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There is a shortage of research investigating the link between employee development practices and intellectual capital as mediated by knowledge management. The aim of the current research was to consider the influence of employee development practices on intellectual capital through knowledge management. Data were collected through an instrument distributed to a sample of 464 employees working at information and communications technology companies. The results indicate that employee development practices had significant effects on human capital, knowledge management, and social capital. The results reveal that knowledge management had a significant effect on human capital but not on social capital. Finally, the results show that knowledge management significantly mediated the impact of employee development practices on human capital. Additionally, implications for intellectual capital development, organizational strategy, and academic research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Poverty Alleviation Resettlement (PAR) has been extensively adopted in China as a crucial approach towards achieving poverty eradication goals, resulting in notable successes. Nonetheless, this approach poses significant challenges to the relocated households in sustaining their livelihood in a sustainable manner. Uncovering the impact of different livelihood capitals on livelihood resilience and identifying strategies to enhance farmers' resilience are crucial challenges demanding immediate attention. Within the framework of sustainable livelihoods, this research investigates the relationship between livelihood capitals and resilience among rural households relocated for poverty alleviation in China. The analysis reveals that enhancing the social capital, physical capital, financial capital, and coping behavior of relocated farmers can bolster their livelihood resilience. Although human capital does not directly influence resilient livelihoods, it indirectly contributes through its mediating role in coping behaviors. This paper attempts to remedy the shortcomings of previous studies on the relationship between "livelihood capital and livelihood resilience" that disregarded the transmission of intermediate variables. The outcomes of this study bear significant practical and theoretical implications regarding the improvement of response strategies, the strengthening of farmers' livelihood resilience, and the expansion and refinement of the sustainable livelihood theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forcible displacement of children disrupts their social capital, and education is of primary importance regarding their integration into the host communities. Millions of individuals found themselves on the "wrong side" of the border when British India was Partitioned purely along religious lines in 1947, leading to mass-scale violence and migration. These migrants received very little state support because the host states were severely resource-constrained, but they were treated as citizens of the newly formed states. In this paper, I combine survey data with digitized archives of historical census data to study the effect of this large-scale permanent displacement event on the human capital attainment of forcibly displaced children. I use a cohort-age based differences-in-differences approach to show that individuals of school-going age, who were born in India and migrated to Pakistan, have a higher likelihood of completing primary and secondary education than natives in the same birth cohorts. I show that migrants' initial choices regarding location and occupation are two important potential mechanisms that point towards the existence of the "uprootedness hypothesis". My findings provide important insights for the integration of migrants into the host communities and underscore the need to better understand the comparative efficacy of different methods used for supporting forcibly displaced communities. • Forced migrants may achieve their educational goals despite limited state support. • Permanently displaced children outperform natives in their birth cohorts. • The effectiveness of aid compared to that of security of status needs research. • Forced Migrants' changed preferences towards human capital is an important mechanism. • Constrained access to land-based assets might have led to increased education attainment in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop and test a mediation model to examine teachers' constructivist belief as a mediator in the relationship between teachers' professional capital and technology-enhanced teaching innovation. Analysing data from 4,471 Chinese teachers, we found that: (a) Teachers' professional capital, integrating human, social, and decisional capital, positively related to technology-enhanced teaching innovation. (b) The effect of teachers' professional capital surpasses the individual effects of teachers' human, social or decisional capital. (c) Constructivist belief mediates the relationship between professional capital and teaching innovation. This work provides implications on how to promote teaching innovation from a professional capital perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We develop a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model featuring the role of social capital. • We estimate the model with Bayesian techniques using Italian data. • Results suggest that social capital improves total factor productivity. Social capital plays a role in many desirable economic outcomes. We analyze how these beneficial effects translate into the performance of economies by developing a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model featuring the role of social capital in explaining the Solow residual. We then simulate and estimate the model with Bayesian techniques using Italian data. Our framework fits actual data better than a standard DSGE model, suggesting that social capital may improve the economic performance via its impact on total factor productivity. Including human capital in the model further raises social capital's ability to explain the Solow residual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A better understanding of farmers' energy-saving behaviors can help policy-makers to formulate effective energy policies to reduce energy consumption in rural areas. This study explores the impacts of livelihood