Longitudinal cross-national perspectives on female desistance: The role of social and emotional capitals in female narrations of maintaining change

This paper offers a unique longitudinal qualitative perspective on a group of women maintaining desisting pathways in two different European countries: Sweden and England. Applying a social and emotional capital framework, with particular attention given to the friend and family connection, the paper aims to unveil how a resource perspective can enable a more nuanced view of the role of overlapping female identities and network management, the paradoxes of trust within these, and experiences of stigmatisation and emotional expenditure in female desistance narratives across time and space. The cross-national perspective brings to light the importance of situating the desistance process in the particular context in which it plays out, making visible how narratives may be structurally mediated by wider social, cultural, penal – and gendered – conditions and processes. These insights may, in turn, contribute to the identification of desistance support that have the potential to make female desistance paths less socially and emotionally costly.

Labour market inclusion of Afghan refugees in Pakistan through Bourdieu's theory of capital

PurposeThis article examines the labour market inclusion of documented and undocumented Afghan refugees in Pakistan using and extending Bourdieu's theory of capital.Design/methodology/approachThe authors draw on 22 semi-structured in-depth interviews with both documented and undocumented Afghan refugees in Pakistan.FindingsThe findings show the low capital endowments of refugees. Their economic capital is shaped by low levels of financial resources, and emotional capital is shaped by their psychological distress and traumata and identity capital takes the form of negative perceptions about them. Their low capital endowments are further reduced through different forms of symbolic violence, such as ambiguous and short-term government policies, bribery and abuse by the police as well as unfair treatment by employers. However, refugees do mobilise their capital endowments to enhance their labour market position. The authors identified resilience as emotional capital, their strategic development of who they are as identity capital as well as social and cultural capital in the form of ethnic and linguistic similarities with locals in finding ways to improve their inclusion in the labour market.Originality/valueThe authors provide insights in the dynamics that lead to and sustain the exclusion and inequalities faced by Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

COVID-19 in Italy: Performing Power and Emotions

The article charts the notion of statehood emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, considering the emotional repertoire and the themes addressed in the government’s crisis communication. The conception and performance of statehood and power in Italy during the COVID-19 emergency rely on four interrelated nodal points: (1) the state’s relationship to citizens, (2) the state’s relationship to regions and local governments, (3) the state’s relationship to politics and the Italian parliament, and (4) the state within international sphere. For each of those nodal points, we have analyzed relevant themes and rhetorical devices following a discourse-historical approach (DHA). Specific efforts have been made to identify the emotional repertoire mobilized by the Italian government in its communication. In the interplay between the dramatic context of crisis and an enduring trend toward the personalization of the government’s leadership, the source of legitimacy has shifted from traditional democratic procedures to the use of emotional capital. The analysis of the Italian government’s communication reveals the features of the emotional capital used during the pandemic, like the ability to display empathy toward citizens’ sufferings, the will to engage in dialog with social stakeholders, confidence in expertise, and the pride and determination to negotiate within the EU. The article concludes that the performance of the prime minister in expressing his emotional states has nurtured the conception of post-COVID statehood, consolidating his individual leadership and flawing the spaces of political conflict.

DOMESTIC WORK OR WORKING AT INFORMAL SECTOR: A STUDY OF WOMEN IN SEMNAN

Purpose: Present study aims to seek the reason why some women are working in the informal sector while the payment is meagre and there is neither insurance nor any bonus. Methodology: Answering the above question, a mixed-method was designed (Grounded theory and survey). Data was gathered by using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Due to research limitations, quota sampling was used. During this research, 14 interviews were conducted with employed women in the informal sector. Discussions were open-ended. In addition, 180 questionnaires were filled out by participants. Main findings: Findings indicated that these women have to choose between unpaid, endless domestic work and complex low-wage employment in the informal sector. They have to work because they want to have autonomy, and they feel a responsibility towards their family, especially their children. Despite the low payment, their job brought about a sort of empowerment for them. Working in the informal sector let them support their family and achieve emotional capital. If they do not work in the informal sector, they have to work at home as an unpaid worker of their family. Application of the study: Women's employment in the informal sector has increased quickly during recent years, so examining their working conditions, especially from the point of view of salaries and benefits, can be effective in improving their living conditions Novelty/Originality: The reason for the increase in demand for work in the informal sector, especially by women, is an issue that has never been explicitly addressed.

