American youth are leaving organized religion at historical levels. Given that religious and political similarity (consensual solidarity) tends to strengthen affectual solidarity (emotional connection) in parent-adolescent dyads, decreasing adolescent religiousness and increasing political disagreements may threaten family social cohesion. However, during adolescence, youth empathy skills tend to increase and adolescents’ conflict with their parents tends to eventually subside. Based on principles outlined in intergenerational family solidarity theory, I hypothesized that adolescent empathy skills and authoritative parenting style would buffer the negative relational effects of religious and political discrepancies within the parent-adolescent relationship. I used Waves 2-4 (referred to as Times 1-3) of parent-adolescent data drawn from the Family Foundations of Youth Development study (Time 2 N = 1764 families) to understand patterns of discrepancy using a person-centered analysis. As a first step in latent profile analysis, I enumerated five distinct classes in Time 2 using the indicators of religious and political identities and social cohesion at both Times 2 and 3, alongside the covariates of adolescent empathy, parenting styles, and demographic controls. Next, I labeled the five classes as follows: Class 1 – Less Religious Parents Politically Mixed (26% of the sample, n = 665); Class 2 – More Religious Parents Moderate Conservative (26% of the sample, n = 399); Class 3 – Both Somewhat Religious Conservative (20% of the sample, n = 254); Class 4 – Least Religious Adolescents Politically Mixed (14% of the sample, n = 236); and Class 5 – More Religious Adolescents Very Conservative (14% of the sample, n = 210). Finally, I compared the five classes on the longitudinal distal outcome of social cohesion at Time 3. The Less Religious Parents Politically Mixed families predicted significantly less social cohesion while the Both Somewhat Religious Conservative families predicted significantly higher social cohesion from Time 2 to 3.

The main research question in this thesis explores why some people volunteer and give money compared to those that do not. The thesis builds on existing research that explains volunteering and giving, but is primarily concerned with showing how the social environment – or the context – in which people live can explain individual decisions to volunteer and give. This thesis answers three main research questions with this central theme in mind. First, how do the background characteristics of people explain whether they volunteer or give? Second, net of background characteristics of people, how does the social environment (context) that people live in explain volunteering and giving? Third, how do background characteristics of people and the social environment in which they live interact to explain volunteering and giving? Each of the four empirical chapters focuses on research questions that have received limited attention in the literature, while also utilizing relatively unique data, in relatively unique contexts. The main results of this study are as follows. Comparatively, the shared profile of a volunteer and charitable giver is someone who is middle aged, more educated, married, richer, healthier, and a religious service attendee. Contextual country characteristics also displayed an independent effect of these individual-level characteristics: religious diversity and belonging to a religious minority group was associated with a greater likelihood of volunteering, but are not associated with giving. Income inequality is associated with a decreased likelihood of volunteering and giving for respondents in developed countries, whereas the opposite is true for respondents in developing countries, supporting Wilkinson’s relative income hypothesis. A curvilinear relationship exists between national devoutness and volunteering, whereas a strong positive correlation exists between national devoutness and giving. Females are more likely to volunteer and give in societies that exhibit more gender equality; and the lower educated are more likely to volunteer in more educated societies, but that they are not more likely to give in these societies. There is no support for the idea that income disparities in volunteering and giving are exacerbated in more socially unequal societies. In England, there was no support for the idea that a stable residential area promotes volunteering and giving among adults, while neighbourhood deprivation and ethnic diversity were strong negative predictors of both behaviours. Among the youth demographic in England, religious diversity of schools is not associated with any form of civic engagement. Ethnic diversity is positively related to school extra curricular activities, but negatively with youth club participation. Youths attending private schools were more likely to take part in school-based extra-curriculars, but less likely to take part in out of school clubs and groups.

