Community Psychology Perspectives on Social Capital Theory and Community Development Practice

The quality of crowdsourcing virtual community and users' voice behavior: An analysis of stimulus-organism-response framework among Chinese users

The quality of a crowdsourcing virtual community is an essential factor that stimulates users' perceptions of belonging and attachment to the community, thereby influencing their behavior. As a prerequisite for the development of "creative crowdsourcing," it is particularly important to study how users' voice behavior can be promoted in virtual communities. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework and the Social Identification Theory, this study developed a conceptual model that investigates the impact of crowdsourcing virtual communities in system, information, interaction, and service quality on users' voice behavior. Furthermore, we introduce community identification and self-disclosure to further analyze the influencing mechanism between these two variables. Data were collected through 672 survey questionnaires from participants in well-known crowdsourcing virtual communities such as Xiaohongshu, Bilibili, Haier Hope, Test Baidu, and Test China. Using hierarchical regression and bootstrap analysis, we found a positive correlation between the quality of the crowdsourcing virtual community and users' voice behavior, with community identification acting as a mediator. Furthermore, self-disclosure showed a significant moderating effect on the relationship between community identification and voice behavior. These findings significantly contribute to the theoretical landscape by advancing the SOR framework within a virtual community. This not only deepens the understanding of the quality of the crowdsourcing virtual community, but also provides theoretical and practical implications for managers and users on how to promote voice behavior.

Academic Motivation of Students Experiencing Person-Environment Misfit in Social Work Educational Settings: The Role of Social Dominance Orientation

Interweaving social dominance, person-environment fit, and self-determination theories, the present study sought to understand whether the attrition between students' levels of social dominance orientation and the hierarchy-attenuating function of the social work faculty in which they study may influence students' academic motivational pathways. A total of 221 undergraduate social work students participated in the study and completed a self-report questionnaire. Participants' social dominance orientation, person-environment misfit, and academic intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were measured. Results indicated that students' social dominance orientation was associated with an external rather than an internal regulation of their academic motivation, mediated by their perceived person-environment misfit. For those students who personally support group-based inequalities, exposure to hierarchy-attenuating contexts would lead to regulating their academic behavior toward the pursuit of extrinsic (vs. intrinsic) goals, that is, studying to gain financial benefits and social prestige, in accordance with the pursuit of their beliefs of social dominance.

Searching for the Metaverse: Neuroscience of Physical and Digital Communities

What distinguishes real-world communities from their online counterparts? Social and cognitive neuroscience research on social networks and collective intentionality will be used in the article to answer this question. Physical communities are born in places. And places engage "we-mode" neurobiological and cognitive processes as behavioral synchrony, shared attention, deliberate attunement, interbrain synchronization, and so on, which create coherent social networks of very different individuals who are supported by a "wisdom of crowd." Digital technologies remove physical boundaries, giving people more freedom to choose their activities and groups. At the same time, however, the lack of physical co-presence of community members significantly reduces their possibility of activating "we-mode" cognitive processes and social motivation. Because of this, unlike physical communities that allow interaction between people from varied origins and stories, digital communities are always made up of people who have the same interests and knowledge (communities of practice). This new situation disrupts the "wisdom of crowd," making the community more radical and less accurate (polarization effect), allowing influential users to wield disproportionate influence over the group's beliefs, and producing inequalities in the distribution of social capital. However, a new emergent technology-the Metaverse-has the potential to reverse this trend. Several studies have revealed that virtual and augmented reality-the major technologies underlying the Metaverse-can engage the same neurobiological and cognitive "we-mode" processes as real-world environments. If the many flaws in this technology are fixed, it might encourage people to engage in more meaningful and constructive interactions in online communities.

Social integration, solidarity, and psychological health of internally displaced persons in Cameroon: Exploring the role of community satisfaction

Background/Introduction

Conflict-induced displacement continue to be a pressing public policy concern due to the adverse effects on the well-being of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Understanding the integration process of these individuals, particularly the role of solidarity and social integration in fostering a sense of belonging and improving their community experiences and psychological well-being, remains unclear. This study investigates the role of community satisfaction in the relationship among social integration, solidarity, and psychological health of IDPs in Cameroon.

Methods

Cross-sectional data from 428 displaced individuals in the Ntui subdivision, Cameroon, were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). This technique tested four latent variables: social integration, solidarity, community satisfaction, and psychological health.

