社会资本与社区治理：城市社区中的制度、组织与价值

社会资本和社区、社区治理具有内在的关联性,城市社区面临的很多问题都与社会资本的缺失或下降有关,集中体现在社区空间、社区组织和社区文化层面上的社区社会资本。因此,城市社区社会资本要培育作为制度空间的社区公民社会、作为组织资源的社区民间组织、作为价值机制的信任、规范、互惠等社区公民文化,发挥居民、社区各社会组织、政府行政组织以及社区文化价值的功能,从而实现社区治理的共治、善治和长治。     

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.     

网络场域、文化认同与劳工关注社群:基于话题模型与社群侦测的大数据分析

基于“网络与文化”和关系社会学的理论,本文指出网络场域与所沟通的文化内容之间存在互构关系。本文使用话题模型分析了关注劳工议题的用户所发布的51 288条博文,结果显示,劳工话题大致涉及以下几方面：文化与公益、工人的困境与问题、维权行动与工人组织、制度与劳工权。对用户间互动模式的社群侦测揭示了5个主要社群,结合社群关注的议题,作者将其称为：工人家园社群、工人维权社群、工人文化社群、劳工制度关注社群、工人权益关注社群。本文进一步指出劳工研究领域的两个新趋势：（1）随着新生代工人群体的壮大,工人文化与城市融入等议题受到较多关注;（2）微博促进研究者与劳工组织的互动,在一定程度上有助于后者从制度层面反思工人的境况。最后,本文讨论了大数据分析在网络文化与社会心态研究中的应用。     

The mediating effect of civic community on social growth: The importance of reciprocity

This paper examines the effects of economic structural change on community social capital. The content of 156 interviews in Southern communities entrenched in the offshore oil economy, were used to investigate the consequences of industrial and civic restructuring on the social structure and social ties among local residents. The central finding is that population turnover and in-migration of workers demanded by a rapidly expanding economy enhances the density of weak tie networks within the community. However, the activation of these weak ties is highly dependent upon perceptions of future reciprocity from newcomers to the community by the entrenched members. Weak ties are important because they serve as a foundation for community members engaging in collective problem solving. Civic and social institutions can mediate the negative effects of rapid community growth shown. When newcomers are not integrated into the community, it may lead to exploitation and exclusion due to stigmatic labels.     

Bottom Up and Top Down? Community Development in Post‐Soviet Armenia: The Social Fund Model

The main objective of this article is to discuss the effectiveness of bottom‐up, community‐driven approaches in promoting community participation and building local capacity within the post‐Soviet social, institutional and political context of Armenia. In exploring this issue, the article examines the nature of local participation and social relations in rural communities in Armenia and the impact of the World Bank‐supported Armenia Social Investment Fund (ASIF) project on the existing forms of local social organization. One of the objectives of the ASIF project was to promote the participation of local communities in their own economic and social development. The research finds that the project did not change the existing patterns of local social organization and had no significant impact on the nature of participation in the beneficiary communities. Bottom‐up, capacity‐building interventions that mainly focus on changing patterns of interpersonal social relations may not be effective in fostering sustainable civic institutions without changes in the nature of a country's governance.     

Protective indigenous collective value of Ubuntu and child neglect: Implications for rural child protection practice

Theories on collective efficacy and social support suggest that indigenous values that support collective practices and sanction community obligations to childcare would be protective against child neglect. Likewise, new qualitative findings show that collective values are stronger in rural areas than in urban. This study tested the claims that the value of Ubuntu, which is a symbolic cultural value of ‘being for others’, will be protective against the likelihood of neglect; this relationship will be stronger in rural compared with urban communities in Ghana. Using data obtained from a nationally representative sample of 1100 mothers (from 22 communities) in Ghana, we tested the claims using fixed effects logistic regression. The Ubuntu norms were significantly endorsed in rural communities compared with the urban. The overall model showed that higher levels of Ubuntu are associated with lower odds of child neglect (OR .47, [.29, .76] p < 0.05), and the relationship remained significant only in the rural sample (OR .13, [.06, .31] p < 0.001). Similar evidence was recorded for the Ubuntu norms of community care and compassion. The results suggest that child protection in rural Ghana can be fruitful when interventions are developed to boost the value of Ubuntu and the norms of collective childcare.     

Pathways to age-friendly communities in diverse urban neighborhoods: Do social capital and social cohesion matter?

ABSTRACT

Using a social capital and social cohesion lens, we reposition the concept of civic engagement among older adults to examine pathways for building age-friendly communities. We analyzed data drawn from a Community-Based Participatory Research study in the Southern U.S. that explored lived experiences of older adults, age 55 and above, who participated in individual interviews (n = 15) and six focus group discussions (n = 45) to examine their perceptions of social identity, social connectedness, and civic engagement geared toward an age-friendly city. Findings indicated that several older adults had access to social networks and socially invested resources, thereby having opportunities for civic engagement and building age-friendly neighborhoods. However, social, cultural, linguistic, and structural barriers were more evident among certain diverse ethnic populations. Marginalized low-income minorities and immigrants, such as Hispanic participants, felt the lack of social cohesion among the larger society limited their ability to give back, thus decreasing their civic engagement activities. In contrast, Caucasian and African-American older adults were able to contribute to the political process through more civic participation activities. We provide implications for examining the role of social capital and social engagement to bolster civic engagement among older adults in building age-friendly communities.     