La purification est une métaphore désignant le moteur de la philosophie de la religion de Hegel. Elle est d’abord à l’œuvre dans la création de la Nature qui se consume pour produire la conscience de soi divine à travers l'esprit humain. En second lieu, elle s’opère dans l’objectivation des productions spirituelles de l’homme qui sont purifiées jusqu'à ce que l’Esprit soit auprès de soi dans le christianisme. La troisième purification est morale et trouve son fondement dans la Genèse, le judaïsme étant le premier à avoir identifié l'unité des natures humaine et divine. Le mythe témoignera également de la culpabilité en tant que l'homme n'exprime pas immédiatement sa divinité, mais sa finitude. La réalisation du divin impliquera donc la purification de la naturalité au profit de la substantialité. Le christianisme explicitera cette tâche par l’héroïsme de Jésus et cet héroïsme se perpétuera jusqu’à ce qu’émergent un individualisme moderne et une religion assurant la cohésion sociale : le protestantisme luthérien. Cet individualisme sera toutefois défectueux puisqu’il produira éventuellement davantage d’égoïsme que de réconciliation, ce qui donnera lieu à certaines critiques de l’analyse hégélienne du christianisme. En effet, Hegel croit toujours que la vitalité religieuse est nécessaire au fonctionnement de l’État, bien qu’elle soit dorénavant incapable de diffuser les sentiments de culpabilité et de responsabilité dans le corps social. Néanmoins, comme les valeurs du christianisme ont été épurées de leur contingence en passant dans les mœurs et dans l’État, il s’avérera que le corps social peut se passer d’une tradition religieuse vivante / Purification is what moves the content of Hegel’s philosophy of religion. It is first active in the creation of Nature, which consumes itself in order to liberate the divine self-consciousness through human spirit. Secondly, it is active in the process of the objectivation of human spiritual productions, which are purified until Spirit comes to know itself in the world. The third form of purification is moral and gets its theoretical foundation in the Genesis. According to Hegel, Judaism was the first belief system to identify the unity between divine and human natures; however, the myth is also about the birth of guilt as man does not immediately express his divinity, but his finiteness. As such, the divine process implies purification from naturality in favour of substantiality. Christianity will explicit this task through Jesus’s heroism and heroism in general will maintain itself until the rise of modern individualism and the rise of a religion capable of producing social cohesion—Lutheran Protestantism. However, individualism will eventually show its defectiveness since it will create more egoism than reconciliation. This problem will be the opportunity to criticize Hegel’s analysis of Christianity. Indeed, it seems that Hegel came to believe that religious vitality was necessary to the State's proper functioning, even though Christianity is no longer capable of creating guilt and responsibility by itself. Nevertheless, as Christian values are now purified forms their contingencies and are now recuperated by customs and the State, it appears that society can now function without such a tradition.

Title: The role of the civic organizations in the life of the small municipalities Objectives: The main objective is to evaluate the relationship between civil society organizations and representatives of public administration in terms of their common aspiration to build cohesion in the former Association of Municipalities Neveklovsko. Defunct micro-region is also subject to consideration of future similar institutions. Methods: This multi-case study is based on analysis of data collected in selected community association Neveklovsko. The project will also draw information from public printed materials. This project will be based on semi-structured interviews with the mayors of municipalities and chosen representatives of civic associations. Results: We found that all municipalities of examined micro-region realize the importance and interest groups in the villages. Municipalities are trying to make these voluntary organizations to promote and ensure better social life of the inhabitants. Recently, the municipalities of the former micro-region worked together again in the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the eviction of Neveklovsko. Recreating of micro-region is not in a sight. Any municipalities do not agree with the financing and therefore they have no further interest in this integration....