Results

The results show a direct association between solidarity and both community satisfaction (β = 0.282; p < 0.001) and psychological health (β = 0.137; p < 0.01). Community satisfaction also has a direct relationship with the psychological health of the IDPs (β = 0.292; p < 0.001). An indirect effect of solidarity on psychological health through community satisfaction was observed (β = 0.084 (SE = 0.025, CI = [0.047, 0.129], p < 0.001)). However, no mediational effect of community satisfaction was found on the association between social integration and psychological health. The model accounted for 7% of the variance in community satisfaction (R2 = 0.07) and 20% of the variance in psychological health (R2 = 0.20). Conclusion: The findings indicate a strong sense of solidarity among the displaced persons in the studied communities in Cameroon, which promotes their psychological health via community satisfaction. As such, interventions should aim to foster solidarity among displaced persons to enhance their community experiences and psychological health.

The theatre as therapy for military veterans? Exploring the mechanisms which impact psychosocial well-being and social connections during theatre-based programmes

BACKGROUND

In many countries, performing arts and theatre practices are being employed with Armed Forces Communities. However, very little evidence exists outlining the psychosocial benefits of this practice. Therefore, this study aims to explore the perceived impact of theatre-based programmes on psychosocial well-being, and social connections, of U.K. Military Veterans.

METHODS

This qualitative study carried out semi-structured interviews with six military veterans who had participated in at least one theatre-based programme.

RESULTS

Four themes were generated from this study; providing a purpose, therapeutic storytelling, social connection, and the impact of the programme ending.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided unique insight into the benefits of theatre-based programmes on the psychosocial well-being of U.K. military veterans. The programmes were perceived as being beneficial for future employment opportunities, but the ending of these programmes was difficult for some and must be considered alongside provision.

Between wellness and fairness: The mediating role of autonomous human choice and social capital in OECD countries

Theoretical arguments and empirical evidence have been provided in the literature for the role of fairness in wellness. In this paper, we explore the role of two potential mediating variables: autonomous human choice and social capital. Using aggregated panel data across countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), we compared the OECD Social Justice Index (SJI) with data on life satisfaction to test whether fairness has direct and indirect effects on wellness. Results from a series of Manifest Path Analyses with time as fixed effect, support the hypothesis that the OECD SJI is directly linked to country-level life satisfaction, additionally revealing that its indirect effect operates primarily through people's autonomous choices in life and their country's level of social capital. Our results contribute to two distinct bodies of knowledge. With respect to community psychology, the findings offer empirical evidence for the synergistic effect of personal, relational, and collective factors in well-being. With respect to the impact of economic inequality on wellness, we extend the literature by using social justice as a more comprehensive measure. Limitations and recommendations for future studies are discussed.

Exploring the effects of social capital on the compulsive use of online social networks in civil unrest contexts

The use of online social networking sites has become part of everyday life for more than three billion people worldwide. However, its use may go beyond being a habit, leading to compulsive use behaviours that jeopardize the well-being of an individual and the whole society. This study proposes and evaluates a theoretical model that examines the four dimensions of social capital, mediated by bonding and bridging social capital, as drivers of compulsive use of online social networks in the context of civil unrest. We evaluate the model using partial least squares structural equation modelling with data collected from a developing country. We found that reciprocity is the most important driver for bonding and bridging social capital with online members. Whereas trust, contradicting most of the literature in the field, was not statistically significant over bonding and bridging social capital. Bonding social capital shows a significant association with compulsive use behaviour. On the other hand, the effect of bridging social capital on compulsive use behaviour, although not significant, may become significant in the presence of a strong usage habit.

Third Places, Social Capital, and Sense of Community as Mechanisms of Adaptive Responding for Young People Who Experience Social Marginalization

Many young people who experience social marginalization (such as young people of color, who identify as LGBTQ, and who have experienced housing instability, among others) have often faced significant trauma exposure and social oppression and may endure subsequent adverse impacts on their well-being. Conversely, many such young people exhibit adaptive responding-the ability to maintain well-being through and despite such contextual constraints. This theoretical paper illustrates a conceptual model for how third places-public settings which offer sociability and community connection-may foster adaptive responding through the mutually constitutive (i.e., mutually reinforcing and interrelated) mechanisms of psychological sense of community and social capital. As prior work on third places has not considered the social marginalization which many young people face, especially in public settings, this theoretical model also considers how social policing in third places potentially moderates the mutually constitutive relationships between participation in third places, social capital, and psychological sense of community. This paper ends with a proposed research agenda, which may empirically test this theoretical model and its assumptions through future model development. Lastly, key considerations for policy and practice are offered, with particular attention to how young people may be affirmed and welcomed in third places rather than socially policed.

Collective action components of low-cost housing: an empirical analysis using Ostrom's SES framework

Purpose

To date, low-cost housing held under the common-property regime is faced with various collective action or management issues in relation to common facilities. Understanding and unpacking key collective action components in a multi-dimensional and systematic fashion that help explain the status quo of the complex low-cost housing management is crucial, particularly in identifying potential factors contributing to the suboptimal self-governing outcome. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the collective action of low-cost housing in Malaysia using Ostrom's institutional analysis development and social-ecological system framework (IAD-SES framework) as a theoretical framework.

