Thesis advisor: Michael Malec / This study explores the resettlement experiences of twenty-one Bhutanese refugees in Laconia, New Hampshire and Chelsea and Lynn, Massachusetts. Its purpose is to determine if place significantly affects a refugee’s success and satisfaction, and to assess the differences between those effects in urban and rural locations. In addition, this study seeks to determine if one kind of place, urban or rural, is better for resettlement than the other. It draws on the theories of assimilation, social networks, and social capital, as it strives to enter the sociology of immigration discourse. This qualitative study employed a mixed-method approach in attempting to answer its research questions. Semi-structured interviews and brief surveys were conducted with ten respondents in an urban location, Greater Boston, and eleven respondents in a rural location, Laconia, NH. The samples were recruited through snowball sampling methods. This study finds that in the rural location respondents had extensive in-group and out-group network connections, developed social capital, and feelings of safety and security, but they lacked employment and consequently economic stability. In the urban location respondents had a higher rate of employment, developed social capital, and a formal in-group network, however they lacked out-group network connections and felt unsafe in their neighborhoods. Therefore, the study concludes that there are specific characteristics of urban and rural places that affect a refugee’s sense of well-being; however, the positive and negative forces of these characteristics balanced out to have an equal effect on overall satisfaction. Where it is best to resettle each refugee may depend on his or her personal values and cultural background. While resettling refugees in one location or another may not solve resettlement issues, this research suggests that there are many systematic improvements to be made to better help refugees adapt and succeed in the United States. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology Honors Program. / Discipline: Sociology.

Thesis advisor: Sara Moorman / This research looks at the ways in which mothers influence their daughter’s educational achievements and occupational aspirations. The goal is to determine whether the Role-Model Hypothesis or Grades Hypothesis explains the relationship more. According to the literature, the Role-Model Hypothesis is based on ideas of socialization and gender-role stereotypes while the Grades Hypothesis is based on the idea of transmission of social capital, which improves test scores. In order to test these hypotheses, a series of multinomial logistic regression models were run on the responses of a sample of 7,716 female students and their mothers to the Educational Longitudinal Study, (ELS) 2002, Base Year. The results provide evidence in support of the Grades Hypothesis. A mother with higher educational attainment and a more prestigious occupation is more likely to have a daughter with higher test scores, with higher test scores leading to higher expectations and aspirations by the daughter. Implications of this finding include suggestions for the need for action, policy changes, and the decline in the importance of gender theory in influencing aspirations. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: College Honors Program. / Discipline: Sociology Honors Program. / Discipline: Sociology.

Student Number : 0517437P - MA dissertation - Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences - Faculty of Humanities / A significant number of refugees and asylum seekers are living in urban areas in developing countries. In addition to the fact that they receive little assistance from international organizations, host government policies represent obstacles to their livelihoods. Generally, the economic behaviour, reasons for migrating and experiences of female migrants often differ from those of male. This research report examines the impact of gender on social networks and how gender might influence access to income. In contrast to other studies on social networks that focus on the social relationships between individuals and communities located in sending and receiving societies, this study produces greater understanding of urban migrants’ livelihoods by exploring how women use social networks to generate income and contrasting these with those of men. This is rooted in the assumption that women refugees are facing additional challenges to livelihood including their social responsibilities and job stereotyping. To document how gender might influence social networks and access to income, qualitative data collected through semi structured, face-to-face, in-depth interviews among Congolese refugees in Johannesburg was used. Findings reveal that gender does not have impact on the nature of social networks used by Congolese men and women to facilitate their access to income generating activities. However, friendships and social relations among Congolese refugees are based on gender and as a result Congolese refugees may be channelled in gender-dominated occupations. Congolese women are facing specific challenges such as domestic labour and child care that may limit their access to jobs and businesses.

