Este trabalho estuda os Conselhos Gestores de Saúde das Subprefeituras de São Paulo e os conselheiros que deles fazem parte. Estes Conselhos são desdobramentos do Movimento Popular de Saúde, que consiste em fóruns públicos para reivindicação de melhorias no sistema de atendimento à saúde, e tem seu início na década de 1970 em meio a forte repressão política, exercendo importante papel no processo de redemocratização do Brasil. Tal movimento conseguiu exercer intensa influência no capítulo da Constituição Federal que trata do Sistema Único de Saúde, e inscreveu a obrigatoriedade da existência dos Conselhos Gestores nos Municípios da Federação. Estes Conselhos têm por função institucional fazer o controle popular das políticas públicas empreendidas pelo Sistema Único de Saúde. Como se tratam de fóruns participativos, é plausível que sejam pensados e analisados através da teoria da democracia deliberativa. Partindo desta concepção de democracia, discutiu-se a possibilidade de processos deliberativos gerarem capital social e cultura cívica nas pessoas que participam destes fóruns. A parte empírica deste trabalho foi feita por estudos de casos que levaram em conta quatro Conselhos e dezesseis conselheiros. Nesta etapa, avaliou-se a relação entre os desenhos institucionais dos Conselhos Gestores de Saúde e o perfil cívico dos conselheiros que participam destes fóruns. / The present issue discusses the District Health Councils of the Submunicipalities at the city of São Paulo, Brazil and its councilors. These Councils have their basis in the Popular Health Movement, organized in fora of discussion to demand improvements in public policies of health care. That movement, which started in the 1970?s under military dictatorship, had an important role in Brazilian political redemocratization. Furthermore, it had a strong influence in 1988 Constitution\'s chapter about the obligatoriness of the District Health Councils in the municipalities of the Federation. The institutional goal of these Councils is to oversee the effectiveness of the government in implement public policies. The normative dimensions of these fora are upon the deliberative democracy theory. Having this assumption of democracy, I discuss the possibility of these arenas to generate social capital and civic culture among its participants. In a comparative study of four Councils and 16 councilors I analyzed the relation between the institutional framework of these District Councils and the level of civic culture of its councilors.

Pesquisadores de diversos campos do conhecimento têm investigado o arranjo em redes, na medida em que essa forma de governança se consolida como opção estratégica de número crescente de organizações em diferentes ambientes, submetidas à égide da competitividade e ao isomorfismo institucional. Uma das faces desse fenômeno é a erupção das redes colaborativas de pesquisas, também no Brasil, a partir da segunda metade da década passada. A presente investigação tomou como objeto de estudo a rede subjacente ao Consórcio Brasileiro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento do Café com o objetivo de aferir o poder explicativo e preditivo do construto do capital social, de larga aceitação na teoria de redes partindo da construção de um modelo dito aplicativo, que se pretende testável e passível de conferir relações substantivas à teorização, capaz inclusive de permitir o confronto de seus achados com tentativas semelhantes de outros acadêmicos. O estudo contou com duas fases. A primeira fase foi prospectiva e se deu pela imersão nas transcrições de 39 entrevistas, na observação participante em eventos patrocinados pelo Consórcio e na análise documental de material atinente à pesquisa. A segunda fase utilizou-se das análises sociométrica e multivariada para examinar os dados: (1) da rede de co-autoria de 1495 artigos publicados em anais de Simpósios e de Congressos, (2) de 889 pesquisas (subprojetos) financiadas pelo Consórcio e (3) de uma survey aplicada ao universo de 397 líderes desses subprojetos que envolveram mais de 50 entidades (institutos, universidades, empresas). Assumindo seu caráter hipotético-dedutivo, predominantemente quantitativo e com fins descritivos e explicativos, o estudo resultou em uma contribuição para o entendimento do Consórcio e das estratégias de ligação entre pessoas e entidades dentro de uma rede colaborativa de pesquisa, comprovando-se a viabilidade de seu modelo de capital social. Além de suprir uma descrição sociométrica do objeto de estudo, a pesquisa encontrou uma relação positiva entre prestígio, participação em órgãos do Consórcio e participação em projetos com o volume de recursos amealhado pelo pesquisador no que se constituiria em um efeito do capital social, que, no entanto, não se demonstrou eficaz em discriminar a visão dos pesquisadores em temas relevantes para a rede, favorecendo uma interpretação que confere maior grau de liberdade a esses agentes frente à estrutura, em contrário ao determinismo presente em outros estudos de rede. / Researchers from various fields of knowledge have investigated the arrangement in networks, to the extent that this form of governance is consolidated as a strategic option, of an increasing number of organizations in different environments, submitted to the auspices of competitiveness and