Design/methodology/approach

First, a mixed-method research design was adopted where issues relating to the management of common properties of low-cost housing were identified in the Malaysian context. Second, the components of Ostrom's IAD framework relevant to collective action were identified. Third, after interviewing six experts in the housing industry via semi-structured interviews, two more components (historical development/adaptability to new environment and ethnicity) were added to the questionnaire survey. From here, 633 respondents who lived in four low-cost housings in Kuala Lumpur from 1,598 households were surveyed in 2012. We then merged the IAD framework with the SES framework. Factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha analysis were conducted to uncover the underlying variables and the social ecological clusters that they belonged.

Findings

With average Cronbach's alpha of 0.83, the seven key SES components identified are able to cumulatively explain 71% variance of local collective action components. Based on the cumulative percentage explained, the top five key SES components are as follows: context (social, economic and political settings); ethnicity; outcome; resource system; and users characteristics.

Originality/value

This study identifies key components related to the collective action issues of low-cost housing management, where two additional components were also suggested to be added to the SES framework. Apart from the theoretical contribution, the study, serving as insights and potential solutions, is also of practical significance to the existing management practices of low-cost housing in Malaysia where policymakers and management corporations may prioritize primary SES components, helping them govern common properties more efficiently.

Primary health care clinics as catalyst to community building and health among residents in low income housing units

BACKGROUND

This paper focuses on the identified value of a community-based project (CBP), including residents' living within low income housing units and their reported experiences of receiving health and social services within two communities by nurse practitioners (NPs) and its impact on their communities.

OBJECTIVE

To gain insight into the lived experience of residents in the housing units from a collaborative interprofessional care approach provided in a clinic situated within each housing unit, in integrating health and social services within the residents' own 'community' and its outcomes.

DESIGN

A qualitative descriptive study to gain insight into the shared views of care informants.

SETTINGS

Two low income housing units in xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-two residents representing all genders who lived in the housing units.

METHODS

A purposive sampling of willing residents participated in a focus group interview. Each group comprised from 4 to 6 persons. Two focus group interviews occurred in each of the two housing units.

RESULTS

Their voices resulted in identification of two themes - clinic as a catalyst to creating a sense of community and clinic as assisting them in managing their overall health. Two subthemes were also identified within each theme.

CONCLUSION

Findings provide insight into the value of CBP, that a strengths-based and interprofessional care approach can serve as a catalyst for an evolving community.

Basque Ethnic Identity and Collective Empowerment: Two Key Factors in Well-Being and Community Participation

Social identity is a factor that is associated with well-being and community participation. Some studies have shown that ethnic identity goes along with empowerment, and that interaction between the two leads to greater indices of well-being and community participation. However, other works suggest a contextual circumstance (i.e., perceiving one's own group as a minority and/or being discriminated) may condition the nature of these relations. By means of a cross-sectional study, we analyzed the relations of social identification (or identity fusion) and collective psychological empowerment with personal well-being, social well-being and community participation in a sample of Basques. A total of 748 Basques participated (63.1% women; age M = 39.28; SD = 12.13). Individuals who were highly identified or fused with Basque speakers and who were highly empowered showed higher indices of well-being (both personal and social) and of community participation than non-fused individuals with low empowerment. The results also suggest that social identification (or identity fusion) offsets the negative effects of perceiving the group as a linguistic minority. Collective psychological empowerment proved to be an especially relevant factor that needs to continue to be explored.

Individual and Community Engagement in Response to Environmental Challenges Experienced in Four Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods

Low-income urban communities, and the individuals that live within them, continue to face disproportionate interconnected social, economic, and environmental challenges related to their built, natural, and social environments. The aim of our phenomenological research study was to elevate the experiences of residents living in low-income urban neighborhoods in terms of their communities' environmental challenges. Our objectives were to (1) identify challenges across neighborhoods, (2) identify ways individuals and communities are addressing those challenges, and (3) assess the individual and collective efficacy and engagement of communities to lead environmental improvements in neighborhoods. This study brings forward the voices that are often ignored or misunderstood in these communities and uses an ecological-social perspective. We conducted focus groups (N = 68) in four low-income urban neighborhoods across two Ohio cities in the United States. Participants described five key challenges in their communities: Pollution, abandoned buildings with associated crime, low food access and health concerns, trash and illegal dumping, and lack of trees. We assessed engagement and efficacy using two frameworks focused on individual and community readiness to engage in and lead community change. Policymakers should acknowledge the valuable contributions and leadership capacity of residents in low-income communities to implement environmental initiatives.

