Bonding and Bridging Social Capital Development by Social Workers

ABSTRACT

Developing service users’ bonding and bridging social capital is an increasingly recognized role of social workers. A survey of 570 Chinese service users, sampled from 41 social service units in Hong Kong, provided data for the study. Results demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity in a confirmatory factor model about the measurement of bonding and bridging social capital development, mutuality, and assistance to the community. This evidence for the validity and usefulness of social capital development endorses social workers’ role in developing service users’ social capital. Further research needs to assess the generalizability of the present findings in other sociocultural settings.     

Church Attendance,Social Capital,and Black Voting Participation*

Objectives. We test the traditional studies of political participation that suggest enhanced education and income will help reduce the racial gap in voting. Methods. We adopt a Bayesian model to test the impact of education and income on both black and white racial groups. We also link the explanation of black voting participation to social capital. Results. We find that bonding and bridging social capital as well as human capital are all important in explaining white voting participation, but only bonding social capital, measured by church attendance, explained African‐American voting participation. Conclusions. We conclude that the utility of social capital theory and continuing significance of human capital theory must be considered in a racial context. In addition, our findings offer important implications about the continuing role of black churches for increasing social capital and political participation.     

集体性社会资本对社区参与的影响——基于多层次数据的分析

“社会资本的后果”是社会资本研究的一个重要议题。现有研究倾向于认为,中国城市社区中的集体性社会资本对社区参与具有积极的影响。本文认为,由于社会资本与社区参与都具有多个维度,两者的关系不能一概而论。基于2006-2007年在上海收集的调查数据,本研究使用多层次logistic回归模型考察了集体性社会资本对三种类型的社区参与（抗议型、体制化与公共型参与）的影响。统计结果证实了社会资本与社区参与之间复杂的联系。此外,对多层次模型的方差成份分析发现,社区社会资本可以解释60%或更多的社区间的差异。这说明,社区参与的影响因素不仅取决于居民的个人特征,还取决于居民所在的社区特征。     

Social capital and health at the country level

This study examines the relationship between social capital and health. We use various estimation methods such as pooled OLS, a split-sample approach, a quadratic regression, and fixed effects model to investigate country-level unbalanced panel data of 194 countries for the time period 1990–2015. The results support the negative effect of bonding social capital and the positive effect of bridging social capital on health. The effects are more pronounced in low income countries. The first contribution of the paper is to better explain the mixed results of previous studies by focusing on the distinction between the two types of social capital. The second contribution of the paper is to address endogeneity and nonlinearity problems and to capture dynamic change by using various econometric methods. The findings imply that the socio-economic effects of social capital are different depending on the type of social capital.     

社会资本理论视阈下的社会稳定问题研究

转型期的中国正处于矛盾多发期,对稳定社会秩序的追求已成为人们最大的利益。社会资本所蕴涵的诚信、规范有序和公民密集的参与网络,直接影响着社会稳定与和谐。当前,我国社会资本还存在着严重缺失和不均衡现象,制约着社会的良性运行和协调发展,对我国社会稳定的维护产生了极大地影响。因此,培育社会资本应当成为维护、增进社会稳定的一个重要视角。     

The Facets of Social Capital

The emergence of the two facets of social capital, the individual and the collective, has contributed to much of the confusion in the field of social capital. The overall objective of this article is to elaborate on a theoretical model aiming at clarifying some bridges between the facets and dimensions of social capital previously suggested in the literature. Initially, the article shortly presents and discusses some important definitions of social capital. Furthermore, limitations and shortcomings of previous definitions are discussed. Moreover, a theoretical model is elaborated on suggesting that social capital comprises social resources that evolve in accessible social networks or social structures characterized by mutual trust. This model also emphasises some of the potential dark sides of social capital. The presented definition does not definitively address the theoretical uncertainties in the field; however, it suggests that a resource‐oriented notion of social capital could be useful in bridging the facets of social capital.     

Social Capital, Social Funds and Poor Communities: An Exploratory Analysis

Social capital has captured the attention of social policy-makers and development administrators, with its emphasis on social relationships, civic participation, collaborative action and norms of reciprocity. Social funds support small-scale community-based development projects aimed primarily at reducing poverty. This article synthesizes the relevant literature and explores the nexus between social capital and social funds in relation to poor communities. Drawing upon primary research in Jamaica, the article reports the outcomes of eight social fund sub-projects that involved local organizations in community-driven development processes. It analyses the role of social networks and the influence of community power structures in social capital creation. Social policy implications of the findings are discussed.     