capital on farmers' energy-saving behaviors in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China. A total of 471 questionnaires were obtained from randomly sampled households. The results show that there are differences between the implementation of different types of energy-saving behaviors. Farmers' livelihood capital plays a significant role in implementing energy-saving behaviors. Specifically, natural capital and human capital have a significantly negative effect on the implementation of energy-saving behaviors. Physical capital and social capital are conducive to implement energy-saving behaviors. The effect of financial capital varies with different energy-saving behaviors. The findings of this study can contribute to the existing body of knowledge about determinants of farmers' energy-saving behaviors by confirming the role of livelihood capital. The empirical results provide a reference for stakeholders involved in strengthening rural residents' energy-saving behaviors in developing countries like China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social considerations and potential for innovation in resource and technological exploitation processes have dominated traditional ideas of regional development. Similar to how regional economic progress is sometimes expressed in terms of job creation and rising property prices. An alternate viewpoint contends that the business community must be included into construction and planning strategies to counterbalance the conventional economic perspective since this approach often overlooks the social and community components of tourist development. This study makes the case that encouraging creativity in regional development (ASEAN) entails much more than just consulting the local tourist operators, but consideration should be given to regional open innovation concept. Although tourism development may be carried out in a fashion that enhances innovation, but it also requires a certain degree of external country partner (open innovation) so that it can serve its intended purpose as a tool for regional development and even contribute to the economy. The main ideas of human capital, structural capital, relational capital is discussed in this study. It does so in the framework of local tourist development, as well as the ideas of innovative development systems and sustainable development. The interplay of various kinds of social capital and various innovations in the growth of tourism that is both bridging and bonding is examined in this study. Increasing social capital shouldn't be seen as a quick fix to increase tourism. Thus, it may be claimed that regional policies focused at supporting non-traditional kinds of innovation should reflect the need of building and sustaining specific types of connectivity, namely social capital bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perennial question ‘What is Capital’ has been getting some attention recently. Although the distinction between capital as a financial construct and capital as a collection of physical production-goods is well known, we argue that the former concept is undepreciated. The two concepts are often conflated in practice, and the relationship between them is seldom well understood. We spell out the financial concept of capital emphasizing its importance as an indispensable instrument of calculation and accounting. We consider some views of human, social and other capital and how we differ from them. We present reasons for rejecting the notion of an aggregate production function in standard growth theory (which uses the notion of an aggregate stock of physical capital) and as recently used by Thomas Piketty in his well-known work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neoclassic economic rationale has taken for granted that the effect of effort on health is negative. However, several studies in the field of occupational health and medicine claim that working is clearly better for health than non-working or being unemployed, as some psychological and physical condition may improve with work effort. This paper analyzes the effect of work effort on occupational health. The proposed human capital approach builds upon the classic economic perspective, that assumes a negative effect of effort on health, and extends it by allowing positive effects, as suggested by occupational researchers. Using a sample from 2010 of 20,000 European workers we find that, under adequate working conditions, the level of effort (measured in working hours) at which health starts to deteriorate is very high (120 h per week). However, if working conditions are not adequate, even a moderate effort (35 h per week) can harm workers health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the penetration of information technology into every walk of business, computer skills become increasingly valued in today's workplaces. While studies have revealed that computer skills can improve productivity, solve complex problems, create new businesses, and earn wage premium, few studies have investigated the role computer skills can potentially play for worker employment. Based on theories of human capital and social capital, this study develops hypotheses about how computer skills affect worker employment, and further test them using matched US Current Population Surveys (CPS). It finds that computer skills not only mitigate worker displacement but also facilitate reemployment for displaced workers, particularly for reemployment at distant locations. In addition, computer skills are more conducive to managerial and professional jobs in comparison to other types of jobs. This study bears both theoretical and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, social capital has gained importance in explaining technology adoption decisions by farmers. In this paper, we examine the impact of social capital on the adoption of irrigation technology and irrigation scheduling among wine producers in Central Chile. We propose three hypotheses: that trust and networks affect positively the adoption of both technologies (H1 and H2) and that trust is positively related to networks (H3). First, we identify seven different components of social capital: general trust, trust in institutions, trust in water communities, norms, formal networks, informal networks, and size of networks. Second, we estimate two Partial Least Squares models using as endogenous variables