Social Capital in Community Organizing for Land Protection and Food Security

Since 2016, the Thai Government has pursued a twenty-year national economic growth policy, Thailand 4.0, promoting innovation and stimulating international investment through the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project. The EEC project involves significant land acquisition resulting in the need to relocate villagers with potential impact on food security in a major food production area. This research explored the concerns of a local farming community regarding the potential loss of their farmland and means of livelihood under the EEC project using a case study in Ban Pho District of Chachoengsao (CCS) province. It described their resulting action to protect their farmland using community organizing. Data was collected through documents, observation and semi-structured interviews of key stakeholders. The results demonstrate the role of social capital in community organizing. We contend that high social capital stock is a necessary precursor to create conditions for community members to take steps to defend and protect their interests. This paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of social capital in community organizing in cases involving natural resource management.

From Roots to Results: A Qualitative Case Study of the Evolution of a Public Health Leadership Institute Building Capacity in Collaborating for Equity and Justice

Policy, systems, and environmental change are now widely accepted as critical to sustaining improvements in community health. Evidence suggests that such systems-level change is most effective when driven by community-based partnerships. Yet, after more than three decades of building community-based partnership work, health inequities have continued to deepen. To address health inequities, current and historical distributions of power are increasingly recognized as important considerations in efforts to ensure all individuals have the opportunity to attain their full health potential (i.e., achieving health equity). Building on social determinants of health literature, social injustice and powerlessness are put forth as fundamental causes of health inequities. Focusing on power as a root cause of health and health equity through application of Wolff and colleagues' six principles requires substantial changes in contemporary public health practice. This case study uses document analysis of a single case, the Community Teams Program, to assess the evolution of a statewide public health leadership program's efforts to build the capacity of coalition-based teams to catalyze community change in line with Wolff and colleagues' principles. Deductive, selective coding of the materials surface four themes in the program adaptations: (1) the need to focus on power as a root cause, (2) shifting power through relationship building, (3) storytelling as a way to shift narrative, and (4) building mechanisms into the curriculum that hold coalitions accountable for applying and sustaining learned skills. The themes demonstrate philosophical, pedagogical, and organizational changes to center power building approaches in health promotion. Findings are triangulated by reflections from the program director and recorded reflections of participants captured in existing evaluation data.

"The hook-up": How youth-serving organizations facilitate network-based social capital for urban youth of color

Young people of color residing in distressed urban contexts face challenges in accessing social capital that supports positive development and the transition to educational and employment opportunities. Youth-serving organizations play potentially important roles for youth participants to access and leverage networks. This ethnographic study draws on qualitative interviews, conducted with adolescents at a youth-serving organization based in East Oakland, California, to examine how network-based social capital is activated and sustained for and by urban Black and Latinx youth. We found that relationships with supportive adult staff at the organization put youth in contact with caring, trusted adults of color outside of their families who serve as role models for them. These adults provide loving accountability to young people, serving as critical forces in distressed and stigmatized communities. We also found that adult staff activate social leverage to garner various current and future educational and professional opportunities for the youth there. These unique opportunities serve to boost young people's current self-esteem and also to prime them to envision positive futures for themselves. Overall, these findings point to the importance of interpersonal pathways embedded within neighborhood institutions in the activation of network-based social capital.

The neighborhood story project: Co-creating learning, caring, and empowering environments

AIMS

The study examines the Neighborhood Story Project, a facilitated three-month action research project that engages residents in community change. In particular, this paper identifies design and facilitation elements that facilitated participant growth within the project.

METHODS

This constructivist multi-case study examines three Neighborhood Story Projects, all located in Nashville, TN. The analysis draws on observational, focus group and interview data.

RESULTS

Findings suggest that the intentional cocreation of a learning, caring, and empowering environment propelled member gains. The paper identifies specific design elements that fostered these conditions, suggesting a group-work practice model for intervening in gentrifying neighborhoods.

CONCLUSION

This study contributes to theory and practice related to group-level interventions in neighborhoods undergoing rapid demographic changes. Findings can be leveraged to better understand processes and strategies for fostering place attachments, social ties, and civic action.

