In Good Company? Personal Relationships, Network Embeddedness, and Social Inclusion

How do individuals’ networks of personal relationships affect their social in‐ and exclusion? Researchers have shown that micro‐level, informal relationships can be highly consequential for social inclusion, but in complex, contradictory ways: Personal networks reflect the degree of relational exclusion and protect against (other forms of) exclusion, but they also erode in conditions of exclusion and reproduce exclusion. While network researchers have widely studied some of these mechanisms, they have yet to embrace others. Therefore, this thematic issue reconsiders the complex relationship between personal networks and social inclusion. It offers a unique vantage point by bringing together researchers who work with different marginalised social groups, typically studied separately: refugees, transnational migrants, indigenous people, older people, people experiencing poverty, LGBT people, and women who have experienced domestic violence. This combination allows us to detect commonalities and differences in network functioning across historically excluded groups. This editorial lays the theoretical groundwork for the thematic issue and discusses the key contributions of the seventeen articles that compose the issue. We call for more attention to relationship expectations, the reciprocity of support flows, and contextual embeddedness, and question universally adopted theoretical binaries such as that of bonding and bridging social capital.

The effect of social capital on organizational repertoires of American Protestant missions

A religious organization’s choice of activities is shaped not only by theological goals but also the capital available to it. Prior research has shown how economic and religious capital influence Protestant missionary organizations’ repertoires of activism but has largely ignored the role of social capital. Using the most recent data on transnational American Protestant mission agencies, this study aims to fill this gap. Using a Bourdieuian field approach and multiple correspondence analysis, the study finds that linking and bonding social capital both shape whether an agency generalizes rather than specializes in specific ministry activities. Both bonding and bridging social capital, in turn, prompt a more other-worldly than this-worldly ministry orientation, but this is a pattern most characteristic of Evangelical agencies, suggesting an intersection between religious identity and organizational network size. The study concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for interorganizational collaboration and resource use.

Gender gap in the impact of social capital on household food security in Zimbabwe: does spatial proximity matter?

Despite the numerous strides that have been made towards ensuring food security since the launch of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the gap between the rich and poor across and within countries is still worryingly too large. Around 57.7% of the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) population is food insecure compared to 26.4% of the world population. It is therefore necessary to make concerted efforts to improve food security in Sub-Saharan Africa and the rest of the developing world particularly among the poorest and most vulnerable groups. This paper employs propensity score matching analysis to explore gender heterogeneity in the impact of bonding and bridging social capital on household food security on the basis of a nationally representative sample of Zimbabwean households. It offers five major findings. First, female headed households are more likely to have bonding social capital than their male counterparts. Second, there are no gender differences in the household’s ability to possess bridging social capital. Third, household spatial proximity to households with social capital improves the probability of the household possessing social capital. Fourth, both bonding and bridging social capital improves household food security. Finally, female headed households are more able to increase food security than those headed by males when they have both bonding and bridging social capital. The study argues that coping strategies should target putting the family at the core of inclusive development agendas such as food and nutrition assistance programmes in order to maximise the likelihood of easing food insecurity within communities.

Bonding and bridging social capital towards collective action in participatory irrigation management. Evidence in Chiang Rai Province, Northern Thailand

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of social capital with bonding and bridging distinction in promoting higher participation in collective action in participatory irrigation management.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 304 farmers was surveyed using a structured questionnaire. A focus group discussion was also carried out with randomly selected water users, leaders and irrigation officers. A confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to test the hypothesised relationship of bonding and bridging social capital towards collective action.FindingsThe findings show that social capital has a significant direct effect on collective action and an indirect effect on joint irrigation management's perceived performance through collective action (mediator). It implies the need to complement the participatory irrigation management programme with an understanding of the social aspects for a higher farmer's participation over the shared resource.Originality/valueThe paper emphasises social capital's role in facilitating a real participatory engagement in shared resource management. Also, it is the first scholarly work linking social capital with bonding and bridging distinction towards collective action in a joint resource management context.