Thesis advisor: Ana Martinez-Aleman / Civic engagement is an activity that supports communities at local and national levels (Colby et al., 2000; Putnam, 1993; 2000). Within higher education, there has long been a desire to produce civically engaged graduates that will serve as leaders in addressing current and future societal problems. The task of developing young Americans that become socially aware, community-minded, and publicly involved requires a full understanding of the college learning environment for today's students. In recent years, the undergraduate environment has changed rapidly, with various digital social media presenting a new social and technological context for college students. Scholars have begun to explore the ways in which these social media have impacted the college environment, yet many areas for research have yet to be addressed. This exploratory qualitative study draws upon this growing literature base and social capital theory to ask: How do students understand the connection between social media use and their civic engagement while in college? This study presents data from six focus groups (n=35) and seven individual interviews conducted with students from campus organizations engaged in one of three pre-selected areas of civic engagement (Adler & Goggin, 2005). This study found that the students derived a great deal of civic value from their use of social media. These new media provide students with a constant stream of information that promotes both knowledge acquisition and the organization of others around common interests. However, findings from this study also indicate a number of challenges associated with the use of social media for civic learning and engagement, including the need to continuously filter an overwhelming amount of information and the intimidating nature of public civic debate online. The added value of social media in the development of civic behaviors speaks to a new way of thinking about ways to cultivate civic engagement. As colleges and universities continue to explore means to promote civic engagement as a learning outcome, the digital environments of students must be considered. A broad understanding of social technologies, along with a working knowledge of platform-specific features will help practitioners and scholars to better plan developmentally beneficial interventions. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Kay Schlozman / Much has been said recently about the decline in both political and non-political civic participation in the United States. Many American religious congregations, however, continue to stand strong as voluntary associations connecting people with the political and civic life in our country. This paper explains the role that religious congregations can play as promoters of civic engagement. Specifically, it describes the mechanisms by which religious congregations can provide what I call civic resources to their members, resources members utilize to participate in other forms of civic activity outside of their congregation. These resources can be broken down into three main categories. Civic skills are the communication and organizational abilities that an individual can draw upon to make participation more effective. Congregations provide opportunities for members to gain experience using such skills when becoming involved in church governance or in organizing church committees to take on special tasks or put on special events. Social infrastructure captures the value of the social networks and organizational resources available to members of a congregation. The tight-knit social community within a church serves as an effective network to spread relevant information or recruit volunteers for any collective activity. Finally, there are a number of psychological resources a congregation can bring to bear on an individual. Oftentimes the religious teachings of congregations encourage members to adopt civic-minded values and attitudes that serve as a strong motivation to participate. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Political Science Honors Program. / Discipline: College Honors Program. / Discipline: Political Science.

Thesis advisor: Christopher Baum / Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and Reunification in 1990, Germany experienced many economic and labor market shifts. This empirical analysis evaluates the determinants of entrepreneurship in post-Reunification Germany from 1986 to 2014 using self-employment dependent variables as entrepreneurial proxies and measures of social capital as independent variables. Age, gender, nationality, education, income, risk attitudes, and social factors are all shown to be statistically significant predictors of entrepreneurial activity in Germany. The subsequent sociological analysis examines popular media’s portrayal of contemporary technological entrepreneurship in modern Berlin. The investigation highlights the differences between Berlin’s countercultural image and the need for sustainable funding and business plans for new technology ventures. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics Honors Program. / Discipline: College Honors Program. / Discipline: Economics.

Thesis advisor: Marc Landy / The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the Civil War was indeed brought about because of the presence of slavery in this country. It is this paper's thesis that not only did slavery provide a demonstrable economic incentive for the South to secede from the Union but also provided a social impetus as well. Slavery created a society in the South that favored the economic independence of states rather than economic integration not just because of a love for state's rights but also because any form of economic integration would diminish returns from the sizeable investment they, slave-owners, had made in slavery. Furthermore, slavery created a type of siege mentality in the South. This mentality, while helpful in muting the class tensions between the slave holding elites and poor whites, created a narrow identity amongst southerners that would have made secession that much easier. This paper will look at how the concepts of social distance and social capital helped make secession a likely outcome for the southern states. With these two factors in play, the cost of leaving the Union, of re-coordinating a new constitutional arrangement, was less costly than it might have been if not for slavery. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Political Science.

Thesis advisor: Irwin Blumer / Thesis advisor: James Marini / The effects of a formal empowerment and education program on parent's empowerment and involvement in their child's education. By Michelle Gomes Sanchez Through decades of research and data collecting, the effects of parent involvement in their child's education on a student outcomes has been examined through countless lenses; each with findings indicating its tremendous positive impact with benefits that extend beyond a child doing better in school. This dissertation, through a cross case-analysis of six parents, attempted to determine if parents felt more empowered as a result of participating in an education and empowerment program and in turn if that feeling of empowerment compelled them to be more involved in their child's education. The study examined changes in parent attitudes and perceptions of empowerment, as well as levels of engagement after participating in the training program that was specially designed to provide them with the skills needed to become better involved in their child's education. The workshops focused on empowering them with knowledge about social and cultural capital as well as different issues related to the development and education of their child such as communicating effectively with your child, creating a homework environment, having powerful parent teacher meetings, creating valuable two-way lines of communication with the school, as well as understanding child development. Overall, the project created a very successful parent program that increased parent involvement by providing workshops specifically targeted at educating and empowering parents in order for them to feel more confident in their abilities to be an effective advocate for their child. The study made cleat that parent involvement can not just be a statement in your handbook or mission statement; it must be a priority of the school and be embedded into the school culture, with staff buy-in and deliberate parent education about cultural and social capital and its effects on their involvement and must provide them with the resources needed to most effectively navigate the school system. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration.

