Social Capital and Third Places Through the Internet

2011 ◽  
pp. 1904-1923
Author(s):  
Duncan Timms ◽  
Sara Ferlander
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Interpersonal Trust ◽  
Community Identity ◽  
Third Places ◽  
Third Place ◽  
The Press ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Ict Revolution

Although Sweden is generally considered to be at the forefront of the ICT revolution and to have high levels of social capital – interpersonal trust and participation – there remain areas and populations which are relatively disadvantaged. In this chapter we examine a number of efforts which have attempted to make use of ICT to enhance social capital in a Stockholm suburb which has been stigmatised in the press and which contains relatively high proportions of immigrants, single parents and the unemployed, all groups which are relatively excluded. An initial effort, based on the installation of a local community network, largely failed. A second effort, based on a locally-run Internet Café was more successful, with the café operating as a Third Place, both online and offline, bridging many of the divisions characterising the community. Despite its success in encouraging participation, trust and community identity, the IT-Café could not be sustained following the end of project funding and a change in personnel. The factors accompanying the success and failure of the Swedish undertakings provide lessons for other efforts to use ICTs in attempts to enhance social inclusion and community.

Social Capital and Third Places Through the Internet

2011 ◽  
pp. 199-217
Author(s):  
Duncan Timms ◽  
Sara Ferlander
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Interpersonal Trust ◽  
Community Identity ◽  
Third Places ◽  
Third Place ◽  
The Press ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Ict Revolution

Although Sweden is generally considered to be at the forefront of the ICT revolution and to have high levels of social capital – interpersonal trust and participation – there remain areas and populations which are relatively disadvantaged. In this chapter we examine a number of efforts which have attempted to make use of ICT to enhance social capital in a Stockholm suburb which has been stigmatised in the press and which contains relatively high proportions of immigrants, single parents and the unemployed, all groups which are relatively excluded. An initial effort, based on the installation of a local community network, largely failed. A second effort, based on a locally-run Internet Café was more successful, with the café operating as a Third Place, both online and offline, bridging many of the divisions characterising the community. Despite its success in encouraging participation, trust and community identity, the IT-Café could not be sustained following the end of project funding and a change in personnel. The factors accompanying the success and failure of the Swedish undertakings provide lessons for other efforts to use ICTs in attempts to enhance social inclusion and community.

scholarly journals Who Do You Think You Are?: Constructing and Representing Central Otago identity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jamie Bell
Keyword(s):  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Community Identity ◽  
Frames Of Reference ◽  
Construction Of Identity ◽  
History Museums ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Community Relationship

<p>As museums are increasingly looking to the local community for support and validation, so too are communities looking to the museum for affirmation of their identity. Theories of meaning making and work in the field of social inclusion have led the way in restructuring the museum into an institution that embraces its surrounding community for the mutual benefit of both sides. In attempting to represent community, museums are taking up these new theories as they build towards becoming ever more relevant institutions. This thesis explores the current literature and investigates its relevance to the museum/community relationship through a case study of the Central Otago community and its new Museum, Central Stories. The study explores the construction of identity within the community and the representation of that identity within the Museum. In order to investigate the construction of community identity in Central Otago, three discussion groups were conducted in September 2006, with each group made up of members of local community and business groups. The discussions within these groups were divided into two phases, the first of which centred on the construction of Central Otago identity and the second on the Museum's representation of Central Otago identity. In the analysis of these focus groups, common themes were identified surrounding the region's landscape, events, history, museums, and community. In the first phase, participants were particularly reliant on their 'frames of reference' (Perin, 1992) in constructing identity. In particular, the role of personal experience emerged as an important factor in constructing community identity. Comparing the first and second phases of the discussions reveals the complex interweaving of elements in the construction and representation of the community's identity. The findings of this study highlight the significance of the museum/community relationship in contemporary museology. The developing museological theories on meaning making, particularly those that address the importance of visitor frames of reference, are identified as playing a critical role in developing this relationship. While this study is focused on the Central Otago example, the findings have broader relevance to the field of museum studies through their insights into the dynamics involved in constructing and representing community identity, and the complex relationship between the museum and its community.</p>

Working Outside the Box: Community Currencies, Time Banks and Social Inclusion

2004 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
GILL SEYFANG
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Informal Employment ◽  
Voluntary Work ◽  
Local Exchange ◽  
Community Currencies ◽  
Formal Employment ◽  
The Uk