L’objet de la thèse réside dans l’analyse des relations entre confiance, cohésion sociale et performance. A partir d’une analyse critique de l’usage de la notion de confiance en économie, la thèse propose une réflexion conceptuelle débouchant sur une conception tridimensionnelle de la confiance, une confiance stratégique, une confiance personnelle et une confiance généralisée. A partir d’une analyse en composantes principales et des données de la cinquième vague du World Values Survey, nous proposons une traduction empirique de cette notion. Les indicateurs ainsi construits sont utilisés pour réaliser une analyse économétrique des déterminants de la confiance en termes des caractéristiques personnelles et des facteurs tels que l’appartenance religieuse et l’engagement civique et politique. Au regard de ces indicateurs la thèse propose une analyse de la confiance en France au regard des autres pays de l’OCDE et une typologie pays fonction des articulations entre les trois types de confiance et leurs différents niveaux. Ensuite nous proposons une conceptualisation de la notion de cohésion sociale en termes de participation civique et politique, confiance systémique et interindividuelle et respect de la diversité. A partir d’une classification ascendante hiérarchique nous proposons une typologie « cohésion sociale » sur les pays de l’OCDE. Pour finir nous testons économétriquement l’effet des divers indicateurs de confiance et de cohésion sociale sur la performance économique et sociale / The aim of the thesis is the analysis of the relationship between trust, social cohesion and performance. Through a critical analysis of the use of the notion of trust in economics, the thesis proposes a conceptual development leading to a three-dimensional conception of trust, a strategic trust, a personal trust and a generalized trust. Using a principal component analysis and processing data from the fifth wave of World Values Survey, we propose an empirical translation of this concept. The indicators we have constructed are used to perform an econometric analysis of the determinants of trust in terms of personal characteristics and factors such as religious and civic and political engagement. Based on these indicators the thesis provides an analysis of confidence in France in comparison with other OECD countries and a typology based on networks between the three types of trust and their different levels. Finally we propose a conceptualization of the notion of social cohesion in terms of civic and political participation, trust and inter-systemic and respect for diversity. From a hierarchical ascending classification we propose a typology of "social cohesion" of the OECD countries. Finally we test econometrically the effect of various indicators of trust and social cohesion on the economic and social performance

This study examines primary school teachers approach towards the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The aim is to make a contribution to the academic discussion of the advantages and disadvantages when teachers emphasize differences or similarities between these religions. In addition, the study highlights the importance of religious education for the promotion of social unity. Also the topic of morality in a society, whether it can strengthen or not the consensus regarding fundamental values, norms and goals. The study is based on a survey of 22 questions in three key areas: Background facts, Lesson planning and teaching, alongside The importance of religion education for individuals and society. The survey was answered by 124 teachers of religion at primary school. Additionally five pedagogical plans from the same selection group have been studied. The results are both quantitative and qualitative. The study rests on the assertion that Abraham's children is a tool that can teach the common history of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Previous research shows different positions using Abraham's children as a pedagogical concept. The vast majority amongst the participants of the study consider it to be of great importance to show the similarities of religions. As a result they also believe that it has the opportunity to promote social togetherness in a positive direction. Looking at the result through Émile Durheim's theory of social solidarity, this clarifies that an individual as a subject is not the same when part of a collective. Social development will arise when people gather as a group. / Denna studie undersöker hur lärare på låg- och mellanstadiet hanterar de abrahamitiska religionerna judendomen, kristendomen och islam. Syftet är att lämna ett bidrag till den vetenskapliga diskussionen om för- och nackdelar med att som lärare i religionskunskap främst betona olika religioners olikheter eller likheter. Dessutom belyser studien vilken betydelse religionsundervisningen kan få för främjandet av social sammanhållning och moraluppfattningen i ett samhälle. Det vill säga om den kan stärka samsynen kring grundläggande värden, normer och mål. Studien genomfördes främst med hjälp av en enkät. Denna innehöll 22 frågor uppdelade under de tre rubrikerna Bakgrundsfakta, Lektionsplanering och undervisning, samt Religionsundervisningens betydelse för individ och samhälle. Enkäten besvarades av 124 lärare i religionsämnet på låg- och mellanstadiet. Som komplement har fem pedagogiska planeringar från samma urvalsgrupp studerats. Resultaten är både kvantitativa och kvalitativa. Studien tar avstamp i uttrycket Abrahams barn som ett verktyg för att visa på judendomens, kristendomens och islams gemensamma historia. Inom tidigare forskning finns två konkurrerande uppfattningar om Abrahams barn som pedagogiskt koncept. De allra flesta som deltog i studien anser det vara av stor vikt att visa på religionernas likheter. Som en naturlig följd av detta anser de även att religionsämnet har stor möjlighet att främja den sociala sammanhållningen i positiv riktning. Genom att se resultatet genom Émile Durheims teori om social sammanhållning tydliggörs att en individ som solitär inte är densamma när den ingår i ett kollektiv. När människor samlas i grupp uppstår det sociala fenomen.