Citizenship,Civic Engagement and Property Ownership

In this paper we examine the relationship between citizenship, civic engagement and property ownership in Australia. We draw upon nationally representative survey data to examine this relationship by focusing upon empirically accessible issues. We examine the civic implications of different housing tenures, or what Troy (2000) refers to as the level of ‘citizen competence‘, and the tension between (private) ownership and (public) engagement in terms of membership and participation in a range of clubs and organisations. Lower levels of participation in charitable organisations among mortgage holders compared to people in other housing tenures questions the link between home buying (that is equated with private ownership), and a strengthening of community life. However, low participation rates in a clubs and organisations by public tenants, indicates that levels of social exclusion are higher in ‘residual’ public housing communities.     

Not a Solution at All? Communities and Social Policy

Bryson and Mowbray wrote about the uncritical use of the term community by governments in 1981 and ways in which ‘evidence‐based policy’ in relation to communities became little more than a ‘catchphrase’ in 2005. Both articles appeared in the Australian Journal of Social Issues. This paper reports research that utilised qualitative methods to gather data on subjective, practical meanings of community in one local government area of South Australia to assess the goodness of fit with the language of community contained in social policy. It is argued that in 2009, community, as it is applied by social policy makers, has little resonance with the large body of research around this topic or the current situation of individuals and families and this results in a poor match between the intentions and outcomes of social policies aimed at communities.     

Child Rights Practice among the Indigenous Communities in Bangladesh

The objective of this article was to explore the practice of child rights among the indigenous communities of Bangladesh. We used a mixed method approach to collect data from four ethnic communities in the Bandarban District of the Chittagong Division in Bangladesh. We questioned children, parents, community members, local leaders, and service providers of those communities on a number of child rights issues, for example, child education, child labor, child recreation and culture, parents' guidance to children for capacity development, and access to child rights at home and in the community according to Convention on the Rights of the Child treaty. The results showed that while the community was aware of child rights, financial vulnerability and a lack of social support meant that these rights could not be upheld in practice. The paper urges improvement of social support, including income generation activities for indigenous communities.     

Civic culture and socioeconomic development in the United States: a view from the states, 1880s-1990s

Putnam (1993) reported that the geographic distribution of civic culture in Italy has remained about the same for at least 100 years. He also found that civic culture at the turn of the century does a better job than socioeconomic development during the same period of explaining contemporary levels of civic culture and socioeconomic development. In this study, we extend the analysis of culture and development to the US states. Like Putnam, we find that civic culture is very durable, with the relative ranking of the states in terms of civic culture staying about the same over the last 100 years. Also like Putnam, we show that civic culture seems to influence socioeconomic development far more than the other way around. Taken together, the findings from Italy and the US are powerful evidence that civic culture is an important antecedent to socioeconomic development.     

Hardly Silent: Exploring Civic Engagement and Participation among a Panel of Adults Ages 85+

ABSTRACT

The past twenty years have seen a surge of resources for and public attention devoted to civic participation opportunities for older adults in the United States. At the same time, technology has transformed the way information related to political and social issues is spread and shared. As more older adults migrate to using a wider range of communication tools and the internet, technology-mediated forms of engagement represent a new way for the oldest old to participate in society. In this study, a panel of adults ages 85 and older was surveyed to understand their experiences engaging with political and social issues. Responses to a questionnaire (N = 24) and focus groups (n = 22) indicate the oldest old are interested in social and political issues, and there are opportunities for technology to facilitate the oldest olds’ civic and political action. This study identifies roles social workers may play in helping the oldest old engage with social and political issues in their communities.     

涂尔干:道德本原与现代潮流——以自杀类型为线索

与通常的看法不同,涂尔干的《自杀论》并不是一部通过统计分析达到实证性结论的“科学”著作,在《自杀论》的四种自杀类型背后,有着关于现代社会的完整的病理学分析。本文尝试从自杀类型入手,联系涂尔干有关道德教育与原始宗教的著作,揭示涂尔干有关人性与社会之健康道德本原的思想;另一方面则从文明史的角度出发,结合涂尔干关于法国中等教育史以及政治和法律史的讨论,深入发掘涂尔干对西欧现代社会之源起和演进的思考。在涂尔干看来,正是现代社会潮流的极端化发展,导致社会的种种危机与病态。要克服现代社会的这一危险倾向,必须回到历史来考察现代潮流的源起和演进,才能在变化的现实条件下接续传统,重建人心和道德秩序。     

Social capital and factors affecting civic engagement as reported by leaders of voluntary associations

In recent years, there have been substantial changes in levels and types of participation in voluntary associations. This paper reports findings from a series of in-depth interviews with the leaders of 32 state-wide voluntary associations in Texas. While the most influential studies of civic engagement and social capital have emphasized the role of culture and values, the data presented here indicate that economic variables are also of central importance. Work-related time constraints lead to decreased engagement. Developments such as forced voluntarism, the growing number of retirees, and corporate sponsored volunteering are changing the nature of civic engagement and some voluntary associations. There is evidence that younger volunteers are increasingly concerned with volunteering opportunities as means to pragmatic ends, such resume building.     