Place and city: toward a geography of engagement

The relationship between sense of place, social capital and civic engagement has been studied in different disciplines. However, their association has been less examined, and their spatial relationship has been analyzed even less. This study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between these three concepts (i.e., sense of place, social capital and civic engagement). Furthermore, we analyze the crucial role that the spatial relationship between them plays. Using spatial data collected through a web map-based application, we adopt structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques to assess the repercussion that sense of place has on social capital and how the latter affects civic engagement. We find that sense of place is significant and positively correlated with social capital, while the latter also significantly explains civic engagement at the individual level. Furthermore, we observe a better statistical performance in almost all cases when a spatial relationship between the three constructs exists. Our research leverages SEM techniques, Geographic Information Science (GISc) methods, and participatory methodology to show the spatial connection between sense of place and social capital to explain civic engagement. Deriving and quantifying such meaning allows us to highlight the importance of their spatial dimension in city processes such as participation.

Communal peace in Bangladesh after Rohingya crisis: An assessment of different approaches to community development

The recent persecution of Rohingyas, a Muslim ethnic minority group of Western Rakhine state, by state military has forced more than half a million people to take refuge in Bangladesh. It has sparked tension between Muslims and Buddhists in Bangladesh as different research and mass media reports illustrated the role of Buddhist nationalist groups in the massacre of Rohingyas. Thus, Bangladesh is vulnerable to communal violence not only based on religion but also based on ethnic, class, race, and national identity. This paper reviews existing community development theories to assess potential approaches' capability of ensuring communal peace in Bangladesh. The assessment includes the analysis of major community development theories and approaches and their applicability to a given context. The analysis argues that due to the scarcity of assets and resources community development approaches in a humanitarian crisis need some external intervention and bureaucratic supervision. Otherwise, it would be difficult to deploy any community development approach to ensure communal peace leading to sustainable development.

The role of community psychology in Christian community development

This project examines the connections between community psychology and faith-based community development. We investigate whether and how 4 major principles of community psychology-neighboring, sense of community, empowerment, and citizen participation-are found in the theory and philosophy of practice of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), a national faith-based community development network. We employ content analysis of four official CCDA publications to identify whether and how these four principles are embedded in the organization's espoused principles of practice. Our findings are as follows: (a) All four principles are found within CCDA theory and philosophy of practice, with the greatest emphasis on neighboring and sense of community and a less robust application of empowerment and citizen participation; (b) CCDA primarily focuses on the individual-level impact of these principles; and (c) CCDA Bases their application of these principles in Christian scripture and tradition. Our results indicate that the field could be strengthened by examining religious approaches to these principles and considering how organizations engage these concepts in both the theory and the practice. Additionally, faith-based organizations may foster a more effective application of these concepts in their social change efforts by partnering with community researchers and practitioners.

Measuring Neighborhood Quality of Life: Placed-Based Sustainability Indicators in Freiburg, Germany

There has been a recent upswing of academic interest in the social dimensions of sustainable cities, especially the dynamics of Quality of Life (QoL), Environmental Equity, Ecosystem Services, Eco-Friendliness, Public Engagement, and Well-Being and Happiness Indicators. These factors are only now being evaluated as critical aspects of sustainable place-making and community development. This paper explores the social dimensions of neighborhood development in what some believe to be one of the most sustainable cities—Freiberg, Germany. We look at two neighborhoods that were specifically designed and built with sustainability principles and practices at their core. The authors surveyed residents of these neighborhoods to measure their levels of well-being, satisfaction with place, and other important QoL factors. Quantitative data was ascertained from residents using a survey questionnaire. The results show a high correlation between QoL factors as a function of place-making and sustainability practice.

Resilience in risk communication networks: Following the 2015 MERS response in South Korea

This study investigates regional and local governmental agencies resilience in their use of risk communication with other governmental agencies. Analyses are based on the case of South Korea's response to the 2015 outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus. Based on a survey of governmental organizations, the study indicates that governmental agencies seek either reciprocal or redundant communication ties with other governmental agencies while they aim to secure crucial information from high‐level organizations to tackle the transboundary nature of the infectious disease during the outbreak response. Semi‐structured interviews with South Korean officials confirm that subnational governmental agencies rely on the national government and also seek information from other regional and local agencies to improve the resilience in interagency risk communication and to prevent the further transmission of the infectious disease in their local jurisdictions. This study empirically demonstrates how governmental agencies cope with the uncertainty of infectious disease transmission by expanding risk communication channels when hierarchical communication channels and information systems do not meet the needs of outbreak response. The research findings contribute to the understanding of the interactions across organizations in addressing the needs of public health crises that are transboundary in nature and provide important lessons for outbreak responses in South Korea as well as in other countries.

Exploring the role of social capital in urban citizens' initiatives in the Netherlands

OBJECTIVE

This research explores the role of social capital in urban citizens' initiatives in the Netherlands, by using in-depth interviews.

METHOD

Social capital was operationalized as shared norms and values, connectedness, trust and reciprocity.