Building Personal Brand Equity

Sebagian leluhur kita—tokoh-tokoh pemimpin seperti kepala adat, kepala suku, ataupun penghulu (kepala/lurah kampung)—memiliki tradisi menanam pohon pinang di halaman depan rumah. Pohon itu kemudian tumbuh tegak lurus semampai. Pohon itu, selain memperindah halaman, juga melambangkan kelurusan budi, kesederhanaan watak, dan kejujuran si empunya rumah. —Daoed JOESOEF. Karakter diri yang baik—lurus budi, sederhana watak, dan jujur diri—selalu diajarkan oleh orangtua kita. Selanjutnya, kitalah yang memupuknya setiap hari dengan nilainilai penguat jenama (merek) diri. Dengan demikian, kelak karakter diri akan mengharumkan nama, meninggalkan jejak-jejak “kebaikan”. Nilai-nilai penguat jenama diri ini kami bagi dalam empat kelompok kapital, yaitu: 1. Modal intelektual (intellectual capital), meliputi kualitas personal dan keunikan; 2. Modal emosional (emotional capital), yaitu kemampuan melayani (serviceability); 3. Modal spiritual (spiritual capital), yaitu menepati janji, kejujuran, dan kepercayaan serta kredibilitas; 4. Modal keuangan (financial capital), yaitu harga diri/kebanggaan diri. Buku Building Personal Brand Equity: Berguru dari Falsafah Lokal untuk Meningkatkan Ekuitas Jenama Diri Anda ini mengajak Anda untuk memupuk kualitas diri agar menjadi insan yang memiliki kompetensi berbeda (distinctive competencies). Tidak hanya berbeda, tetapi kompetensi yang dimiliki juga harus mampu menjadikan Anda mau membantu orang lain yang membutuhkan. —Prof. Dr. Mahmuddin Yasin, MBA (Mantan Wamen BUMN

Development and Assessment of the Personal Emotional Capital Questionnaire for Adults

(1) Background: The present study developed and evaluated a personal emotional capital questionnaire (PECQ) for adults that assessed 10 domains of personal emotional capital. (2) Method: Initially, 100 items were created and then administered to students attending Semnan University and Semnan University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Of the 700 questionnaires distributed, 527 were completed in full. Students were sampledusing the multi-stage random cluster method. Exploratory factor analyses, Cronbach’s alpha, and test–retest reliability were used to evaluate the scale. (3) Results: The ten components ofthe PECQ were confirmed. Test–retest correlations after 30 days were high, as was Cronbach’s alpha (0.94). Thecomponents highly correlatedwith overall emotional capital. The PECQ displayed convergent validity as it positively correlated with the Keyes’s Mental Health Continuum—Short Form and students’GPAs. The PECQ displayed divergent validity as it negatively correlated with measures of depression, anxiety and stress (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS21)). Differences in overall PECQ scores and its components were examined for several variables including gender, age, marital and employment status, academic program, and field of study. PECQ scores were not sensitive to the order of administering questionnaires. (4) Conclusion: The results suggest that the PECQ is a valid and reliable measure of personal emotional capital and supports its use in adults.

Introduction: The Alchemy of War

This chapter asserts that a recurring theme throughout the history of war — although not necessarily always the most prominent one — concerns the efforts of belligerents to somehow limit, minimize or evade the various liabilities associated with its conduct. It argues that vicarious warfare is an extreme form of the strategic alchemy, and contemporary America is its most enthusiastic guild. The chapter then elaborates the symbol of the squared circle in alchemy which represented the elements that would combine to create the philosopher's stone. It employs a similar idea to capture the way actors seek to 'produce' less burdensome wars through reduced costs and requirements, whether in terms of, among other things, blood, treasure, political capital or material resources. In war, this translates into a form of denial with regard to the serious costs that might have to be incurred or the level of investments in material, social, political and even emotional capital required to realize objectives, resulting in a mismatch between ends and means. Ultimately, the chapter charts the emergence of America's general preference to fight its wars: delegating fighting to proxies, limiting the exposure of its own military forces to danger, and operating in the shadows through the use of special forces, covert practices and evolving offensive cyber techniques.

Socio-Cultural Factors and the Work Environment

Employees are affected not only by internal organizational environments but also by external ones such as family, community, and society. Social and cultural factors affect how employees are viewed by others in the organization as well as how they respond to their work environments. Immigrants, in particular, are affected by their acculturation processes. Thus, when employees negotiate organizational workplaces, they need to factor in the influence of socio-cultural forces. Stereotyping is one way in which the external environment is manifest in workplaces. It has been found to be persistent, influential, and deeply impactful on careers. Stereotypes are affected by social and cultural factors, and in turn, they affect workplaces by shaping employees' perceptions and experiences. At the same time, the external environment can also present positive attributes for employees, for instance by being a source of social and emotional capital.