DOES SOCIAL CAPITAL FOCUS DETERMINE USERS’ INTENTIONS TO LIKE, COMMENT AND SHARE LIFESTYLE BRAND-RELATED CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

The purpose of this research is to analyze the differences in users’ intentions to like, comment and share lifestyle brand-related content on social media based on the social capital focus. In this paper, social capital is conceptualized as a positive outcome of users’ interaction on social media, focusing on bonding and bridging dimensions of social capital. However, in order to examine the differences in intentions to like, comment and share between social media users with bridging and bonding focus, social capital is analyzed as a cause of social media engagement, i.e. users’ contribution in terms of liking, commenting and sharing brand-related content on social media. A survey with social media users was carried out, using questionnaires as a method of data collection. A data set of 415 effective responses is collected and ANOVA test was used. The respondents were divided into two groups: social media users with bridging focus and social media users with bonding focus. ANOVA test revealed significant differences in intention to contribute to life-style brand-related content among the social media users with different level of social capital focus. Namely, the results indicated existence of significant differences in intention to like, intention to share and intention to comment lifestyle brand-related content depending on the social media users’ social capital focus. Social media users with bridging focus showed stronger intentions to like, share and comment life-style brand-related content comparing to social media users with bonding focus. The findings of this research study may help social media marketing managers to successfully design and implement effective life-style brand-related content depending on the social capital focus of the users.

Women’s journey to the top: the role of bonding and bridging social capital

Purpose Drawing on Putnam’s concept of social capital, this study aims to examine the oral life histories of women on management boards. It explores how the bridging and bonding forms of social capital are created and used to advance women’s careers to reach top management positions on corporate boards. Design/methodology/approach This study is both explorative and interpretive. A total of 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with female board members of Polish companies to gain access to their life histories. Findings Women develop social capital to advance their careers. However, they mainly focus on bonding capital, which allows them to sustain relationships within their inner circle. Bridging capital, which extends relationships to advance women’s careers, is often overlooked if not neglected. It seems it is usually an external shock when women understand the importance of bridging capital. Practical implications This study provides a better insight into how bridging and bonding capital help and/or distract women from reaching top managerial positions. It has potential policy-making implications for promoting women to leadership positions. The study results can guide organizations in providing equal opportunities for employees. Originality/value This study builds on previous research regarding the accumulation of human and social capital by board members. It encourages academics and practitioners to critically consider the relationship between bonding and bridging capital and the promotion of women to top management positions. This study provides access to a field of Central and Eastern European countries.

Bypassing the Social Distance: International Catholic Community, Friendship, and Homemaking among Expatriates in Brno

We analyze the role of intimate social ties and community in the processes of homemaking and social integration of highly skilled migrants who are members of the local international Catholic community in Brno, Czech Republic. We use the concepts of bonding and bridging social capital developed by Michael W. Foley and Dean R. Hoge and follow their attention to the effects of the worship communities’ organizational culture on migrants’ integration. In the article, we show that the Catholic community mediates its members’ homemaking efficiently by providing them with rich bonding social capital, generated through close social ties in the community. However, it does not provide them with enough bridging social capital, and their social integration, thus, remains restricted to the company of international fellows. We compare it with the strategies of homemaking used by settling migrants who have integrated more successfully into the Czech social environment.

'I Hear You': Effects of Voice Communication on the Social Capital of Gamers

In the present paper we approached bonding and bridging social capital among gamers (seen as individuals who spend at least an hour a day in games) who use (or don’t use) voice communication while playing. Suspecting that voice communication usage facilitates the social capital formation. We also investigated the role of perceived anonymity as a confounding variable. To test our hypothesis, a quantitative research was carried out. The study focuses on the subsequent elements: voice application usage; perceived anonymity; and the presence of the following forms of social capital: bonding social capital and bridging social capital. Data collection was based on surveys spread in the online environment and resulted in a sample of 102 respondents. Based on quasi-experimental design we obtained data that display higher mean scores on bonding and bridging social capital scales on the experiment group (voice communication users) than in control group (non-voice communication users). Also, control group have a lower score on the perceived anonymity scale. One explanation for our results could be that voice communication reduces perceived anonymity and individuals that consider themselves as having a low level of anonymity engage in more controlled behaviors that in turn facilitate the formation of social capital.