A conceptual framework is developed for analysing UK social policy with respect to work, employment, inclusion and income. A range of possibilities for ‘productive engagement in work’ (PEW) outside the home are identified, ranging from formal employment, through informal employment, working for local community currencies, to unpaid voluntary work, each attracting particular policy responses, according to the hegemonic discourse of social exclusion, namely a liberal individualistic model which sees insertion into the labour market as the solution to exclusion. A new initiative is examined which is increasingly being adopted by local authorities in their efforts to tackle social exclusion and build social capital, namely ‘time banks’: a type of community currency which rewards people in time credits for the work they put into their neighbourhoods. Time banks are found to occupy a space in between what is already known about informal employment, LETS (Local Exchange Trading Schemes) and volunteering, raising a number of issues for policy makers and practitioners. While time banks may be promoted within the UK government's social inclusion remit as a means of increasing job-readiness through volunteering, they have wider and deeper implications. They represent a response to a radical social democratic understanding of social exclusion and hence exert a collective effort to redefine what is considered ‘valuable work’, and thus present an alternative to hegemonic paradigms of work and welfare; their greatest potential is as a radical tool for collective social capital building, resulting in more effective social, economic and political citizenship, and hence social inclusion. Policy recommendations are made to enable time banks to flourish and provide a powerful tool for achieving social inclusion objectives.

scholarly journals Who Do You Think You Are?: Constructing and Representing Central Otago identity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jamie Bell
Keyword(s):  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Community Identity ◽  
Frames Of Reference ◽  
Construction Of Identity ◽  
History Museums ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Community Relationship

<p>As museums are increasingly looking to the local community for support and validation, so too are communities looking to the museum for affirmation of their identity. Theories of meaning making and work in the field of social inclusion have led the way in restructuring the museum into an institution that embraces its surrounding community for the mutual benefit of both sides. In attempting to represent community, museums are taking up these new theories as they build towards becoming ever more relevant institutions. This thesis explores the current literature and investigates its relevance to the museum/community relationship through a case study of the Central Otago community and its new Museum, Central Stories. The study explores the construction of identity within the community and the representation of that identity within the Museum. In order to investigate the construction of community identity in Central Otago, three discussion groups were conducted in September 2006, with each group made up of members of local community and business groups. The discussions within these groups were divided into two phases, the first of which centred on the construction of Central Otago identity and the second on the Museum's representation of Central Otago identity. In the analysis of these focus groups, common themes were identified surrounding the region's landscape, events, history, museums, and community. In the first phase, participants were particularly reliant on their 'frames of reference' (Perin, 1992) in constructing identity. In particular, the role of personal experience emerged as an important factor in constructing community identity. Comparing the first and second phases of the discussions reveals the complex interweaving of elements in the construction and representation of the community's identity. The findings of this study highlight the significance of the museum/community relationship in contemporary museology. The developing museological theories on meaning making, particularly those that address the importance of visitor frames of reference, are identified as playing a critical role in developing this relationship. While this study is focused on the Central Otago example, the findings have broader relevance to the field of museum studies through their insights into the dynamics involved in constructing and representing community identity, and the complex relationship between the museum and its community.</p>

scholarly journals Senior citizens’ perspective on the value offerings of third place via customer to customer (C-2-C) engagement

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanika Meshram ◽  
Aron O’Cass
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Senior Citizens ◽  
Senior Citizen ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Place Value ◽  
Third Places ◽  
Third Place ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer a framework of third-place value offering that explains how specific consumer groups’, senior citizens, customer-to-customer engagement in third places can develop their value experiences.Design/methodology/approachData were collected for two studies from senior citizen clubs in Australia. Study 1 uses focus group (12) and is analysed with QSR NVivo software following content analysis. Study 2 is based on 324 surveys and is analysed with AMOS version 24 software.FindingsStudy 1 identifies eight themes based on 29 main codes to develop a framework on the value offerings of third-place value and its consumer-centric effect on seniors’ loyalty and social capital. The themes under social capital and loyalty contributed to a better understanding of how consumers engage with each other in social clubs and develop their social capital. The results of Study 2 support the conceptualisation of third-place value offering as a reflective model and confirm the model’s nomological validity in relation to seniors’ loyalty and social capital outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThe only limitation of the paper is that it presents findings based on data collected in a regional place in Australia.Practical implicationsThe findings provide three practical implications for managers to consider in relation to service places: improve consumer patronage through community engagement, improve local business practices via consumer–owner friendship and redesign spatial settings to deliver meaningful consumer experiences.Social implicationsThe present study has three social implications; first, it highlights the significant role of third places in bringing isolated groups of community together for regular interaction and socialisation. It also extends understanding on senior citizen customers and their consumption experiences within third places for value creation. The study also contributes to understanding how senior citizen customers develop loyalty towards third places and enhance their social capital through social engagement in the place.Originality/valueThis paper uses consumption experience to develop the consumer value in third places. It provides a consumer-centric focus to servicescape and incorporates recent works on third places, value, social capital and loyalty.