Risks and Resources: Social Capital among Social Assistance Recipients in Norway

Based on a nationally representative panel study covering the period 1985–2003, a Norwegian cohort is investigated with regard to the risks of receiving social assistance benefits. Traditionally, welfare dependency, poverty and receipt of social assistance have been explained by beneficiaries’ human capital deficits, the structural or institutional design of the welfare system, or the level of welfare benefits. This article investigates the potentially mediating effects of social capital on the risks of receiving social assistance in youth and young adulthood. In addition, the role of the institutional welfare design on the accumulation of social capital itself is examined. The resulting analyses suggest that even if individuals’ social capital is related to the risks of receiving social assistance, it is rather the respondents’ human capital and welfare recipiency in itself that are the driving force behind paths leading individuals into further social assistance recipiency. The article concludes with an analysis suggesting that the institutional design of the Norwegian social assistance benefits reduces social capital for the beneficiaries.     

农民工市民化的社会资本分析

农民工市民化是实现科学发展、构建和谐社会和推进城市化进程的重要途径。从社会资本的角度看,实现农民工市民化,应增强政府社会资本,发挥人力资本与社会资本的相互作用以不断提升农民工经济地位,引导农民工进入中小城市、融入社区和加入群众组织,扩大农民工的有序政治参与。     

More social than capital: Social capital accumulation through social network exchange among legal and unauthorized Mexican migrants

Social capital is frequently used to explain many policy related outcomes, but research has not adequately explained how it is accumulated. It is unclear whether the economic or social characteristics of others in a social network motivate social capital accumulation. This lack of understanding has called some to question social capital's efficacy. Employing data from a survey of randomly selected foreign-born Mexicans in Los Angeles County, the influence of social and economic characteristics of a migrant's social network members are estimated. Results suggest a negative association with social capital accumulation for Mexican migrants with a social network member outside their neighborhood. Having married social network members is positively associated for legal Mexicans, while having network members who work in occupations requiring more social skills is positively associated for unauthorized Mexicans accumulating social capital. Measures of human and financial capital are not associated with the probability of developing social capital.     

近朱者赤：基于社会网络分析方法的归国者跨国社会资本转移研究

本文基于同质性理论、同群效应和类聚效应,建立了归国者跨国资本转移机制的模型,并根据“千人计划”学者合作者网络,计算并分析了他们的跨国学术资本转移情况。结果表明,“千人计划”学者归国后积累了更多的学术社会资本;通过“三元闭包”机制,将国外学术社会资本转移至国内;归国后所积累的资本转移效率更高;通过资本转移,“千人计划”学者有助于打破聚簇密度,引发创新级联。本研究的意义在于提出了社会资本的转移模型和计算公式,发现社会资本的转移是一个弱关系到强关系、间接联系到直接联系的过程,并通过定量的方法研究了归国者所带来的社会影响。     

Social Capital and the Growth of the Nonprofit Sector*

Objectives. This article examines the extent to which nonprofit organizational foundings are determined by various forms of social capital. Our hypothesis is that, controlling for other relevant social, political, and economic factors, communities with higher levels of social capital should experience more extensive growth in their nonprofit sectors. Methods. Using data derived from the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey and the IRS “charitable organization” Business Master Files, we test our hypothesis using a negative binomial event count regression on nonprofit organization foundings in 284 U.S. counties in the year 2001. Results. We find that two core dimensions of social capital—political engagement and “bridging” social ties—have a significant impact on county‐level nonprofit foundings. Surprisingly, a key element of social capital in the literature, the level of interpersonal trust, does not lead to an increase in foundings of new not‐for‐profit organizations. Conclusions. This study provides further evidence of the strength of political engagement and bridging ties for the vitality of the community. It also shows that the different dimensions of social capital do not manifest a uniform effect on nonprofit sector growth. These results further demonstrate that the growth of a community's not‐for‐profit sector is dependent on a mix of ecological and environmental factors, especially preexisting organizational density, median household income, unemployment, and levels of governmental spending. Overall, social capital can usefully be seen as another key “environmental” factor in explanations of organizational foundings.     

