This thesis examines the association between religiosity and academic achievement among adolescents. Recent research demonstrates a positive association between religiosity and academic success. However, some studies show that this is due to family and community factors; for example, variation in levels of family capital among religious affiliates may explain this association. Yet, whether religious factors affect academic achievement among adolescents may also be due to the concordance or discordance of religiosity among parents and their children. Using two years of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) (n=8,051), I examine the association between adolescent religiosity, parent religiosity, and academic achievement, in light of the effects of family and community capital. The results indicate that the association between student religiosity and academic achievement is largely due to family social capital, but the association between academic achievement and religious homogamy between parents and adolescents is largely independent of family and community social capital. In particular, the highest achievement is predicted when parents and adolescents report similar levels of religiosity; the lowest when parents report high religiosity and adolescents report low religiosity.

The research in this thesis investigates the relationship between social capital and the ability of a community food system (CFS) to contribute to broad community development goals. Social capital is understood to be an intangible resource that proliferates from strong relationships stocked with trust, reciprocity, and cohesiveness. This research presents a journey through the literature to provide an overview of community food systems, the anticipated benefits that can result from adequate expansion, and how the concept of "embeddedness" contributes to development between the CFS and the community at large. The concept of social capital is introduced and discussed as previous researchers have demonstrated the usefulness of social capital building in the context of community and economic development (CED). The literature suggests that social capital can help the community and economic development in six ways that are applicable to CFSs; resource sharing, entrepreneurial activity, human capital, supply chain performance, democratic participation, and economic development. It is proposed that if we wish to have strong CFSs then it is in our best interest to optimize these six attributes within the CFS, and therefore optimize the levels of social capital present in the CFS, too. Social capital in the context of CFS development has been investigated before, however, not from this point of view. I suggest a framework that uses the definition of social capital as one that pertains to the "norms and networks" of a community. This framework is useful in that it helps illustrate how researchers can investigate the level of social capital in a CFS and how that translates to CED gains. This research identifies the norms of a community as relational social capital (rSC) and the networks as structural social capital (sSC). Only rSC is measured in this research to explain the role of social capital in relation to community development objectives, however, it is asserted that sSC is also essential to measure. This thesis helps answer the question, "how can the quality of relationships as measured by the relational social capital influence the performance of a community food system?". The research is qualitative and uses 23 interviews with informants in the Tampa Bay community food system as evidence to suggest that rSC is positively related to the six community and economic development attributes that can strengthen a CFS. Then, it demonstrates the usefulness of the proposed framework to observe the presence of embeddedness that, in combination with social capital, can lead to general community development by means of CFS development.

Doctor of Philosophy(PhD), / The confluence of a number of marketplace phenomena has provided the impetus for the selection and conduct of this research. The first is the so called value relevance of intangibles in determining share market performance of publicly listed companies. The growing gap between market and book values has been proposed as an indication of the impact of intangibles on share price values. A second related phenomenon is the increasing reliance on share price appreciation as the principal means for shareholder return as opposed to returns through dividends. This suggests that share prices are becoming an even more critical firm performance measure than traditional accounting-based firm performance measures like return on investment (ROI). A third phenomenon is the rapid growth in marketplace alliances and joint ventures, the number of which has grown rapidly over the past 30 years. The explanation for these phenomena may lie in the concept of corporate social capital (CSC) which, as an intangible asset (IA), has been proposed in several normative studies. CSC has been defined as “the set of resources, tangible or virtual, that accrue to a corporate player through the player’s social relationships, facilitating the attainment of goals” (Leenders & Gabbay, 1999, p3). However, constructs for CSC have only been loosely defined and its impacts on firm performance only minimally empirically tested. This research addresses this gap in the literature. The key aim of this research is to explore the impact of CSC on firm performance. Through the use of CSC as a lens for viewing a firm’s intangibles, several important sub-components of the CSC formulation are exposed. These include a firm’s market centrality (CENT), absorptive capacity (AC), internal capital (INC), human capital (HC) and financial soundness. Therefore, an extended aim for this research is to identify the differential impacts of the CSC sub-components on firm performance. Firm performance was measured as ROI, market-to-book ratios (Tobin’s Q) and total shareholder return (TSR). Overall, the research results indicate