institutional isomorphism. One facet of this phenomenon is the eruption of collaborative research networks, also in Brazil, from the second half of the last decade. This research has taken as a subject of study the network underlying the Consórcio Brasileiro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento do Café in order to assess the explanatory and predictive power of the social capital construct, of wide acceptance in networks theory, starting from the construction of the so called \"aplicative\" model. It intends to be testable and capable of giving substantive relations to the theorization, including confronting its findings with similar attempts by other scholars. The study had two phases. The first stage was forward-looking and done by immersion in the transcripts of 39 interviews, participant observation in events sponsored by the Consortium, and the analysis of documentary material relating to the research. The second stage used sociometric and multivariate analyses to examine the data: (1) the network of co-authors of articles published in 1495 annals of symposiums and conferences, (2) 889 pieces of research (sub-projects) financed by the Consortium and (3) a survey applied to the universe of 397 leaders of these sub-projects involving more than 50 entities (institutes, universities, enterprises). Assuming its character as hypothetical-deductive, predominantly quantitative and with descriptive and explanatory purposes, the study resulted in a contribution to the understanding of the Consortium and the strategies for linking people and entities within a collaborative network of research proving the viability of its social capital model. Beyond supplying a sociometric description of the object of study, the research found a positive relationship between prestige, participation in bodies of the Consortium and participation in projects with a level of resources hoarded by the researcher - as would be a social capital effect, which however, did not prove to be effective in discriminating the vision of the researchers on topics relevant to the network, favoring an interpretation that gives greater degree of freedom to those agents in term of the structure, in contrast to other deterministic network studies.

O modelo de gestão cooperativista tem sido estudado em diversos campos do conhecimento, tais como a Economia, a Administração, as Ciências Sociais, entre outros. Nesta pesquisa, trazemos as cooperativas para ser o objeto de estudo por meio da Comunicação, Cultura Organizacional, Comprometimento e Capital Social. Especificamente no campo comunicacional, são poucos os estudos que se debruçaram sobre o conhecimento de como se dão os relacionamentos dos associados com a sua cooperativa. Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar a relação cooperativa-cooperado a partir do campo da comunicação, da cultura e do grau de comprometimento dos associados em relação ao empreendimento cooperativo, tomando-se como base de análise a Teoria Geral de Excelência em Relações Públicas, de Grunig (1992; 2009), as dimensões de Hofstede (2001) e a Escala de Bases do Comprometimento Organizacional (EBACO), desenvolvida e testada pela primeira vez por Medeiros (2005). Adotou-se como metodologia o estudo de casos múltiplos (Yin, 2015), desenvolvido em quatro cooperativas de dois dos ramos mais representativos do cooperativismo no Brasil, que são o agropecuário e o crédito. Os resultados ratificam a influência dos traços culturais de distância de poder e individualismo (Hofstede, 2001; 2010) e das práticas comunicacionais no grau de comprometimento dos cooperados com suas respectivas cooperativas. Constatou-se também que, nas sociedades com os índices de distância de poder e de individualismo mais altos, a participação dos cooperados nos seus empreendimentos cooperativos é inversamente proporcional. As cooperativas que investem em práticas de comunicação excelente (Grunig, 1992) apresentam níveis mais altos de comprometimento e de participação. Por fim, o alto grau de comprometimento dos associados cria um ambiente propício para fortalecimento do capital social em cooperativas. / The cooperative model of management has been studied in various fields of knowledge, such as Economics, Business, Social Sciences, and others. In this study, we refer to co-ops as the object of study through Communication, Organizational Culture, Commitment and Social Capital. Especially in the communication field there are few studies that lean over the knowledge of how the relationships between associates and their co-ops take place. The aim of this study is to analyse the co-op and cooperate relationship from the field of communication, culture and the associates\' degree of commitment in relation to the cooperative enterprise, having as a base Grunig\'s General Theory of Excellence in Public Relations\' analysis (1992; 2009), Hofstede\'s dimensions (2001) and the Organizational Commitment\'s Base Scale (EBACO) as developed and tested for the first time by Medeiros (2005). The methodology adopted is the study of multiple cases (Yin, 2015), developed in four co-ops from two branches that represent best cooperativism in Brasil, namely the farming and the banking credit branches. The results ratify the influence of cultural traces of distance of power and individualism (Hofstede, 2001; 2010) and of the communication practice in the cooperates\' degree of commitment with their respective co-ops. It is also observed that in societies with higher indexes of distance of power and individualism the cooperates\' participation in their cooperative enterprises is inversely proportional. Co-ops which invest in excellent communication practice (Grunig, 1992) display higher levels of commitment and participation. Finally, a high level of commitment from associates create a proper environment for the strengthening of social capital in co-ops.

