’ networks (measured through their network size) in participation. The participation is measured in terms of attendance and vocal participation.FindingsThe study finds significant evidence that the networks do not play a uniform role in collective participation. The elitist form of social capital exists in the community which can leverage the networks to their benefit, whereas many people, despite large network size, cannot actively participate. Social capital and networks are not entirely conducive for collective participation and favours a few in the community. Additionally, networks do facilitate information flow but do not help in achieving active engagement. Hence, the peer effect is not truly reflected in vocal participation all the time, especially in local governance context.Research limitations/implicationsThe conclusion of the study is based on small sample size from seven villages. Nonetheless, in light of the supporting literature available, it provides useful insights and triggers important questions that need microscopic analysis under the macroscopic umbrella of social capital.Practical implicationsOn policy fronts, takeaway from this paper can be used for policy and law formulation for lower strata of the society such as labour law formulation and labour behavioural practices in community participation.Social implicationsThe research findings can be utilized for the emerging applications of social networks in understanding local governance and community engagement in developing societies.Originality/valueThis research has used a novel field experiment conducted by one of the authors himself. The empirical assessment of social capital and networks in local governance can be replicated elsewhere to study participation in other societies as well. In terms of policy, the research underscores the need of using social capital notion while assessing the community engagement in local governance.

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