是“关系”，还是社会资本

社会资本概念引入华人学界以来,其影响力使许多学者把它作为研究和解释中国人关系的路径,但在这种将“社会资本”与“关系”概念合并的趋势中有许多问题被遮蔽了。本文通过对社会资本与关系的各自抽象度、对应性和社会形态等的辨析,指出关系的研究基础是家庭本位的社会,而社会资本的研究基础是公民社会,它们在个体选择性、成员资格、公私利益、参与性和做人等方面都有差异。本文还探讨了关系及社会资本各自可能延伸出的研究方向。     

另一个视角下的信任

本文试图从社会资本的角度来探讨我国日益严重的信任问题。指出信任作为一种社会资本，对社会的发展起着极其重要的作用，从风险社会和社会转型当前两大时代背景来重新审视当前中国的信任问题。以“杀熟”、“三鹿事件”等事件为例，分析当前中国信任何以遭受破坏，并针对社会资本的建设，思考当前我国社会信任的重建。     

小组工作介入聋儿社会资本的重构

社会资本在聋儿成长中具有非常重要的作用。重构聋儿社会资本成为社会康复的核心内容。在聋儿听力康复过程中,由于聋儿游戏群体的缺失、家长的认识偏误以及家长社会资本的不足等原因,导致聋儿社会资本不足的问题非常突出。文章从小组工作视角出发,提出通过组建聋儿游戏群体,增进聋儿家长社会资本,重构聋儿社会资本的建议。     

论社会管理创新视阈下的社区矫正社会力量培育

社会转型时期的社会管理需要社会力量参与。社区矫正是社会管理创新在刑罚执行领域的重要体现,社区矫正需要社会力量参与的特点与社会管理创新不谋而合。应成立专门性质的民间组织进行社区矫正,发挥家庭的感化作用,用优惠政策鼓励企业吸纳社区矫正人员就业,建立高素质、多层次的志愿者队伍;探索建立社会力量参与社区矫正的长效机制。     

Formal Social Participation and Utilization of Community-based Services among Urban Elderly Chinese Living Alone in Shanghai,China

This research examined formal social participation among elderly Chinese adults living alone and the association between utilization of community-based services and formal social participation, which refers to participation in employment, volunteer jobs, and social groups. Using a secondary analysis on a survey data from a simple random sample of 228 adults aged 60 and older living alone in a Shanghai neighborhood, it was found that only small percentage of older adults living alone were involved in formal social participation. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that use of community-based services is significantly associated with formal social participation among elderly Chinese living alone. Thus, future policies and programs should focus on strengthening community-based services for elderly Chinese, to more effectively promote and facilitate their social participation.     

What's Social About Social Emotions?

This paper presents a new approach to the demarcation of social emotions, based on their dependence on social appraisals that are designed to assess events bearing on social concerns. Previous theoretical attempts to characterize social emotions are compared, and their inconsistencies highlighted. Evidence for the present formulation is derived from theory and research into links between appraisals and emotions. Emotions identified as social using our criteria are also shown to bring more consistent consequences for social behavior than nonsocial emotions. We conclude by considering ways of validating and refining our classification.     

The Impact of Social Capital on Labor Force Participation: Evidence from the 2000 Social Capital Benchmark Survey

Objectives . Few studies apply the concept of social capital to labor force participation. In this research, I study the relationship between friendship networks and labor force participation as represented by employment and hours worked. Methods . I test five hypotheses representing social capital with network structure, network quality, and network diversity using nationally representative data from the 2000 Social Capital Benchmark Survey. Since this survey enables comparisons across racial/ethnic and gender groups, I am also able to specify how social capital interacts with race/ethnicity and gender to influence labor force participation, while controlling for other prominent theoretical concerns such as human capital theory. Results . I find that friendship networks are generally positively related with increased labor force participation. Further, I find significant social capital differences based on race/ethnicity and gender. Conclusions . I illustrate that social capital can be applied across a broader racial/ethnic/gender spectrum. The findings suggest that programs that attempt to bring valuable labor market information to individuals and communities lacking employment–related information are likely to be effective in reducing inequality, especially if combined with programs for developing human capital.