RESULTS

The findings show that initiatives form around a shared idea or ambition (shared norms and values). An existing network of relationships (connectedness) is needed for an idea to emerge and take form. Connectedness can also increase as a result of an initiative. Some level of trust between people needs to be present from the start of the initiative. For the initiative to persist, strong in-group connections seem important, as well as a good balance between investments and returns. This reciprocity is mainly about intangible assets, such as energy and friendship.

CONCLUSION

This study concludes that social capital within citizens' initiatives is both a prerequisite for the formation of initiatives and a result of the existence of initiatives.

Local Government Capacity to Respond to Environmental Change: Insights from Towns in New York State

Local governments attempting to respond to environmental change face an array of challenges. To better understand policy responses and factors influencing local government capacity to respond to environmental change, we studied three environmental issues affecting rural or peri-urban towns in different regions of New York State: climate change in the Adirondacks (n = 63 towns), loss of open space due to residential/commercial development in the Hudson Valley (n = 50), and natural gas development in the Southern Tier (n = 62). Our analysis focused on towns' progression through three key stages of the environmental policy process (issue awareness and salience, common goals and agenda setting, policy development and implementation) and the factors that affect this progression and overall capacity for environmental governance. We found that-when compared to towns addressing open space development and natural gas development-towns confronted with climate change were at a much earlier stage in the policy process and were generally less likely to display the essential resources, social support, and political legitimacy needed for an effective policy response. Social capital cultivated through collaboration and networking was strongly associated with towns' policy response across all regions and could help municipalities overcome omnipresent resource constraints. By comparing and contrasting municipal responses to each issue, this study highlights the processes and factors influencing local government capacity to address a range of environmental changes across diverse management contexts.

Interfaith Groups as Mediating Structures for Political Action: A Multilevel Analysis

This study investigates interfaith groups from across the United States to understand how these religious settings may serve as mediating structures to facilitate individual political action. Based on a multilevel modeling analysis with 169 individuals from 25 interfaith groups, we found that core activities of the group, such as group members sharing community information (e.g., announcing upcoming events, political meetings, community issues) or sharing religious information (e.g., educating members about their religion) positively and negatively predicted individual political action as a result of group participation, respectively. Moreover, a sense that the interfaith group served as a community to work for local change, but not trust within the group, predicted political action as a result of group participation. However, this effect for a sense the group served as a community to work for local change was stronger and more positive as the degree of community information sharing in the group increased. These results show that a core activity of sharing community information may enhance the ability of a group to mediate political action. Overall, these findings demonstrate the potential role of interfaith groups to mediate political action, and show the importance of considering both individual and group characteristics when understanding these religious settings. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.

Elitism: normative ethics of local organisation in community-based natural resources management

Purpose

Local organisations have been established on participatory approach whose central purpose is to establish development activities bringing about positive change as four pillars of developments: to establish decentralised robust local organisation for sustainable forest management to enhance livelihood of rural people, to meet the forest products basic needs of local people, targeted interventions for poverty alleviation and social mobilisation initiatives and biodiversity conservation climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Design/methodology/approach

Local organisational elites designed/conceptualised the concept, where it can be operated organisationally and in local organisational context that provides new ways and methods to develop conceptual framework (Table I), which sheds light on involvement of poor and underprivileged members in decision-making process and distribution of benefit on equity basis.

Findings

The findings will lead to a positive change through the organisational elite model through both reorganising organisations and restructuring of power with change in the society and reduce the impact of rational choices, vested interests of elites (leaders of local organisation) and political factors, which are otherwise playing a game or tragedy of commons.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the limited resources and time, the authors are unable to verify it on the other development line agencies such as drinking water scheme, livestock, health and cooperative.

Practical implications

It considerably appears that the impacts are very sound to conclude from the review of above models of elites that provide a very clear understanding and useful conceiving lens to formulate how participation occurs in the executive committee of the community forestry user groups (CFUG) and community-based organisations based on three key elements. First are the caste and the caste structure of the community. Second is the wealth status of the individual, and third is power created both from wealth and caste. This should be determined from the local organisational elite model (Table I) about the nature of interactions on the executive of the CFUGs and other vehicles of local community-based development organisations.

Social implications

Local organisations will provide an opportunity in reality to both elites and non-elites to considerably change, make aware and create a realistic situation to determine the dialectical opportunity to develop relationship, interaction and configuration between elite and non-elite members both outside and inside of the local organisations.

Originality/value

It has not been found in literatures yet such sort of concept developed in development field particularly in the development activities performed by participation of local users. Hence, it is certainly original conceptual framework.