Várias ciências sociais desenvolveram teorias sobre o crime. Mas foi na Economia que uma teoria geral do crime foi desenvolvida de forma mais completa. Porém, a comprovação empírica da teoria econômica do crime não é totalmente satisfatória, fornece uma explicação apenas parcial do fenômeno. Além disso, sua aplicação estrita parece ter gerado problemas, como o crescimento exagerado da população encarcerada. Nesta Tese procura-se analisar possíveis deficiências nessa teoria, em especial as resultantes da aplicação estrita do postulado da racionalidade, e confrontá-la com explicações adicionais e complementares que poderiam gerar uma visão do crime mais completa. Argumenta-se que teorias complementares do capital social e da vitimização podem ser integradas nos modelos existentes e melhorar o entendimento do que causa o crime. Finalmente, pelos dados de uma pesquisa de vitimização conduzida com a finalidade de comprender melhor o crime na cidade de São Paulo, procura-se estimar os efeitos de variáveis ligadas ao capital social e à vitimização para comprovar a influência desses elementos sobre o crime. O resultado mostra que crimes diversos são explicados por variáveis diferentes, sendo difícil aceitar uma explicação única, simples e geral. Crimes com motivação econômica (roubos e furtos), conforme esperado, dependem mais de variáveis econômicas enquanto os sem essa motivação (agressões físicas e vebais) encontram no capital social uma explicação relevante. / Various social sciences developed theories about crime. But it was in economics that a general theory was developed in its most complete form, However a total empirical evidence of the economic theory of the crime is not totally satisfactory, supplying only a explanation of the phenomenon. Besides this, its strict application only supplies a general exaggeration of the population put into jail. In this Thesis one analyses possible deficiencies in this theory, specially the strict application of the theory of the postulate of rationality, and confront it with additional explanations that could generate a more complete vision of crime. On argues that complementary theories about social capital and victimization could be integrated into the existing model and improve the understanding of what causes crime. Finally, with the data of a research on victimization whose objective was to understand the crime in São Paulo city, one looks forward to estimate the effects Social Capital and their influence over crime. The result shows that diverse crimes are explained by diverse variables, being difficult to accept one only explanation, simple and direct. Crimes with economic motivation (robberies) as expected depend more on such economic variables while crimes with no such explanations (physical and economic aggressions) find more relevance on social capital.

Falhas de mercado, como imperfeições informacionais e dificuldades de fazer com que os contratos sejam cumpridos, podem levar arranjos financeiros alternativos, como cooperativas de crédito, a permitir o acesso a crédito que de outra forma não seria possível. Tal vantagem depende de características locais como a confiança e informação compartilhada no município (que pode ser chamado de capital social). Esta dissertação realiza uma avaliação empírica decorrente da ideia expressa acima. Nela testa-se se o capital social - medido por variáveis como votos brancos e nulos em eleições para vereador, homogeneidade de renda, religião e raça - impacta a quantidade de cooperativas de crédito existentes nos municípios brasileiros de 2000 a 2008. Os resultados corroboram a tese exposta indicando que o capital social está positivamente relacionado com o número de cooperativas no Brasil.Todavia, os resultados dependem de quais variáveis são utilizadas como medidas de capital social. É possível que algumas variáveis de homogeneidade e imigração utilizadas não sejam boas medidas de capital social. Ademais, também há indícios que essa relação positiva não é fruto apenas de uma relação positiva com o crédito em geral. / Market failures such as informational imperfections and problems with enforcement may lead alternative financial arrangements, such as credit unions, to have superior results compared to the traditional banking system. This advantage depends on local characteristics such as trust and shared information, or social capital, in the municipality. Thisdissertation conducts an empirical evaluation due to the idea expressed above. It tests if the social capital, measured by valid votes in elections for city council, homogeneity of income, religion and race, impacts the amount of credit unions in Brazilian municipalities from 2000 to 2008. The results confirm the thesis exposed above indicating that social capital is positively related to the number of credit unions in Brazil. However, the results depend on which variables are used to measure the social capital existing. It is possible that some variables used related to homogeneity and immigration are not good measures of social capital. Moreover, there is also evidence that this positive association is not only the result of a positive relationship with credit in general.