that CSC is a significant predictor of firm performance, but falls short of fully explaining the market-to-book value disparity. For this research an innovative computer-supported content analysis (CA) technique was devised to capture a majority of the data required for the empirical research. The use of a commercial news aggregation service, Factiva, and a standard taxonomy of terms for the search, allowed variables for intangible constructs to be derived from a relatively large sample of firms (n=155) from the global information technology services (ITS) sector from 2001 to 2004. Data indices for joint venture or alliance activity, research and development (R&D) activity, HC, INC and external capital (EC) were all developed using this CA approach. The research findings indicated that all things aren’t equal in terms of how the benefits of CSC accrue to different firms in the sector. The research indicated that for larger, more mature firms, financial soundness does not necessarily correlate with improved shareholder return. The inference is that these firms may have reached a plateau in terms of how the market is valuing them. In terms of market centrality, the research indicates that software firms could benefit from building a larger number of alliances and becoming more centrally connected in the marketplace. The reverse is true, however, for larger, more established firms in the non-software sectors. These companies can be penalised for being over-connected, potentially signalling that they are locked into a suite of alliances that will ultimately limit their capacity to innovate and grow. For smaller, potentially loss-making firms, the research indicates that investments in HC are potentially the only investment strategy that could result in improvements in profitability and shareholder return. Investments by such firms in R&D or INC developments are likely to depress shareholder value and therefore should be minimised in favour of HC investments. For larger, more established firms, investment in HC is beneficial for both ROI and TSR. Investments in areas like R&D and INC were found to be only beneficial to those firms who have the financial capacity to afford it. Firms that don’t appear to have the financial resources to support the level of investments they are making in R&D and/or INC were penalised by the market. Overall, the research provides specific insights into the links between firms and their performance, through appropriate investments in CSC. In terms of research practice, this research demonstrates the viability of computer-supported CA. Progress in the development of more intelligent search technologies will provide increasing utility to CA researchers, promising to unlock a vast range of textual source data for researchers that were previously beyond manual CA practices.

Background The role of social capital for promoting health has been extensively studied in recent years but there are few attempts to investigate the possible influence of social capital on HIV prevention,particularly in developing countries. The overall aims of this thesis are to investigate the links between social capital and HIV infection and to contribute to the theoretical framework of the role of social capital for HIV prevention. Methods Key informant interviews with leaders of organizations, networks, social groups and communities and focus group discussions with members and non-members of the social groups and networks were conducted to map out and characterize various forms of social capital that may influenceHIV prevention. A quantitative community survey was carried out in three case communities toestimate the influence of social capital on HIV risk behaviors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to estimate the HIV prevalence in the urban district representing a high HIV prevalence zone to determine the association between social capital and HIV infection. Main findings In early 1990’s many of the social groups in Kagera region were formed because of poverty and many AIDS related deaths. This formation of groups enhanced people’s social and economic support to group members during bereavement and celebrations as well as provided loans that empowered members economically. The social groups also put in place strict rules of conduct, which helped to create new norms, values and trust, which influenced sexual health andthereby enhanced HIV prevention. Formal organizations worked together with social groups and facilitated networking and provided avenues for exchange of information including healtheducation on HIV/AIDS. Individuals who had access to high levels of structural and cognitive social capital were more likely to use condoms with their casual sex partners compared to individuals with access to low levels. Women with access to high levels of structural social capital were more likely to use condoms with casual sex partners compared to those with low levels. Individuals with access to low levels of structural social capital were less likely to be tested for HIV compared to those with access to high levels. However, there was no association between access to cognitive social capital and being tested for HIV. Individuals who had access to low levels of both structural and cognitive social capital were more likely to be HIV positive compared to individuals who had access to high levels with a similar pattern among men and women. Conclusion This thesis indicates that social capital in its structural and cognitive forms is protective to HIV infection and has played an important role in the observed decline in HIV trends in the Kagera region. Structural and cognitive social capital has enabled community members to decrease number of sexual partners, delay sexual debut for the young generation, reduce opportunities for casual sex and empower community members to demand or use condoms. It is recommended that policy makers and programme managers consider involving grassroots’ social groups and networks in the design and delivery of interventions strategies to reduce HIV transmission.