Social Capital and Fear of Crime in Adolescence: A Multilevel Study

Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the relationships between social capital (at the individual, the neighborhood, and the regional levels) and adolescents' fear of crime, while controlling for the main individual (sociodemographics, television viewing, and bullying victimization), neighborhood (neighborhood size and aggregated victimization), and regional (crime rate and level of urbanization) variables. Data were analyzed using a three-level model based on 22,639 15.7-year-old (SD = 0.67) students nested within 1081 neighborhoods and 19 Italian regions. The findings revealed that individual and contextual measures of social capital, modeled at the individual, neighborhood, and regional levels simultaneously, showed negative associations with adolescents' fear of crime. Males and participants with higher family affluence were less likely to feel fear of crime, whereas victimization, both at the individual and neighborhood levels, had a positive association with fear of crime. Strengths, limitations, and potential applications of the study are discussed.

Advancing Sustainability through Urban Green Space: Cultural Ecosystem Services, Equity, and Social Determinants of Health

Urban green spaces provide an array of benefits, or ecosystem services, that support our physical, psychological, and social health. In many cases, however, these benefits are not equitably distributed across diverse urban populations. In this paper, we explore relationships between cultural ecosystem services provided by urban green space and the social determinants of health outlined in the United States Healthy People 2020 initiative. Specifically, we: (1) explore connections between cultural ecosystem services and social determinants of health; (2) examine cultural ecosystem services as nature-based health amenities to promote social equity; and (3) recommend areas for future research examining links between urban green space and public health within the context of environmental justice.

Sources of organisational resiliency during the Thailand floods of 2011: a test of the bonding and bridging hypotheses

Based on the Institutional Collective Action framework, this research tests the impact of two competing hypotheses--bonding and bridging--on enhancing organisational resiliency. The bonding hypothesis posits that organisational resiliency can be achieved if an organisation works closely with others, whereas the bridging hypothesis argues that such a structure places considerable stress on an organisation and advocates for an organisation to position itself as a central actor to gain access to novel resources from a diverse set of entities to achieve resiliency. The paper analyses data gathered from semi-structured interviews with 44 public, private, and non-profit organisations serving communities affected by the Great Floods of 2011 in the Thai capital, Bangkok (urban), and in Pathum Thani (suburban) and Ayutthaya (rural) provinces. The findings suggest that: organisational resiliency was associated with the bridging effect; organisations in the rural province were more resilient than those in the suburban and urban centres; and private and non-governmental organisations generally were more resilient than public sector organisations. The findings highlight the importance of fostering multi-sector partnerships to enhance organisational resiliency for disaster response.

Local environmental grassroots activism: contributions from environmental psychology, sociology and politics

Local environmental grassroots activism is robust and globally ubiquitous despite the ebbs and flows of the general environmental movement. In this review we synthesize social movement, environmental politics, and environmental psychology literatures to answer the following questions: How does the environment emerge as a topic for community action and how a particular environmental discourse (preservation, conservation, public health, Deep Ecology, justice, localism and other responses to modernization and development) becomes dominant? How does a community coalesce around the environmental issue and its particular framing? What is the relationship between local and supralocal (regional, national, global) activism? We contrast “Not in My Back Yard” (NIMBY) activism and environmental liberation and discuss the significance of local knowledge and scale, nature as an issue for activism, place attachment and its disruption, and place-based power inequalities. Environmental psychology contributions to established scholarship on environmental activism are proposed: the components of place attachment are conceptualized in novel ways and a continuous dweller and activist place attachment is elaborated.

Transforming individual civic engagement into community collective efficacy: the role of bonding social capital

Collective efficacy is defined as residents' perceived collective capacity to take coordinated and interdependent action on issues that affect their lives. This study explored factors associated with neighborhood collective efficacy among residents. Utilizing a national sample of 4,120 urban households provided by Annie E. Casey Foundation's Making Connection Initiative, we investigated the mediating role of residents' perceptions of bonding social capital (i.e. reciprocity, trust, and shared norms) in the association between civic engagement and collective efficacy. Multiple regression analyses revealed that civic engagement and bonding social capital were both directly related to collective efficacy. Additionally, bonding social capital partially mediated the relationship between civic engagement and collective efficacy. Specifically, residents who reported greater levels of civic engagement also reported higher levels of bonding social capital. In turn, residents who reported higher levels of bonding social capital also reported higher levels of neighborhood collective efficacy. We discuss implications of these findings for researchers and practitioners interested in associations of neighborhood collective efficacy.