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:48:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Felicio Oshiro.pdf: 1225068 bytes, checksum: 3c29701b7fb1a3546d50181285ab92c7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-19 / This study aims to analyze the visions of unemployment in contemporary society. Firstly, it approaches the look of Neoclassical, Keynesian and Marxist about the causes of unemployment and its role in capitalism. Next, based on the thought of Robert Castel, Jérôme Gautié and Christian Topalov, it analyzes the construction of the unemployed category, emphasizing the place of work without the pre-industrial and industrial society. The third part discusses the concept of unemployment in labor statistics by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socio-Economic Studies (DIEESE) and Foundation System State Data Analysis (SEADE). These views influence social protection, economic policy, responsibility by unemployment, the way to use the technological advances, also in safety and working conditions of employees. This dissertation inquires about the construction of the unemployment rates, the comparability and the risk of reducing a complex phenomenon to a measure. In addiction this study presents the Castel s concern about the precariousness of employment in a society that was based on the wage relation. Finally, this text suggested that the visions are not neutral and represent the interests of social forces, demanding reflection even when the indices indicate "low unemployment" / Este estudo tem por objetivo analisar o desemprego no olhar da sociedade contemporânea. Inicialmente, aborda-se a visão dos pensamentos neoclássico, keynesiano e marxista sobre as causas do desemprego e seu papel no capitalismo. A seguir, baseado no pensamento de Robert Castel, Jérôme Gautié e Christian Topalov, analisa-se a construção da categoria desempregado, enfatizando-se o lugar do sem trabalho na sociedade pré-industrial e industrial. Na terceira parte, discute-se o conceito de desemprego nas estatísticas do trabalho, pela Organização Internacional do Trabalho (OIT), pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE), pelo Departamento Intersindical de Estatística e Estudos Socioeconômicos (DIEESE) e pela Fundação Sistema Estadual de Análise de Dados (SEADE). Todas as visões citadas influenciam as proteções sociais, a política econômica, a responsabilização pelo desemprego, a maneira de utilizar os avanços tecnológicos, além da segurança e das condições de trabalho dos empregados. A dissertação indaga sobre a construção dos índices de desemprego, sua comparabilidade e o risco de reduzir um fenômeno complexo a uma medida. Apresenta a preocupação de Castel sobre a precarização dos empregos em uma sociedade que foi alicerçada sobre a relação salarial. Por fim, sugere que as visões não são neutras e representam interesses de forças sociais, merecendo reflexões mesmo quando os índices apontam desemprego baixo

The assumption that internet access is a means of building stronger communities is commonly found in a number of sectors, particularly in New Zealand government social services policy. In response to this assumed relationship between internet access and social cohesion, the present multiple case study research project examined the experience of free home internet access among families participating in New Zealand’s Computers in Homes scheme in low socioeconomic school communities between 2003 and 2005. The goal of the study was to assess how internet access and social cohesion are related in a free home internet scheme. Two propositions derived from a literature review underpinned the research goal: first, that internet access leads to ongoing use, and second, that internet access is positively related to social cohesion. The research was designed to test these propositions using a qualitative, constructivist approach with a mixed methodology. The principal method was interviews with adult Computers in Homes family members concerning their internet use and their sense of belonging to, and involvement in, the local community, across two waves of research about one year apart in two community settings. Additional data from observation, interviews and meetings with school principals and key informants such as Computers in Homes staff, provided context. Of thirty volunteer participants from among available Computers in Homes parents at two sites, twenty-six respondents took part in data collection at Time 1. Data from nine Case A and thirteen Case B participants contribute to the results. Nine of the original group participated at Time 2 one year later, seven from Case A and two from Case B. Internet use declined across the group as a whole, a negative outcome mitigated by positive experiences and individual success stories, and the emergence of ‘high-connector’ internet users. While evidence of social cohesion was found at both case study sites initially, it was noticeably associated with the activities and interpersonal influence of confident internet users at Case A where significantly greater retention of ongoing internet use also occurred. A key finding of the study is therefore that ongoing internet use was more successfully achieved in a setting where social cohesion was more readily apparent at the time the free internet scheme was implemented. Thus a positive relationship existed in this research between internet access and social cohesion in one case study of two, where conditions included the presence of opinion leaders and social solidarity. Opportunities for face to face social interaction and support such as are present in Computers in Homes practice are potentially significant for ongoing internet use. The Computers in Homes concept extends participants’ social experiences of community through the way it is structured and implemented. In combination with the mobilising behaviours of leader figures, these social experiences may be factors associated with longer term viability of a free home internet scheme as much as the presence of the internet itself. A range of significant barriers affecting individual internet users at home, and larger obstacles such as confused accountability when external agencies are involved in project management, is signalled in this research. Recommendations aimed at increasing the benefits of a free home internet scheme in terms of participant retention and social cohesion are proposed. Opportunities for further research arise from this study, in clarifying the conditions associated with positive social outcomes for internet interventions with a particular focus on the role of existing group cohesion and leadership dynamics.