Thesis advisor: Andy Hargreaves / Research often overlooks students who are of Brazilian origin when considering educational equality and opportunity for different racial and ethnic groups. This qualitative study addresses this gap in the literature by examining the experiences and forces that influence the educational aspirations of Brazilian students and students of Brazilian origin living in the United States during their eighth grade year of middle school. It specifically considers students' educational aspirations including the influence of families, the school, and the community on students' ambitions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with students, their parents, and educators (i.e., teachers, guidance counselors, a social worker, and a principal) from a middle school in the Northeast. Data showed that many students had developed postsecondary plans by the conclusion of their eighth grade year, including students' thoughts relating to college, careers, and work. Students' ambitions were significantly influenced by family members, especially parents, as well as by experiences with their families as immigrants in the United States. Legal status particularly affected students' intended pathways. Findings from this study suggest the following three areas of need for Brazilian middle school students: (a) educational planning during middle school, (b) emphasis on the role of family connectedness and engagement for Brazilian families, and (c) adaptation to circumstances related to immigration status. One way of comprehending the needs of Brazilian middle school students and students of Brazilian origin in relation to the development of their educational aspirations is through integrating the theories of family and social capital. Family capital emphasizes the role of families in shaping students' educational pathways; social capital highlights the need to develop ties beyond close networks as a means for accessing knowledge and resources that further students' educational opportunities. Therefore, it is hoped that further attention to the family and social capital of Brazilian families in research, policy, and practice will build upon students' ambitions and improve their educational opportunities. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Eric Dearing / Family educational involvement has been identified as a particularly beneficial practice for the achievement and behavioral outcomes of all students, including ethnic-minority students from families who have low levels of income, education, and English language proficiency. However, despite the associated benefits and education policymakers' emphasis on increasing family-school partnerships, not all families are involved and the explanation for differing involvement patterns has not been fully explored. In general, immigrant families engage in fewer educational involvement activities in comparison to their native-born counterparts. Although they want their children to excel in school, many face socio-cultural barriers to educational involvement. Moreover, most schools are not equipped to meet their non-academic needs. On the other hand, immigrant families tend to have close family and community ties, which have been linked to family and child well-being. As a result, social capital may be an asset of immigrant families that can be leveraged to promote their educational involvement. With a selective focus on immigrant children and families from the Child Development Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (N = 189), this dissertation relied on path analyses to garner empirical support for a theoretically-based model linking social capital with family perceptions and attributions, home- and school-based family educational involvement, and student outcomes (i.e., achievement, behavior problems, positive behavior). Results demonstrated that social support was positively associated with immigrant families' self-efficacy and perceptions of opportunities for involvement. In turn, families with higher levels of self-efficacy engaged in more home-based involvement activities. Children in immigrant families with a role construction around education in alignment with the dominant culture of the U.S. demonstrated better child achievement but worse behavior outcomes than children from immigrant families with a role construction unaligned with dominant U.S. culture. Lastly, in contrast to extant literature, immigrant families' school-based educational involvement was not associated with any family perceptions or attributes or child outcomes. Implications of both significant and null findings are discussed for developmental science, practice, and policy. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.

