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This paper studies the effects of the economic distress that occurred in Swedish municipalities during the financial crisis of 2008 and its effects on social capital. By comparing more exposed municipalities in terms of the decline in employment to less exposed municipalities with a difference-in-difference approach, the aim is to see if the Great Recession had heterogeneous effects on social capital in Sweden. The overall trends in social capital for both groups over the period are positive or stable with a minor plunge during the crisis. However, there are indications of a polarisations concerning trust in other people and in government, where the increase was supressed in more affected municipalities compared to less. For trust in government, it is more educated people and men that drives the negative results while foreign-born saw an increase. The loss in trust in government in the comparison made is more pronounced the more economically distressed the municipality was. Moreover, there seems to be a polarisation in confidence in parliament and satisfaction with democracy, but due to violated parallel trends assumptions it might not be due to the crisis.

Following changes in patterns of international migration, Swedish migration policy has witnessed a discursive shift from an attitude of multiculturalism to a focus on individual and civic integration. However problems of ethnic segregation and socio-economic exclusion of immigrants remain a serious challenge, especially in metropolitan areas. This research aims to shed light on how different configurations of social capital impact civic interactions and trust between young immigrants and Swedish residents, thus contributing towards, or hindering, a successful achievement of the goal of integration. Semi-structured interviews with students from an ethnically mixed school in Malmö were employed to gain primary data on social interactions between the two groups. In order to take into account other factors that can influence the youths' attitudes and action (such as the parents' social structure), the research also provides insights into three municipal projects aimed at increasing integration. The findings point towards the existence of distinct and separate social networks among the students, based on characteristics that can be attributes of social exclusion on the first place. Thus resulting in a perception of ‘difference’ regarding certain immigrant groups. On the other hand while all the three projects seem to result in positive outcomes of social structures by diffusion of information, at the same time it still seems that the most segregated do not benefit from them. These results provide the basis for a better understanding of potential ways of increasing trust and mutual understanding amongst the city residents.

<p>Through an interpretative lens, the current study examined how international students’ Internet use affects their new lives in the host country. Eight Chinese graduate students participated in this study. The data was collected through face-to-face qualitative in-depth interviews, which were guided by a semi-structured interview guide using open-ended questions. It was found that the Internet plays a significant role in the development of these students’ social capital in a new country. International students use internet to maintain the newly-built social relations in Canada and the old ones in China. Through the Internet, the students can get informational and emotional supports, which are essential in the acculturation process. It was also indicated that the Internet is a transnational space where these students can manage the complex interactions of differing cultural values and norms between China and Canada without synthesizing differences. The findings of this study are expected to make contributions to the knowledge of the experiences and support needs of International students on campus. Recommendations for school programs and policies are outlined.</p> / Master of Social Work (MSW)

Societal risks to disasters are continually increasing and the scope of policy issues surrounding emergency management in the United States remains inundated with a number of challenges. Examining the connection between social capital and political trust is paramount as prior studies have documented that if communal networks are disrupted, there will be a lasting negative impact upon the community. As such, there are specific events that cause added strain which make certain time periods for examining levels of resiliency relevant. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred on April 20, 2010, represents a large-scale, technological disaster. Not only was there a loss of human life, but a number of social and political impacts also exist with the oil having spewed out into the water. For instance, residents living along the Northern Gulf Coast do represent a heterogeneous population, which span across several geographical boundaries and represent a diverse range of cultures. Further, the economic interests of impacted residents were also likely torn between the oil and gas industry and the fishing and seafood industry, given that many individuals may have been concurrently employed full-time as oil rig workers and supplemented their financial income and/or quality of life as commercial fishermen. The goal of this research is to investigate how social capital and political trust significantly affect communal resiliency among those impacted by the oil spill. Results from this study will extend the limited understanding on the role of disaster responsibility in emergency management. Findings reveal that group belonging as related to race, education, and income significantly impact quality of life and trust in government which, in turn, influences the perception of disaster responsibility. Specifically, when trust goes down, a higher percentage of respondents indicate that the victims themselves should assume the majority of responsibility for taking care of themselves and their families following a disaster. Perhaps, individuals who are the least trusting or most cynical of the federal government feel that victims are better off taking care of themselves and their families in the aftermath of disaster given the storied history of disaster response.

As the use of social networking sites (SNSs) has become more wide-spread, some age groups have taken to the media much more readily than other groups. Older adults are lagging behind in their adoption of SNSs, while this group of the population tends to be more socially isolated and lonely. In this thesis, the uses of SNSs have been broken down into different components such as the intimacy level of the message content, types of contacts, etc. A framework for social capital is utilized, in order to bridge the knowledge gap between how older adults use social networking sites to gauge its impact on loneliness. The findings suggest that the use of SNSs increases social capital but does not directly reduce loneliness. The impact of the increase of social capital by using SNSs on loneliness is negligible. However, increased social capital due to SNSs use tends to moderate the effects that health status, financial wellbeing and satisfaction with offline relationships have on loneliness. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)