What motivates extreme pro-group action, such as heroism and self-sacrifice on the battlefield? Despite much scholarly attention in recent years, the question is yet to be fully explained. Recent research suggests that shared dysphoric experiences are one way of generating identity fusion, a visceral sense of 'oneness' between individual and group that has been shown to motivate willingness to fight and die for the group. Using two special populations - British and Brazilian football fans - this thesis investigates the causes and consequences of fusion. Football fan cultures are diverse, globally popular, and ripe for examining intergroup conflict. This thesis focuses on two related components of the 'shared dysphoria pathway' to fusion: emotional arousal (e.g. watching one's team suffer a particularly bitter defeat) and the sense of 'self-transformativeness' that ensues from intense, shared experiences. Across four studies, it is shown that for some individuals, sharing the agony of defeat can be emotionally and physiologically arousing to such a degree so as to transform their sense of personal identity. In turn, this leads to a more porous boundary between group and individual identities, i.e. individuals become 'fused' with their groups. Fused people are documented as engaging in some of the most extreme and potentially dangerous social behaviours we know. Two related consequences of fusion are examined: extreme pro-group action and outgroup hostility. Football hooliganism is a persistent, global problem, which is addressed in a fifth study. This thesis refutes past work suggesting that hooligans are social misfits, instead contending that hooligans are especially fused to their group and motivated to defend their 'brothers-in-arms', which results in outgroup violence. These findings suggest that a more thorough understanding of the causes and consequences of fusion could conceivably impact a great many areas, perhaps most importantly conflict resolution and policies relating to intergroup conflict.

Drawing on the case of Vienna, the article examines the role of third sector housing for social cohesion in the city. With the joint examination of an organisational and an institutional level of housing governance, the authors apply an interdisciplinary, multi-level research approach which aims at contributing to a comprehensive understanding of social cohesion as a contextualised phenomenon which requires place-based as well as structural (multi-level) solutions. Using a large-scale household survey and interviews with key informants, the analysis shows an ambiguous role housing cooperatives play for social cohesion: With the practice of "heme-oriented housing estates", non-profit housing returns to the traditional cooperative principle of Gemeinschaft. However, community cooperatives rather promote homogenous membership and thus, encompass the danger to establish cohesive islands that are cut off from the rest of the city. Furthermore, given the solidarity-based housing regime of Vienna, fostering bonding social capital on the neighbourhood level, might anyway just be an additional safeguarding mechanism for social cohesion. More important is the direct link between the micro-level of residents and the macro-level of urban housing policy. In this respect, cooperative housing represents a crucial intermediate level that strengthens the linking social capital of residents and provides opportunity structures for citizen participation. However, the increasing adoption of a corporate management orientation leads to a hollowing out of the cooperative principle of democratic member participation, reducing it to an informal and non-binding substitute. Thus, it is in the responsibility of both managements and residents to revitalise the existing democratic governance structures of cooperative housing before they will be completely dismantled by market liberalization and privatization. In contrast to other European cities, third sector housing in Vienna has the potential to give residents a voice beyond the neighbourhood and the field of housing. / Series: SRE - Discussion Papers