Este estudo analisa o efeito da informação e do capital social sobre o volume de negócios no mercado de crédito rural. Discute-se a conexão entre capital social e informação e como esta relação pode contribuir para a redução dos custos de transação da intermediação financeira, de modo a permitir aumento no volume de crédito rural. Para análise empírica, foi elaborado e testado um modelo econométrico (lógite) utilizando dados referentes ao Estado de São Paulo. Os dados foram obtidos de levantamentos estatísticos oficiais (censo agropecuário, LUPA e banco de dados do SEADE) referentes à safra 1995-1996. Os resultados indicam que o nível de capital social afeta o volume de crédito rural. Assim, incentivos, em especial com apoio do setor público, para formação e manutenção de capital social permitiriam aumento da eficiência da intermediação financeira e, em consequência, maior desenvolvimento do setor rural. / This study analyses the effect of information and social capital on the volume of contracts in the rural credit market. It discusses the connection between social capital and information and how this relation contributes to the reduction of financial intermediation’s transaction costs. A logit regression model was used to empirically test the effect of social capital on the volume of rural credit. The data, from the municipalities of the State of São Paulo, are from 1995 ~ 1996 official statistics (Farm Census, LUPA and SEADE’s data basis). The results indicate that the level of social capital affects the amount of rural credit. Thus, incentives to further increase and maintain social capital would increment the efficiency of financial intermediation and, as a consequence, help rural sector’s development.

Through a qualitative case study, this paper explores how early adopters at the non-governmental organization Save the Children used the enterprise social media (ESM) platform Workplace by Facebook and identifies some challenges and opportunities. Data was collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed together with platform-generated user data, based on an affordance approach using three metaphors developed by Leonardi et al. (2013) that illustrate the different roles ESM often plays in organizational processes; leaky pipe (communication that everyone can see), echo chamber (communication among likeminded), and social lubricant (smooth and easy communication). The study concludes that early adopters used Workplace by Facebook to share and learn about program activities around the organization, to maintain and expand their social network, to perform their own work in more efficient ways, and to have fun. By facilitating learning across the organization, Workplace offers opportunities for program improvement and building social capital. There is a risk however, that these opportunities are never fully realized due to traces of a leader-centered culture which stifles honest communication. Workplace communities of coworkers with similar interests provided excellent opportunities for collaboration, innovation and creating a sense of belonging. However, a leader-centered culture can lead to closed and secret groups, hiding the knowledge for others to see, due to lack of trust. Fun, social-related groups such as Office Twins were highly appreciated among early adopters and helped strengthen relations and build social capital, although the blurred lines between social and work could lead to unwanted behavior such as romantic invitations.