Temperament as a moderator of the effects of parenting on children's behavior

This study examined the role of child temperament as moderator of the effect of parenting style on children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors. A series of structural equation models were fit to a representative sample of 2,631 Canadian children from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. In addition to testing for the presence of Temperament × Parenting interactions, these models also examined the direct and indirect effects of a number of additional contextual factors such as neighborhood problems, neighborhood cohesion, social support, and maternal depression. The results indicate that exposure to more positive parenting reduces behavior problems in children with difficult/unadaptable temperaments. No moderating effects of temperament on hostile parenting were found. Such results serve to highlight the pivotal role of positive features of the rearing environment as catalysts for the successful adaptation of children with difficult/unadaptable temperaments. The results of this modeling work also serve to emphasize the importance of considering the ways in which more distal factors can affect children's behavioral adaptation by contributing to changes in proximal family processes.

Religious congregations and social justice participation: a multilevel examination of social processes and leadership

Religious congregations have potential to be mediating structures for social justice participation. However, research has yet to examine the specific social processes or leadership characteristics within congregations that may promote social justice participation. In this study, we use data from 176,901 participants nested within 1,938 congregations to test how social processes (i.e., religious attendance at worship services, extra-worship participation, bonding social capital, a congregational norm for justice) and leadership characteristics (i.e., leader modeling of justice, horizontal leadership style) predict personal social justice involvement through the congregation (i.e., participation in social justice activities sponsored by the congregation) as well as personal social justice involvement outside the congregation (i.e., participation in social justice activities not sponsored by the congregation). We use multilevel logistic regression to examine these social processes and leadership characteristics at both individual and congregational levels of analysis. Results showed distinct patterns of associations at individual and congregational levels of analysis and that different social processes and leadership characteristics predicted personal social justice participation through or outside the congregation. These findings reveal the importance of social processes and leadership characteristics in understanding how congregations may mediate social justice participation. Implications for community psychology research and practiced also are discussed.

Religious networking organizations and social justice: an ethnographic case study

The current study provides an innovative examination of how and why religious networking organizations work for social justice in their local community. Similar to a coalition or community coordinating council, religious networking organizations are formal organizations comprised of individuals from multiple religious congregations who consistently meet to organize around a common goal. Based on over a year and a half of ethnographic participation in two separate religious networking organizations focused on community betterment and social justice, this study reports on the purpose and structure of these organizations, how each used networking to create social capital, and how religion was integrated into the organizations' social justice work. Findings contribute to the growing literature on social capital, empowering community settings, and the unique role of religious settings in promoting social justice. Implications for future research and practice also are discussed.

Family affluence, school and neighborhood contexts and adolescents' civic engagement: a cross-national study

Research on youth civic engagement focuses on individual-level predictors. We examined individual- and school-level characteristics, including family affluence, democratic school social climate and perceived neighborhood social capital, in their relation to civic engagement of 15-year-old students. Data were taken from the 2006 World Health Organization Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey. A sample of 8,077 adolescents in 10th grade from five countries (Belgium, Canada, Italy, Romania, England) were assessed. Multilevel models were analyzed for each country and across the entire sample. Results showed that family affluence, democratic school climate and perceived neighborhood social capital positively related to participation in community organizations. These links were stronger at the aggregate contextual than individual level and varied by country. Canadian youth participated most and Romanian youth least of the five countries. Gender predicted engagement in two countries (girls participate more in Canada, boys in Italy). Findings showed significant contributions of the social environment to adolescents' engagement in their communities.

Toward relational empowerment

Psychological empowerment has been theorized as a construct with emotional, behavioral and cognitive components. Yet, many studies have stressed that empowerment processes are contingent on interpersonal relationships. Moreover, theory suggests that power is developed and exercised through relationships. This article makes the case that expanding our conceptions of psychological empowerment through the addition of a relational component can enhance our understanding of psychological empowerment and the effectiveness of empowerment-oriented community practice. Previous research on empowerment is reviewed for relational content, and additional insights into the relational context of empowerment processes are marshaled from other concepts in community research including social capital, sense of community, social networks, social support, and citizen participation. A new iteration of the nomological network for psychological empowerment is presented, including the elements of a relational component.

Sense of community, neighboring, and social capital as predictors of local political participation in China

This study examines the state of sense of community, neighboring behavior, and social capital in the People's Republic of China, and explores their ability to predict local political participation, in the form of voting in elections for Urban Resident/Rural Villager Committees. Using a nationally representative survey, rural, older and married residents and those with a primary or high school education and higher perceived socio-economic status are more likely to participate. In rural areas, men are more likely than women to vote. For urban residents, knowing one's neighbors is more important whereas in rural areas, neighboring behavior is more important, but both predict voting. Social capital does not generally predict Chinese people's local political participation. Western definitions of social capital derived from theories about networking, bonding and bridging ties may be too culturally individualistic for China, whose collectivist society and agrarian kinship networks predate Communism. Simply knowing and helping one's neighbors, rather than more abstract notions of trust, reciprocity or membership, may lead to the development of local democracy.