This thesis examines the relation between ascribed factors and the distribution of social capital among young adults. Information about the type of ties used in access to social capital is utilized to provide an understanding of the social contexts and mechanisms that play a role in the creation of social capital. The study measures social capital with a position generator methodology and utilizes the first wave of the Swedish LIFINCON survey, which is a study of 19 year olds of Iranian, Yugoslavian and Swedish origin. The results show that having socioeconomically advantaged parents and living in a large city region is associated with higher levels of social capital. Gender differences are found in the accessed range of social capital as women more often reached positions with the lowest prestige value. Background in Iran or Yugoslavia has a positive effect on social capital and parents’ class position in the country of origin is important for their children’ social capital. It is argued that social closure and social distance can explain why social background is important in determining access to high prestige social capital and that the composition of an individual network is affected by the average resources in a “group” or region.

Systemic corruption has fierce impacts on human development. Research indicates that systemic corruption in Armenia has invaded into all the sectors of social life and has transformed society making from it a comfortable environment for existence. Human development, social structure, human resources, public way of thinking, opportunities are constrained by the limitations and restriction put by corrupt system. This paper provides a comprehensive study of the systemic nature of corruption and its consequences, the picture of socio-cultural attitude to the corruption through analysing public perceptions, and analyses the connection between corruption, corrupt behaviour and human development. Keywords Corruption, social perceptions, human development, opportunities, corrupt behaviour, social capital.

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Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This dissertation explored the degree and distribution of social capital forms-social networks, volunteer associations, generalized trust, particularized trust and norms of reciprocity in rural Ethiopia. It aims to contribute to the academic understanding of social capital formation in Africa. Whereas the extent of literature focused on uncovering difference in the distribution of social capital at macro, meso and micro levels, this dissertation instead unpacks how political and economic conditions in rural Ethiopia shape the extent of the different forms of social capital at different levels.

To what extent does Islam help explain the dynamics of a participatory civil society in the post-Soviet Muslim-majority Central Asia? More specifically, to what extent does the variation in Islam (personal religiosity) and political Islam (support for Islam’s role in politics) help predict the propensity to engage in elite-challenging collective political actions, rooted in self-assertive social capital? Grounded in emancipative social capital theory, this article embarks on an individual-level quantitative analysis to systematically examine the variation in self-assertive collective action in four Central Asian republics. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the empirical nexus between general religiosity (Islam), Islamism (Political Islam), and elite-challenging collective actions and offers new clues on the empirical interactions between resurgent Islam and collective political participation in the post-Communist Muslim world.

Social, political, and technological events of the past two decades have had considerable bearing on science education. While sociological studies of scientists at work have seriously questioned traditional histories of science, national and state educational systemic reform initiatives have been enacted, stressing standards and accountability. Recently, powerful instructional technologies have become part of the landscape of the classroom. One example, graphing calculator-based technology, has found its way from commercial and domestic applications into the pedagogy of science and math education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the culture of an "alternative" science classroom and how it functions with graphing calculator-based technology. Using ethnographic methods, a case study of one secondary, team-taught, Environmental/Physical Science (EPS) classroom was conducted. Nearly half of the 23 students were identified as students with special education needs. Over a four-month period, field data was gathered from written observations, videotaped interactions, audio taped interviews, and document analyses to determine how technology was used and what meaning it had for the participants. Analysis indicated that the technology helped to keep students from getting frustrated with handling data and graphs. In a relatively short period of time, students were able to gather data, produce graphs, and to use inscriptions in meaningful classroom discussions. In addition, teachers used the technology as a means to involve and motivate students to want to learn science. By employing pedagogical skills and by utilizing a technology that might not otherwise be readily available to these students, an environment of appreciation, trust, and respect was fostered. Further, the use of technology by these teachers served to expand students' social capital--the benefits that come from an individual's social contacts, social skills, and social resources. / Ph. D.

The aim of this study was to pursue an investigation on the educational performance of immigrant children living in Sweden by means of interviews and in the light of the social capital theory. With some earlier researchers suggesting that children with immigrant background have the tendency of performing lower in school compared to native children. This study uses Social capital theory to highlight the relationship between individuals and social structures influencing families in terms of educational performance of theirchildren. The study was carried out qualitatively with four immigrants parents been interviewed. The result of the interviews showed that parent’s role in their children’s educational performance is vital as well as the role of the community. The study also raises a question of self-confidence of children and parents. The result furthered showed that children’s educational performance is influenced by activities.

Magister Artium - MA / Death is an everyday occurrence for many urban Africans living in South Africa, and it is expressed through the everyday management of financial and social networks. The purpose of this study is to investigate what happens to African migrants, particularly the Ngemba people of Cameroon living in Cape Town when they die “away from home”. In this study, I will be exploring the steps followed, the rites that are performed, perceptions regarding death and funerals, as well as the social implications that death has for the group members concerned, and the various challenges faced when someone dies ‘away from home’. In other to achieve all this, I used a qualitative research design in which in-depth interviews and participant observation were administered to sixteen (16) participants.

This study is framed in Bourdieu’s theory of capital, which asserts that the choices we make are usually designed to help us become better off economically; that economic capital is, to some degree, exchangeable with other types of capital (e.g., social and cultural); and that other types of capital can be exchanged for economic capital. The purpose of this study was to understand which forms of capital native English-speaking and native Spanish-speaking families believed they would acquire by choosing to participate in or not participate in Spanish dual language immersion. In this study I interviewed four native Spanish-speaking students who did not participate in dual language immersion, and their parents, and four native English-speaking students who did participate in dual language immersion, and their parents. I also conducted a focus group with the teachers of both the native Spanish and native English-speaking students. I found that the native English-speaking families perceived that they were able to use the dual language immersion program to gain many forms of capital. By contrast, the native Spanish-speaking families also perceived that they gained capital by not participating in the program, but not as much as if they had participated in dual language immersion. I suggest some ways to make participation in dual language immersion more equitable for all families.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In current higher education fundraising models where alumni are aligned with their degree-granting unit, the academic library struggles to match the fundraising outcomes of its campus peers. A survey of seventy-nine fundraisers in academic libraries collected data on fundraising activity. It reveals common practices amongst fundraisers working in this environment and ongoing challenges to success. In a second study, a fundraising model based on social capital is proposed as an alternative to the traditional alumni model. The final study evaluates interviews with thirty-two individuals that further explores the challenges to fundraising success and the efficacy of social capital building as a method to overcome systemic challenges. Interviewees include academic library fundraisers, library deans/directors and university development leaders. Findings reveal a strong interest in a social capital-based approach to fundraising but reveal the necessity to pair the new model with revised fundraiser assessment models capable of measuring these soft skills.