Social inclusion and social capital of the Shanghai Library as a community place for self-improvement

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Lo ◽  
Minying He ◽  
Yan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Disadvantaged Groups ◽  
Views And Perceptions ◽  
Positive Outlook

Purpose Using a Shanghainese context, the purpose of this paper is to understand the effects of the public library in its community, as well as its ability to create social capital. Along with this, this paper aims to look at some socially disadvantaged groups within Shanghai and see the positive benefits that the Shanghai Library (SHL) has in society. Design/methodology/approach Using a total of 410 respondents from Shanghai through a questionnaire, this study investigates how different groups of disadvantaged groups (namely, students, elderly and unemployed) living in Shanghai perceived the social values, and contributions functions of the SHL to the local community, and its capacities to create social capital. Findings Findings of this study indicate that respondents expressed an overall highly positive outlook of the SHL’s value to the community, and they found it to have an important role in their daily lives. Originality/value This study will be useful for understanding the roles of the public library in a Chinese context, as well as the views and perceptions of the public library to disadvantaged user groups in China.

Social Capital and Sustainable Health Care: An Analysis of Community Based Palliative Care Model of Kerala

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Azeez. E.P
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Voluntary Organizations ◽  
Community Based ◽  
The Social ◽  
Palliative Care Units

Social Capital is the most crucial asset which significantly influence the efficacy and resilience of any community. Social capital is a dependent variable that depends upon the competence and coherence of the individuals in the community and mode of social relationships, trust and networks they maintain. It is one of the most sustainable social resources that originate from human relations and results on the mutual support of people. Utilization of Social capital has a wide applicability in the process of social inclusion, especially in dealing with the vulnerable and disadvantaged sections in the community itself. Voluntary organizations are very keen to utilize the social capital for community/social services and community development in a sustainable manner. Community based de-institutionalized Palliative Care is one of the foremost among such organizations that made social capital in a strategic way for social inclusion and community well being. This paper analyses the extent to which different elements of social capital helps in initiating the sustainable community based palliative care movement by assessing the unique intervention strategies carried out by the palliative care. This paper explores conceptual questions of how social capital and voluntary community based services are correlated. A case study method was adopted for the study in which ten palliative care units were analyzed. The results show that a number of social capital elements are playing a vital role in the sustainability of community palliative care movement in Kerala.

scholarly journals Association of Structural Social Capital and Self-Reported Well-Being among Japanese Community-Dwelling Adults: A Longitudinal Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8284
Author(s):  
Kazuya Nogi ◽  
Haruhiko Imamura ◽  
Keiko Asakura ◽  
Yuji Nishiwaki
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Relative Risk ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Adjusted Relative Risk ◽  
Community Activities ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Structural Social Capital

Previous studies have shown both positive and non-positive associations between social capital and health. However, longitudinal evidence examining its comprehensive effects on well-being is still limited. This study examined whether structural social capital in the local community was related to the later well-being of Japanese people aged 40 or above. A 3.6-year longitudinal study was conducted in a rural Japanese town. “Well-being” was measured using three indicators (happiness, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms), and those who were high in well-being in the baseline 2015 survey and responded to the follow-up 2018 survey were analyzed (n = 1032 for happiness, 938 for self-rated health, and 471 for depressive symptoms). Multilevel Poisson regression analysis adjusted for covariates showed that having contact with fewer neighbors was associated with a decline in happiness at both the community level (adjusted relative risk = 1.64, 95% confidence interval = 1.20–1.63) and the individual level (adjusted relative risk = 1.51, 95% confidence interval = 1.05–2.17), but participation in local community activities was not. The results suggest that dense personal networks might be more important in areas with thriving local community activities, not only for individuals but also for all community members.

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