scholarly journals Social Capital, Institutional Rules, and Constitutional Amendment Rates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Blake ◽  
Joseph Cozza ◽  
Amanda Friesen
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Transaction Costs ◽  
Legal Theory ◽  
Political Trust ◽  
Constitutional Amendment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Constitutional Amendments ◽  
Institutional Rules ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Time Series Analyses

Why are some constitutions amended more frequently than others? Despite the importance of this question to political science and legal theory, there is little consensus regarding the forces that shape constitutional amendments. Some scholars only focus on institutional factors, while others emphasize variations in culture. This paper makes a contribution to both literatures by examining how social capital reduces the transaction costs imposed by amendment rules. We conduct cross-sectional analyses of amendment rates for democratic constitutions globally and time-series analyses of efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution. The results indicate amendment frequency is a product of amendment rules, group membership, civic activism, and levels of social and political trust, but these effects vary across contexts based on the corresponding transaction costs. Our findings suggest social capital can have beneficial effects on social movements that demand constitutional amendments and the political elites and voters who supply them.

scholarly journals Neighborhood-Based Social Capital and Depressive Symptoms among Adults: Evidence from Guangzhou, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11263
Author(s):  
Sanqin Mao ◽  
Jie Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Urban Governance ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Social Classes ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Socioeconomic Groups ◽  
Social Interventions ◽  
Beneficial Effects

This study examined the association between neighborhood-based social capital (NSC) and depressive symptoms in the context of urban neighborhoods in China, with special attention given to the association heterogeneity across socioeconomic groups. Drawing on cross-sectional data collected from 39 neighborhoods in Guangzhou, this research demonstrated that adults’ depressive symptoms were higher among those with lower cognitive (trustworthiness, reciprocity, and cohesion within a neighborhood) and structural (social network and participation) dimensions of NSC. Further analysis showed that the negative association between NSC and depressive symptoms was significantly heterogeneous across socioeconomic groups. Specifically, this negative relationship was more prominent in the lower socioeconomic classes than in the upper socioeconomic classes, indicating that the lower accumulation of NSC among disadvantaged groups may aggravate depression unequally across social classes. In addition, the negative association between social participation and depressive symptoms was stronger for people who are older or unemployed. The findings of this study not only provide new evidence concerning the significance of the beneficial effects of NSC in the Chinese context, but also, more importantly, highlight that NSC plays a crucial role in creating mental health inequality across social classes. Thus, the relevant social interventions including fostering neighborhood relationships and social activities should be carefully tailored against the backdrop of community building during the urbanization process. The implications of our study for urban governance to promote healthy cities are discussed.

Association of Vitamin D Status With Liver and Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials, and Cross-Sectional and Cohort Studies

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Mostafa Parizadeh ◽  
Majid Rezayi ◽  
Reza Jafarzadeh-Esfehani ◽  
Amir Avan ◽  
Hamideh Ghazizadeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Kidney Disease ◽  
Renal Disease ◽  
Cohort Studies ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Major Public Health Problem ◽  
Vitamin D Status ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Vitamin D Levels

Abstract. Background: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is a major public health problem. There are few comprehensive systematic reviews about the relationship between Vitamin D status and liver and renal disease in Iran. Methods: We systemically searched the following databases: Web of Science; PubMed; Cochrane Library; Scopus; Science Direct; Google Scholar and two Iranian databases (Scientific Information Database (SID) and IranMedex) up until November 2017 to identify all randomized control trials (RCTs), case control, cross-sectional and cohort studies investigating the association between vitamin D and any form of liver or kidney disease. Results: Vitamin D insufficiency, or deficiency (VDD), is highly prevalent in Iran, reports varying between 44.4% in Isfahan to 98% in Gorgan. There is also a high prevalence of VDD among patients with liver or kidney disease, and the administration of vitamin D supplements may have beneficial effects on lipid profile, blood glucose, liver function and fatty liver disease, and bone health. Low serum vitamin D levels are related with abnormalities in these laboratory and clinical parameters. Conclusion: VDD is prevalent in patients with chronic liver or renal disease in Iran. There appear to be several beneficial effects of vitamin D supplementation in vitamin D deficient patients with liver or kidney disease.

Social Capital and the Development of Political Support in Europe

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Hooghe ◽  
Anna Kern
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Basic Assumption ◽  
Voluntary Associations ◽  
Political Trust ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Political Support ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
The One ◽  
Democratic Norms

This chapter evaluates the claim that the decline of legitimacy is due to a decline of social capital. The idea that voluntary associations play an important role in establishing social cohesion and political support is a traditional insight in the field of political sociology. The basic assumption is that voluntary associations function as a training ground for democracy, where citizens involved acquire democratic norms and skills that they subsequently apply in their relation with the political system. If this argument is correct, political support should be at least partly influenced by citizens’ participation in civil society organizations. Using European Social Survey data from 2006 and 2012 the authors demonstrate that there is a clear and significant correlation between social involvement on the one hand and satisfaction with the working of democracy and political trust on the other, which largely survives the introduction of a range of control variables.