Thesis advisor: Margaret Lombe / Thesis advisor: Alfonso Hernandez / Drug-related violence in Mexico has grown into a profound social problem, aggravating existing insecurity, vulnerability, and citizen’s wellbeing. In critical scenarios of this kind, the virtues of social engagement for enhanced wellbeing, improved security and true democracy appear futile. This research examines how resources and incentives for mobilization operate. Specifically, social capital and political culture are studied as mechanisms that may affect those relationships. This research draws upon theories of Collective Action and Social Capital Theory. Also used are studies on the influence of emotions and perceptions on citizen’s collective mobilization. This approach contributes by accounting for informal participation and their various political loadings in conflict environments. To achieve the objective, Regression Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling were conducted. The study uses secondary data collected in 2011 (N = 7,416) using a probabilistic sample design representative of seven Mexican states selected by their levels of violence. Two subsamples were constructed to examine the varying effects of social and political resources on mobilization across regions (north and south). Results show the emotional component associated with citizen’s mobilization for collective action. The findings also exhibit social capital and political culture as key indicators of people’s decision to organize for social change. Finally, intriguing results related to the “negative form” of social capital were observed. To be precise, social capital appears to be insufficient to explain citizens' motives to mobilize with others for social change. Implications for policy and scholarship are presented. Specifically, initiatives regarding the importance of the effects of the weakened democratic environment, social lack of trust, government unresponsiveness and impunity, and self-directed processes of justice at the community level are highlighted. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

Appalachia can be both exquisitely breathtaking and socially tragic, it’s a place to which many Americans trace their ancestry, and yet also it often seems forgotten. In the 1960s, the region was a major target area of the US government’s War on Poverty. Once highly noted for its tremendous post-industrial era contributions to the world’s timber and coal industries, subsequent changing economic demands and industry closures in the region have left many still living in a state of unforgiving poverty. The prevalence of counties living at or below the poverty rate, as estimated by the Appalachian Regional Commission (2015), has dropped from 295 counties in the 1960s to 90 in a 2009-2013 report. Despite this drop the region still greatly suffers due to high concentrated poverty, inadequate health care access, and unemployment. Poverty still demands attention, and scholars must understand its persistence. Many note the consistent lack of access to resources, both economic and social, as primary factors (Saegert, Thompson and Warren 2001; Blakeney 2006). Therefore, I draw on social capital and its underlying relational, social engagements as my main theoretical frame. I explore some of the sociological dynamics underlying Appalachia’s persistent poverty. Through an artifact-based ethnography in a rural eastern Kentucky community, this thesis argues that the current understandings of social capital – as a mechanism to gain social or economic resources – is greatly influenced by the presence of stigma and this is most notably manifested through the readings of cultural artifacts. This thesis’ empirical data draws on ethnographic fieldwork that also included participant observation and 45 semi-structured interviews. I tried to understand the operation of social capital through the lenses of three key artifacts that seemed to me to capture elements of poverty dynamics in the region: home, ‘welfare check’, and glucose meter. These artifacts were chosen because they allowed me to understand how mobility, access, acquisition, utilization, boundaries, and the role in which stigma affects all of these areas is presented. The fieldwork and interview data was understood and supplemented by examining official statistics, government documents, and literature focusing on the emergence and maintenance of the artifacts. The thesis articulates the complicated notions surrounding social capital and how it is manifested through the usage and reading of these objects. Furthermore, this project illustrates how actors within and outside of the community affect the reading of the objects that results in the construct of physical and social boundaries. The findings for this thesis indicates the way in which individuals in communities and external agents understand resources and interact with potential resources for impoverished individuals in providing them access is negated by their reading of objects surrounding them and is affected by the stigma attached to such objects. Chapter 4 on the home examines the concept of rootedness and social mobility; how the strong kinship ties are both a response to and protection from the effects of poverty and stigma in the region. Chapter 5 on the ‘welfare check’ illustrates further the effect that strong bonding ties can have on impeding the development of bridging ties – most notably how fear or people’s reactions, are a response founded in stigma, potentially leads to the heavy reliance on an object which arguably perpetuates poverty. Lastly, Chapter 6 uses the glucose meter to examine the effect that stigma can have internally and externally to a community, thus resulting in inadequate access to health care. The thesis’ key theoretical contribution lies in an attempt to develop an understanding of some of the paradoxical ways in which social capital operates in an impoverished community, and more especially in a theorization of the role that stigma plays in our understanding of social capital. In order to explore this further, the thesis relies heavily upon the utilization of Robert Putnam’s understanding of social capital and loosely on Pierre Bourdieu’s understanding of inequality and its influence on social capital. Erving Goffman’s notion of stigma is used to contextualize the conceptual employment of social capital and its relationship with the artifacts. Current social capital literature uses the presence of, or lack of, bonding and bridging capital in order to illustrate the amount of social capital a community has. However, I illustrate that this is heavily influenced by the presence of stigma.

