The Sara Communication Initiative (SCI), a girls intervention programme, was introduced by the Forum for African Women Educationalists in Malawi (FAWEMA), to address girls low enrolment and high dropout from school. NORAD and UNICEF initially funded the SCI. FAWEMA is currently the custodian of the SCI in Malawi. <p>The purpose of this study was to determine stakeholder perceptions of the extent to which the social capital and capabilities of girls had been enhanced through the Sara Communication Initiative (SCI) in the two selected rural school communities of Chikwawa district. Two theoretical frameworks were utilized, Nussbaum (2001) and Sens (1999) capability development model and the concept of social capital theory based on Putnam (2000) and Coleman (1998). <p>A case study using mixed methods was used to examine the two cases. Data collection consisted of questionnaires, focus groups, structured interviews, document analysis and class observations. The study engaged 59 students, 30 students from Eastern school and 29 students from Southern school. Parents focus groups were attended by a total of 41 parents, 21 at Eastern school and 20 at Southern school. The researcher also interviewed four teachers, two from each school, as well as the National Coordinator for FAWEMA. Class observations took place at both venues and at the junior and senior primary school levels.<p>Descriptive data analysis was conducted using an SPSS package. Data from the focus group discussions were taped, transcribed, and analyzed thematically.<p>From the data it was concluded that comic books were an integral part of the SCI meetings and they highlighted some major challenges that girls experienced. T-shirts were also powerful in conveying SCI messages, apart from providing decent clothing for needy students. The study noted that there were more girls, than boys participating in the SCI.<p>In addition, it was found that basic and internal capabilities were limited for girls. As a result, although many girls enrolled in school, at the beginning of the school year the enrolment of girls dropped off sharply. The reasons for girls dropping out of school included heavy workload, poverty, sexual harassment, early pregnancies, early marriages, lack of motivation, lack of encouragement, and lack of female role models. In regard to external conditions, which comprise the material and institutional environments, the findings of this study were that although the family, the school, and development agencies assisted in providing some resources for the pupils to enable them to stay in school the provisions were not adequate.<p>As well, the study found that some tenets of social capital were evident. Social networks were apparent between parents/guardians and their children/wards, teachers and pupils, teachers and parents, female pupils and the UNICEF mothers groups, and the development committees. Institutional trust appeared to be lacking in some cases. There was a lack of trust of male teachers and older schoolboys by the parents because there were no female role models for the girls at the schools. Organizations in the form of development agencies were also considered an important resource to the two communities. <p>Finally, it was found that the Sen Capabilities Model had some limits to its applicability in a developing country. In addition, it was concluded that while the SCI enhanced the social capital for girls, in all likelihood the community members require attitudinal and cultural change.

<p>Does social capital, resources embedded in social networks, influence health? My dissertation examines whether social capital directly impacts depression, and how it interplays with other established structural risk factors linked to depression. I analyze unique data from the thematic research project "Social Capital: Its Origins and Consequences," collected in 2004-5 in the United States. I measure social capital through one recently developed network instrument, the position generator. I use structural equation modeling to test the direct, mediating, and moderating effects of social capital on depressive symptoms. I also use the instrumental variable method to verify the causal order in the relationship between social capital and depression. Results show that social capital is associated with the level of depression in four ways. Social capital is associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms net of other variables. Part of the effect of social capital on depressive symptoms is indirect through subjective social status. Social capital mediates the associations of age, gender, being black (versus being white), marital status, education, occupation, annual family income, and social integration with depression. Social capital also interacts with gender, being black (versus being white), education, annual family income, and social integration. This research indicates that social capital is an important social antecedent of disease and illness.</p> / Dissertation

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This qualitative study focused on the knowledge and perceptions of Latino high school students, as well those of their parents and school personnel, at a southwestern, suburban high school regarding persistence in the math/science pipeline. In the context of the unique school and community setting these students experience, the decision-making process was examined with particular focus on characterizing the relationships that influence the process. While the theoretical framework that informs this study was that of social capital, its primary purpose was to inform the school's processes and policy in support of increased Latino participation in the math and science pipeline. Since course selection may be the most powerful factor affecting school achievement and college-preparedness, and since course selection is influenced by school policy, school personnel, students, parents, and teachers alike, it is important to understand the beliefs and perceptions that characterize the relationships among them. The qualitative research design involved a phenomenological study of nine Latino students, their parents, their teachers and counselors, and certain support personnel from the high school. The school's and community's environment in support of academic intensity served as context for the portrait that developed.Given rapidly changing demographics that bring more and more Latino students to suburban high schools, the persistent achievement gap experienced by Latino students, and the growing dependence of the world economy on a citizenry versed in the math- and science-related fields, a deeper understanding of the decision-making processes Latino students experience can inform school policy as educators struggle to influence those decisions.This study revealed a striking lack of knowledge concerning the college-entrance ramifications of continued course work in math and science beyond that required for graduation, relationships among peers, parents, and school personnel that were markedly lacking in influence over the decision a student makes to continue, or not, course work beyond that required for graduation, and a general dismissal of the value of math- and science-related careers. Also lacking was any evidence of social capital within parental networks that reflected intergenerational closure.