Doctor of Philosophy(PhD), / The confluence of a number of marketplace phenomena has provided the impetus for the selection and conduct of this research. The first is the so called value relevance of intangibles in determining share market performance of publicly listed companies. The growing gap between market and book values has been proposed as an indication of the impact of intangibles on share price values. A second related phenomenon is the increasing reliance on share price appreciation as the principal means for shareholder return as opposed to returns through dividends. This suggests that share prices are becoming an even more critical firm performance measure than traditional accounting-based firm performance measures like return on investment (ROI). A third phenomenon is the rapid growth in marketplace alliances and joint ventures, the number of which has grown rapidly over the past 30 years. The explanation for these phenomena may lie in the concept of corporate social capital (CSC) which, as an intangible asset (IA), has been proposed in several normative studies. CSC has been defined as “the set of resources, tangible or virtual, that accrue to a corporate player through the player’s social relationships, facilitating the attainment of goals” (Leenders & Gabbay, 1999, p3). However, constructs for CSC have only been loosely defined and its impacts on firm performance only minimally empirically tested. This research addresses this gap in the literature. The key aim of this research is to explore the impact of CSC on firm performance. Through the use of CSC as a lens for viewing a firm’s intangibles, several important sub-components of the CSC formulation are exposed. These include a firm’s market centrality (CENT), absorptive capacity (AC), internal capital (INC), human capital (HC) and financial soundness. Therefore, an extended aim for this research is to identify the differential impacts of the CSC sub-components on firm performance. Firm performance was measured as ROI, market-to-book ratios (Tobin’s Q) and total shareholder return (TSR). Overall, the research results indicate that CSC is a significant predictor of firm performance, but falls short of fully explaining the market-to-book value disparity. For this research an innovative computer-supported content analysis (CA) technique was devised to capture a majority of the data required for the empirical research. The use of a commercial news aggregation service, Factiva, and a standard taxonomy of terms for the search, allowed variables for intangible constructs to be derived from a relatively large sample of firms (n=155) from the global information technology services (ITS) sector from 2001 to 2004. Data indices for joint venture or alliance activity, research and development (R&D) activity, HC, INC and external capital (EC) were all developed using this CA approach. The research findings indicated that all things aren’t equal in terms of how the benefits of CSC accrue to different firms in the sector. The research indicated that for larger, more mature firms, financial soundness does not necessarily correlate with improved shareholder return. The inference is that these firms may have reached a plateau in terms of how the market is valuing them. In terms of market centrality, the research indicates that software firms could benefit from building a larger number of alliances and becoming more centrally connected in the marketplace. The reverse is true, however, for larger, more established firms in the non-software sectors. These companies can be penalised for being over-connected, potentially signalling that they are locked into a suite of alliances that will ultimately limit their capacity to innovate and grow. For smaller, potentially loss-making firms, the research indicates that investments in HC are potentially the only investment strategy that could result in improvements in profitability and shareholder return. Investments by such firms in R&D or INC developments are likely to depress shareholder value and therefore should be minimised in favour of HC investments. For larger, more established firms, investment in HC is beneficial for both ROI and TSR. Investments in areas like R&D and INC were found to be only beneficial to those firms who have the financial capacity to afford it. Firms that don’t appear to have the financial resources to support the level of investments they are making in R&D and/or INC were penalised by the market. Overall, the research provides specific insights into the links between firms and their performance, through appropriate investments in CSC. In terms of research practice, this research demonstrates the viability of computer-supported CA. Progress in the development of more intelligent search technologies will provide increasing utility to CA researchers, promising to unlock a vast range of textual source data for researchers that were previously beyond manual CA practices.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - James Cook University, 2005. / Typescript (photocopy) Bibliography: leaves 286-302.