Conditions for migrant mothers' socioeconomic disadvantages in Hong Kong

The present study utilizes both survey and interview data to examine the socioeconomic disadvantages in terms of limited social support, poverty, and non-employment in migrant mothers in Hong Kong, China. It seeks to understand the disadvantages from a social distance perspective, which holds that social distance hinders access to employment, and social and formal support. This article surveyed 837 mothers living in two impoverished communities. A subsample of 72 migrant mothers participated in follow-up in-depth interviews. Findings indicate the socioeconomic disadvantages and reveal some local conditions for the disadvantages. Specifically, the norms of childcare and self-reliance, social stigmatization of welfare recipients, and remote residential community come to shape migrant mothers' experiences of caring for young children. These findings provide implications to social work practitioners for targeting migrant mothers to reduce their social distance from local community resources.     

Creating elder-friendly communities: preparations for an aging society

Because many communities where older people live were not designed for their needs, older residents may require support to remain in the least restrictive environment. "Age-prepared communities" utilize community planning and advocacy to foster aging in place. "Elder-friendly communities" are places that actively involve, value, and support older adults, both active and frail, with infrastructure and services that effectively accommodate their changing needs. This paper presents an analysis of the literature and results of a Delphi study identifying the most important characteristics of an elder-friendly community: accessible and affordable transportation, housing, health care, safety, and community involvement opportunities. We also highlight innovative programs and identify how social workers can be instrumental in developing elder-friendly communities.     

Political Participation and Cumulative Disadvantage: The Impact of Economic and Social Hardship on Young Citizens

In this article, we seek to provide the most comprehensive exploration to date of the effects of economic and social disadvantage on young citizens' voter turnout. We look at four overlapping domains of hardship—those rooted in (a) the family context, (b) the community context, (c) the school context, and (d) major events and life transitions. Our conceptual model of cumulative advantage/disadvantage identifies the different ways in which disadvantages can have cumulative effects on social outcomes generally and on civic participation in particular. Our framework also suggests how patterns of advantage and disadvantage may be mediated by social institutions. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Survey, we show that disadvantages rooted in the family have major impact on all groups of young citizens and that family disadvantage interacts with school disadvantage for whites. We also show that the effects of early parenthood, being arrested, and dropping out of school have differential effects depending on race. We also show that community colleges function as civic leveling institutions—especially for African American youth.     

经由社区服务培育社区软实力

在新的历史条件下,中国城市社区建设的重心发生了巨大的转变,即由注重社区物质基础设施"硬件"的建设逐渐转向了促进社区服务"软件"的发展。社区建设重心的转换,直接凸显了社区服务的地位与作用,客观上要求社区服务内容的拓展。城市社区公共服务具有公共性和社会性的属性。经由完善和发展社区公共服务,增强社区软实力,对于破解城市社区建设边缘化的困境具有重要的现实意义。     

Social Inclusion and Sport: Culturally diverse women's perspectives

Sport and recreation can help communities to build social inclusion and celebrate diversity. Yet some sport and recreation activities require conformity to social and cultural norms, risking suppressing difference and reinforcing inequality and exclusion. This paper explores these tensions by examining access and barriers to sport and recreation for a large group of Australian women: those from culturally diverse backgrounds. Qualitative data shows that while sport industry representatives justify catering primarily for a mainstream participant base, culturally diverse women identify barriers requiring strategic and targeted policy and program intervention. Implicating the spatial organisation of sport and recreation as sources of marginalisation, culturally diverse women highlight how access‐enhancing initiatives in public, commercial and community sport facilities can play key roles in promoting social inclusion.     

Social capital and community building through an electronic network

This paper describes a social policy experiment that explores current and potential links between trends in Australian public policy. The central example is provided by the implementation of a wired community set up in a low‐income public housing estate by an entrepreneurial not‐for‐profit internet service provider, InfoXchange. ‘Reach for the Clouds’, the wired community being established at Atherton Gardens in Fitzroy, Melbourne, is attractive to policy‐makers and funding bodies, combining community‐building, public‐private partnerships, self‐help and place‐based management. However, although the project is promoted as an exercise in community‐building through technology, many of the key assumptions are untested. It seems self‐evident that low‐income people who are socially and economically excluded would benefit from greater ‘connectedness’ with one another. However, it is not clear that such exchanges, online or off‐line, will build ‘community’. The paper attempts to establish some distinctions between online communities of interest and place based communities, untangling the relationship between social connectedness and models of social capital.