Joinville é uma cidade industrial catarinense que na década de 1990 viveu a polêmica acerca da instalação de uma usina hidrelétrica na cabeceira do Cubatão, rio que abastece 70% de sua população. Apesar de o governo municipal e estadual e grande parte do poder econômico da cidade estarem em favor da obra, e de esta ter obtido algumas licenças governamentais para a instalação, a população não se convenceu da segurança da obra e achou que o dano ambiental seria grande demais – e a usina não foi concretizada. Através da mobilização da comunidade, da convocação para a participação de entidades com mais poder técnico e político sobre a questão e da exigência por maior transparência e participação no processo, conseguiu-se impedir a consecução da obra – uma vez que esta não provou sua necessidade, viabilidade e a ausência de riscos decorrentes. Considerando o associativismo na cidade e a capacidade para a ação coletiva mostrada no caso, imaginamos que o comitê de bacia hidrográfica do rio Cubatão, criado no ano 2000, apresentasse um bom estoque de capital social, sinergia e desempenho institucional. Procedemos a aplicação de questionários utilizando perguntas referentes aos componentes do capital social e do desempenho institucional aos membros do comitê, e este se mostrou permeável à participação, capaz de mobilizar recursos, favorecer a comunicação, a confiança e a cooperação entre os membros dos diversos setores, melhorar o nível de informação de seus membros e arbitrar conflitos: apresentou-se como um organismo que dispõe de bom desempenho institucional relacionado ao capital social. O desempenho institucional depende também de outros fatores: o poder governamental deveria estar muito mais presente, principalmente através de órgãos municipais, que têm grande parte das vagas no comitê, mas sofrem com a falta de recursos financeiros e técnicos para a consecução de suas atividades. O capital social e a capacidade para a ação coletiva provaram ter resistido ao fim da mobilização em torno do debate sobre a usina, penetrado no comitê e continuado através e para além dele. Iniciativas locais para despoluição de rios e reconstituição de mata ciliar conjugadas com a preocupação com as condições socioeconômicas dos habitantes da bacia hidrográfica, construindo parcerias através do comitê, evidenciam que este funciona como uma arena mobilizadora de recursos sociais, constituindo um instrumento para o gerenciamento de recursos hídricos mais eficaz e justo e para a governança da água. / In the 1990´s, Joinville, an industrial city settled in the brazilian State of Santa Catarina, has watched a controversy about the installation of a hidroelectric plant near the source of Cubatao river – responsible for 70% of the city water supply. Despite of the fact that city and State government were favourable to the plant, and that it has obtained some of the environmental licences required to its installation, Joinville’s population was not sure about the absence of its risks, and concluded that the environmental costs would be too high – and the powerplant was never constructed. Making use of leadership, convoking organisms with more political and technical capabilites about the question and demanding for more transparency and participation in the decisory process, mobilization has managed to impeach the plant installation. Taking into consideration the partnership and the capacity of collective action showed in the mobilization, we presumed that the Cubatao River Watershed Committee, created in the year 2000, would have a good level of social capital, sinergy, and good institutional performance. A survey was conducted to assess social capital and institutional performance within the committee, and it showed permeability to social participation, capacity to mobilize resources, to enlarge communication and information between its members and ability in arbitrating conflicts – presenting institutional performance related to social capital. Institutional performance, however, depends also on other factors, such as more participation of government officials in the committee. Social capital and capacity for collective action was mobilized around Cubatao watershed, acting through and beyond the comitee. Local initiatives to revert pollution process and to make forestry recovering, combined with concerning about socioeconomical aspects within the comunity, has constructed partnerships and collaboration through the committee and proved that it works as a space for mobilizating social resources, improving watershed management and acting as a tool for a more efficient and fair political decisory process, as for water governance.