D. Litt. et Phil / The study focuses on the role of social capital in socio-economic development in developing political economies. While the concept of social capital originated as a sociological construct focusing on social relations, the theoretical debate has recently developed towards a grounding in political science, political development and political economy. Despite these advancements, a universally accepted definition has not been arrived at. However, there is consensus regarding the elements of social capital, which include norms, networks, institutions, relationships, civic engagement, membership of voluntary associations, trust, reciprocity and altruism. Dimensions of social capital include the structural and the cognitive, and types include bonding, bridging and linking social capital. This study examines the role of linking social capital, specifically in facilitating the relationship between state and society, aimed at mutual benefit. Social capital is regarded as a resource, particularly in communities with limited or no access to other, more traditional forms of capital. Operationalisation of social capital is examined by means of a comparative and analytical review of existing indexes, case studies and surveys. In this regard, initiatives in both developed and developing political economies are examined. The study emphasises the multi-disciplinary nature of social capital and propagates its value in socio-economic development. Empirical data that confirm the relationship between social capital and economic growth are presented. Initiatives to contribute to the development of conceptual frameworks and to increase and improve qualitative data are assessed, in order to determine the contribution of social capital to socio-economic development. In this regard, particular emphasis is placed on the important contribution of the World Bank’s Social Capital Initiative. The literature emphasises the interdependence of politics and economy and the study highlights the need for a political economy approach to socio-economic development. In this regard, the development initiatives of various multi-lateral development agencies are examined. The focus is on the current trend to follow a political economy approach to country strategies, programmes and projects aimed at achieving socio-economic development. The study concludes that social capital is a valuable element in this regard and argues that political economy analysis tools are well placed to integrate social capital in a multi-disciplinary approach to address poverty and socio-economic development challenges.

Microfinance Performance and Social Capital: A Cross-country AnalysisThis paper investigates the relationship between the extent to which social capital formation is facilitated within different societies, and the financial and social performance of MFIs. We carry out a cross-country analysis on a dataset containing 100 countries. We identify different social dimensions that we use as proxies for how easy social capital can be developed in different countries, and we hypothesize that microfinance is more successful, both in terms of their financial and social aims, in societies that are more conducive to the development of social capital. Our empirical results support our hypothesis. / Defining Social Collateral in Microfinance Group Lending: Microfinance group lending with joint liability allows asset-poor individuals to replace physical collateral by social collateral. This paper provides a theoretical framework to evaluate the impact of social collateral pledged by group borrowers on group lending repayment. We take into account the external ties of group borrowers, i.e. the social ties linking borrowers to non-borrowers from their community, whereas previous work in this field has looked solely at internal ties (i.e. ties between group members). Our model stresses the impact of network configuration on the amount of social capital pledged as collateral. It shows why the group lending methodology works better in rural areas than in urban areas, namely because rural social networks are typically denser than urban ones, which results in higher social collateral. / The Economic Value of Social Capital:Empirical studies on the importance of social capital for poor households show divergent outcomes. This divergence may stem from the lack of a conceptual framework for capturing the social capital dimensions that deliver economic value to individuals. This paper defines individual social capital from an economic perspective and proposes a measurement based on the two dimensions of individual social capital that bring economic value to individuals: (1) informal risk insurance arrangements and (2) information advantages that arise from personal social networks. Using this measurement, I present a numerical application to argue that differing network configurations drive asymmetry of social interactions among individuals. / Social Capital and the Repayment of Microfinance Group Lending: A Case Study of Pro Mujer Mexico:In this paper, we investigate how social networks of group borrowers come into play in joint liability group lending. We use a large, original dataset with 802 mapped social networks of borrowers from Pro Mujer Mexico. We are the first to examine external ties, that is, social ties with individuals outside the borrowing group. We have two main findings. First, borrowers with stronger informal risk insurance arrangements are in better