scholarly journals The effect of self-rated health, subjective socioeconomic status, social capital, and physical activity on life satisfaction: a cross-sectional study in urban western Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nader Rajabi Gilan ◽  
Mehdi khezeli ◽  
Shirin Zardoshtian
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
College Education ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Subjective Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Self Rated Health

Abstract Background Life satisfaction is an important component in designing strategies to improve health outcomes in different groups of society. This study aimed to investigate the effect of subjective socioeconomic status (SSS), social capital (SC), self-rated health (SRH), and physical activity (PA) on life satisfaction (LS) in Iran. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1187 people (643 men and 544 women) lived in five western cities in Iran. The sampling method was multistage clustering. Data collection tool was a five part questionnaire including demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status ladder, social capital scale, a question to measure physical activity, and the life satisfaction scale. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, one way ANOVA, and Ordinal Logistic Regression. Result Life satisfaction was higher in married men and women compared to single and widows (p < 0.05). Among the variables included in the main model, the significant predictors were college education (− 0.500), marriage (coefficient = 0.422), age 25–34 years (coefficient = − 0.384), SRH (coefficient = 0.477), male sex (coefficient = 0.425), SSS (coefficient = 0.373), trust (coefficient = 0.115), and belonging and empathy (coefficient = 0.064). Conclusion SRH and SSS were significant predictors of life satisfaction in west Iranian society. Being married was associated with higher LS, but college education affects LS adversely.

scholarly journals Plant Foods Rich in Antioxidants and Human Cognition: A Systematic Review

Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 714
Author(s):  
Luciana Baroni ◽  
Anna Rita Sarni ◽  
Cristina Zuliani
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Cognitive Assessments ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Plant Foods ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
System Integrity ◽  
Plant Antioxidants ◽  
The Impact

Oxidative stress can compromise central nervous system integrity, thereby affecting cognitive ability. Consumption of plant foods rich in antioxidants could thereby protect cognition. We systematically reviewed the literature exploring the effects of antioxidant-rich plant foods on cognition. Thirty-one studies were included: 21 intervention, 4 cross-sectional (one with a cohort in prospective observation as well), and 6 prospective studies. Subjects belonged to various age classes (young, adult, and elderly). Some subjects examined were healthy, some had mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and some others were demented. Despite the different plant foods and the cognitive assessments used, the results can be summarized as follows: 7 studies reported a significant improvement in all cognitive domains examined; 19 found significant improvements only in some cognitive areas, or only for some food subsets; and 5 showed no significant improvement or no effectiveness. The impact of dietary plant antioxidants on cognition appears promising: most of the examined studies showed associations with significant beneficial effects on cognitive functions—in some cases global or only in some specific domains. There was typically an acute, preventive, or therapeutic effect in young, adult, and elderly people, whether they were healthy, demented, or affected by MCI. Their effects, however, are not attributable only to anti-oxidation.

Measuring Value Change in Western Industrialized Societies: The Impact of Unemployment

1991 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 905-920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold D. Clarke ◽  
Nitish Dutt
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
Aggregate Level ◽  
Value Change ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Past ◽  
Value Priorities ◽  
Time Series Analyses ◽  
The Impact

During the past two decades a four-item battery administered in biannual Euro-Barometer surveys has been used to measure changing value priorities in Western European countries. We provide evidence that the measure is seriously flawed. Pooled cross-sectional time series analyses for the 1976–86 period reveal that the Euro-Barometer postmaterialist-materialist value index and two of its components are very sensitive to short-term changes in economic conditions, and that the failure to include a statement about unemployment in the four-item values battery accounts for much of the apparent growth of postmaterialist values in several countries after 1980. The aggregate-level findings are buttressed by analyses of panel data from three countries.

Social Capital and Self-Perceived Health in Lone Mothers: A Multilevel Cross-Sectional Study across Europe

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2199416
Author(s):  
Sara Trujillo-Alemán ◽  
Åsa Tjulin ◽  
Glòria Pérez ◽  
Emma Hagqvist
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Family Policy ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Perceived Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Policy Model ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Lone Mothers

This study aimed to explore the distribution of social capital and its relation to self-perceived health in lone mothers across Europe. Data were drawn from the European Social Survey Round 5. The sample was restricted to women (15–64 years), not cohabiting with a partner, and with children (≤ 18 years) living in the household. Social capital was measured using variables, representing both structural (political engagement, social support, and social activity) and cognitive (generalized trust, institutionalized trust, reciprocity, and a feeling of safety) components. Individual-level measurements: age, educational attainment, employment status, income level, and household economy. Country-level measurements: family policy model and collective social capital. A multilevel analysis was conducted. The results revealed cross-country variance in the level of lone mothers’ social capital. After adjustment for individual-level and country-level measurements, only reciprocity and a feeling of safety were related to good self-perceived health among lone mothers in Europe.

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