The intent of this thesis is to conduct an empirical study of social capital in a single resource dependent fishing community, Petty Harbour, Newfoundland. The community under study, Petty Harbour, has a 335 year attachment to what was its primary fishery, Northern cod (Gadus morhua). This ended in 1992 when the Canadian government implemented an indefinite moratorium on Northern cod. Historically the community has exhibited high levels of activism aimed for the most part at protectionism of its primary economic mainstay, the fishery. Social capital by definition implies available resources embedded in social structures such as informal networks that can be accessed and mobilized by individuals or groups for either personal or communal gain (Coleman, 1988; Putnam, 2000; Krishna, 2002; Onyx, 2005). High levels of social capital can lead to collective activism, which according to some, is the single most important contributing factor to sustainability because without activism, an outcome of social capital, there maybe no hope for recovery and sustainability. My hypothesis is that the extent to which one is socially connected through network ties to close friends and/or family (structural social capital) and the level of trust in neighbors (cognitive social capital) will positively correlate with their involvement with activism. Leadership and sense of ownership are introduced as additional independent variables to further explore explanations for the community's level of collective activism and stewardship of the resource. Treating activism as a dependent variable, I am going to examine social capital indicators, suggesting network ties (weak, strong) as independent variables that can partially explain the historically high level of activism. I am also going to propose that the independent variables leadership and sense of ownership will also positively correlate with activism.

Research on social capital and physical activity has relied on proxy measures of trust and participation to assess individuals’ social capital. However, less is known about how social network capital is associated with physical inactivity. More recently, the association between neighbourhood context and health behaviours has been highlighted, suggesting that the social and physical environments can enhance or deter physical activity. The purpose of these two studies was to 1) assess and compare the association of trust, participation and network capital with physical inactivity; and 2) to assess the association between neighbourhood factors and physical inactivity in Montreal. These studies used data from the 2008 Montreal Neighbourhood Networks and Health Survey (MoNNET-HA), which consisted of 2707 adults residing in 300 Montreal neighbourhoods. Physical inactivity was assessed using an adapted version of the short International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Social capital was measured in three forms: generalized trust, social participation, and network capital. Network capital was measured using a position generator and consisted of network diversity, upper reachability, and range dimensions. Neighbourhood socioeconomic status and population density were used to assess aspects of the neighbourhood social and built environment. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine the association of physical inactivity with social capital and neighbourhood factors. In the first study, network diversity (OR: 0.88; 95% CIs: 0.80-0.96), and social participation (OR: 1.81; 95% CIs: 1.08-3.01) were significantly associated with lower odds of physical inactivity. This study directs attention towards the association between network capital and physical inactivity. Further investigation of network capital might lead to a better understanding of how social capital is associated with physical inactivity. In the second study, population density was significantly associated with lower odds of physical inactivity (OR: 0.97 95% C.I: 0.95, 0.99). Further investigation of neighbourhood context is recommended to understand the underlying mechanisms involved in the association of neighbourhood population density and physical inactivity. Greater knowledge of neighbourhood context could lead to the development of supportive neighbourhood social and physical resources that promote and enhance physical activity behaviour. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-30 16:22:36.884

The question of the influence of social capital on internationalization has been an important researched topic, as one of the factors for entering and post-entry operation on a foreign market. However there is a lack of knowledge, deepening on the importance social networks and relationships have for committing to a big foreign market such as the United States. The purpose of this research is to provide a better understanding of the importance of a network of social ties when it comes to a firms’ commitment to a foreign market. This study has the goal of proving knowledge on the importance of social capital to firms’ commitment to a foreign market, by explaining better its positive and negative sides over the process. The theory in this work is being divided into three parts: internationalization of SMEs, social capital and influence of social capital on the firm’s commitment to a foreign market. The theoretical framework is based on the previous researches done in accordance to the topic of this thesis. A model is presented at the end of the theoretical framework in order to be outlined the process of analyzing the three firm cases later on. This study is using qualitative research method in order to find an answer to the research question set at the beginning of the project. Abductive method, combing the inductive and deductive approaches, is chosen as a way to interpret and explain causality on the elected topic and to develop the existing theory. Primary and secondary data have been collected through the research process by conducting interviews with firm representatives, looking at official web pages and reports. Three Swedish companies have been engaged in this research because of their successful establishment on the U.S. market. The results of this study are showing the importance social capital in the internationalization process. Networks should be considered as a crucial issue and cannot be neglected since this may lead to bad results, performance, loss of growth and position on the foreign market. However, different commitment results are coming from different approaches followed by companies. There might be both positive and negative results outlined from using social capital, which will lead to increased or decreased mode of internationalization. / Master thesis

Thesis (M.S. in civil engineering)--Washington State University, May 2010. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on June 2, 2010). "Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering." Includes bibliographical references (p. 41-43).

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Political Science Department, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.