economic shape and have a higher capacity to pay than borrowers with weaker informal risk insurance arrangements. Second, borrowers who pledge valuable ties as social collateral have fewer repayment problems. We postulate that borrowers receive effective help from their ties in cases of need. / Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This study explores the role of social capital in the development of employability skills and attributes of first generation undergraduate students in a business school. The research, based on the reflections of graduates, examines the impact of social capital on participation in higher education and investigates the conditions within the learning environment which enhance or inhibit the development of bridging and linking social capital, as students connect with networks within the institution and with the wider business community. The findings suggest that the ability to recognise and activate bridging and linking social capital is an important determinant of employability. The analysis illustrates that when students have opportunities to connect with and work within a variety of networks, they build a range of employability skills and capabilities, particularly the interpersonal and social skills valued by employers. Students, who are confident and have the necessary skills to participate in a variety of networks within the immediate environment and with the wider business community, are not only able to access a greater range of resources but are more able to recognise the potential benefits that these activities have to offer. The reflections of the participants also illustrate that the skills and competencies which enable them to network effectively need to be developed deliberately. By supporting students in recognising the relationship between bridging and linking social capital and employability, and giving them the opportunity to reflect upon the achievement of interpersonal skills and affective capabilities, including the importance of relating to diverse others, their understanding and acknowledgement of employability will be enhanced. The study also reflects on Quinn’s concept of imagined social capital and considers its impact on the development of employability. Building on her work, the analysis identifies two new typologies; unimagined and unimaginable social capital. Both categories are important in understanding how students acknowledge the potential networks and resources available to them.

The current global environment is vibrant, volatile and highly competitive. Many developing societies and emerging economies are seeking to establish ways in which they can gain advantages at the international level but also lay the basis for strong societies with exemplary economic, social and moral foundations. Towards this end, these countries are investing energies in building a skilled citizenry and socially mobile, achievement-driven, populations. One such society is the rapidly changing Republic of Korea. One of the catalysts for change in Korea has been argued to be education. Educational access has been linked to changes in economic status and to potentially the undermining of inequality and flattening of class hierarchies. Some authors argue that Korea has been gripped by an ‘education fever’ and others argue that persisting educational inequalities reflect differences largely in terms of social capital – rather than economic capital. This thesis uses quantitative survey methodology to explore differences in the educational achievement of Korean high school students. Eleventh (11th) grade students in three ‘achieving schools’ with varied characteristics were subjects of the study. The purpose was to establish the factors driving achievement in these schools. It was believed that the identification of various factors which influence high achievement on the part of some students might offer insight into how low achievement can be addressed and the base of exceptional educational achievement broadened. Parents and teachers were also respondents in this study. Social capital and its physical, relational, structural, and cognitive dimensions present the conceptual and analytical tools of the study. These concepts were explored in terms of the ideas of the founding theorists – Bourdieu, Coleman and Putnam – and applied to three different domains: family, school and community. The findings suggest that high achievement is linked centrally to familial social capital. Boarding school, whether students who live at home have both parents present, and mothers collecting information from school serve as significant determinants of achievement. Together, Korean mothers and fathers can and do carve important outcomes when they are actively engaged in their children’s learning. As far as school social capital is concerned, physical background and public school status were deemed important. Residential district was the most significant component of community social capital. At a theoretical level, the study finds Coleman’s arguments most relevant in the Korean context, in particular his views on parental involvement and socio-economic status and the ways in which networks of trust and reciprocity augment achievement. The study makes an original contribution in the way it adapts theory and builds novel evidence in the Korean context. The study concludes with a list of key recommendations. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Sociology / DPhil / Unrestricted