irrigation technology adoption and adoption of irrigation scheduling. Both models tested confirm the relevance of our interpretation of the use of social capital and its implications in understanding producers' behaviour towards adoption of technologies. The three hypotheses tested positive. Trust in institutions, and formal and informal networks have a positive impact on the adoption of both technologies. General trust has a positive relationship with formal and informal networks. Human capital also has a strong relationship with networks, which allows us to argue that networks are the main catalysts of social capital. As expected, physical and human capital have a positive and significant relationship with adoption. Our results support that extension efforts should consider social networks, not just economic or individual-level predictors, in promoting agricultural innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main problems of the periphery is the internal migration of technological human capital in one direction from communities in the geographic hinterlands to big cities. This process is one of the most influential factors that explains the poverty trap of the periphery. In this paper, we suggest that this process results from a failure of coordination between individuals. Our findings show that students in the periphery who study technology and science are less willing than other students to remain there after graduating. However, when we offered them a model that enhanced the coordination between them involving remaining in the periphery in a homogeneous neighborhood of university graduates after completing their degree, we found a significant increase in their willingness to choose the periphery as a residential location. This finding was evident in all students, but it was stronger among students who studied science and technology. In addition, we conducted robustness checks suggesting that creating mixed neighborhoods that are less segregated and a network embracing future knowledge workers are two options for making the periphery an attractive place for such individuals to live. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the spontaneous impact of human, social and natural capital on food crop technical efficiency (TE) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Our study contributes to the literature by adopting the meta-analysis method to investigate the relationship between TE and the three groups of capitals to better shed light on the TE in SSA regions. Our results highlight that social capital is the most critical factor among the three groups of capitals in promoting farming productivity. In particular, agriculture efficiency benefits from increasing people's trust in institutions and the frequency of extension visits. Natural capital like temperature and elevation is essential in determining the farming TE in SSA regions. Outstandingly, our results also indicate that calorie intake, a proxy of labor quality, should be improved to achieve better productivity. • Social capital, such as people's trust in institutions and frequency of extension visits, is the most critical factor in promoting farming technical efficiency (TE) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). • Calorie intake, a proxy of labor quality in the SSA regions, plays a significant role in achieving better productivity improvement. • Agricultural development orientation in different SSA regions should base on their regional and climate characteristics (e.g., temperature and elevation) to properly guide farmers toward more productive agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Concerns about a resource curse in Canada have been raised in response to rapid growth in the petroleum sector in northern Alberta. In previous research, there has been little consideration of how symptoms of the resource curse are experienced and managed at a regional scale and by Indigenous communities. An analysis of effects and responses is offered using a natural, financial, human and social capitals framework. Without consideration of how to manage the symptoms of the resource curse, oil and gas activity is likely to further disadvantage Indigenous populations already living on the margins of Canadian society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In sub-Saharan Africa, where there is limited financial and human capital, it is important to examine how social relationships may serve to promote or undermine human capital formation. However, little is known about the contributions of social relations to human capital development, especially in terms of academic achievement in Africa. This study examined how variations in key aspects of social relations among teachers; between teachers and students; between principals, teachers, parents and students affect achievement in mathematics among sixth graders in 70 schools in six districts in Kenya. We modeled mathematics achievement as a function of measures of social perception and support while adjusting for school-, classroom- and student level background characteristics. We found that net of teacher subject knowledge and background characteristics, teachers who display commitment to teaching by always correcting homework and keeping students engaged during math lessons had their students performing better. Teacher absenteeism and lack of interest in teaching were negatively associated with performance in math. Lack of parental involvement in the classroom also had negative effects on grades. At the school level, the level of engagement of the principal, measured by supervision of teachers and good interpersonal interactions with parents had positive effects on math achievement. Schools where parents provided material and financial support had better grades, while student delinquency and absenteeism negatively affected grades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Both social and human capital have been identified as important and influential sources for success in many different life domains and research shows that investments in the two forms of capital is negatively associated with crime. Three limitations with prior research include the lack of investigation of the capital/crime relationship (1) among serious adolescent offenders, (2) in a longitudinal manner linking capital to offending over time, and (3) within Hispanic samples. Methods: The current study uses data from the Pathways to Desistance, a longitudinal study of serious adolescent offenders followed for seven years from mid-adolescence to early adulthood, in order to investigate the extent to which social and human capital are able to distinguish between distinct offending trajectories over seven years. Results: Human but not social capital is relevant for distinguishing between offending trajectories, even after controlling for other risk factors, and the combined effect of human and social capital is even more pronounced. Conclusions: The acquisition of social but especially human capital is preventive of crime among serious adolescent Hispanic offenders. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: In recent years, ‘recovery’ has become a central, yet controversial, concept within the international drug and alcohol field. This paper explores gender sameness and difference in recovery from heroin dependence with reference to gender theory, the existing literature on women and drugs, and the concept of recovery capital. Methods: Data were generated from 77 qualitative interviews conducted with 40 current or ex-heroin users (21 men and 19 women). Coded data were analysed using framework and key themes were mapped onto the four components of recovery capital: social capital, physical capital, human capital, and cultural capital. Differences between the views and experiences of male and female participants were then explored. Results: Participants had limited social, physical and human capital but greater cultural resources. Although women reported more physical and sexual abuse than the men, they had better family and social relationships and more access to informal support, including material assistance and housing. Women also seemed to be better at managing money and more concerned with their physical appearance. Despite the salience of gender, individuals had diverse recovery resources that reflected a complex mix of intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural factors. Conclusions: Findings are consistent with increasing feminist interest in intersectionality and contribute to a more gender-sensitive understanding of recovery. Gender was an important structure in shaping our participants’ experiences, but there was no evidence of an ‘essential’ female recovery experience and women did not necessarily have less recovery resources than men. Whilst useful, the concept of recovery capital has a number of definitional and conceptual limitations that indicate a need for more empirical research to improve its utility in policy and practice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] We examine the impact of balanced human and social capital on willingness to become an entrepreneur. [•] We extend the theoretical model of Lazear's (2005) jack-of-all-trades theory. [•] We study the willingness to become an entrepreneur of young people before entering the labor market. [•] We introduce a new measure for the balance of a human or social capital portfolio. [•] We find that a more balanced portfolio of human or social capital is positively correlated with the willingness to become an entrepreneur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current economic trend worldwide is for an industrial economy based on tangible assets to convert into a non-tangible economy based on intellectual capital. Lately, a multidimensional view of intellectual capital and its implications on innovation performance have generated renewed research interests. Based on these facts, the relationship amongst different antecedent factors such as culture and trust on intellectual capital components was analysed. In addition, a correlation among intellectual capital components (as non-tangible assets) and innovation performance for the banking sector was established. The positivism philosophy, deductive approach and quantitative methods were used as the research methodology to accomplish the research objectives. In this process, a questionnaire survey and purposive sampling technique were used to collect the responses from 364 employees of the Iraqi commercial banks. The obtained data were analysed statistically using the SPSS v25 and AMOS v24 software. The results revealed a significant impact of culture and trust (antecedent factors) on various intellectual capital components. Furthermore, a strong connection between these antecedent factors and intellectual capital components was evidenced, confirming the study hypotheses. Interestingly, intellectual capital components were found to enhance significantly the innovation performance of the banks, leading to better competitive advantages. In addition, it provided evidence on the impacts of inter-relationships amongst human, structural and relational capitals. Consequently, the study provides academicians and practitioners valuable insights into and guidance on how developing intellectual capital enhances competitive performance, especially in the context of Iraqi commercial banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Throughout the late 20th and early 21st Centuries, culture has gained increasing importance in strategies designed to deal with new trajectories of urban areas. Post-industrial cities seek to revive former industrial, contaminated and waterfront sites and their city centers, as they are aiming to establish themselves in the new arena of the global market place. This paper looks at the relationships between investments in cultural resources/activities and urban regeneration processes, and in this respect, how culture can be considered a determinant to the accumulation of human and social capital. It examines the transformation of the Saint Michel district located in metropolitan Montreal. The Saint Michel area is experiencing a radical change in its social, economic and environmental profile due to its transition from the industrial-led development model to the post-industrial model in which investments in cultural and creative activities/industries – particularly the headquarters of Cirque du Soleil and TOHU – La Cité des Arts du Cirque – are supplying new opportunities for the local area in a metropolitan dimension. What impacts does such clustering have on the social and human capital of the vast majority of the populations that live within this area? Based on a theoretical review and empirical investigation, the paper presents some clarification of the role of cultural investment in the definition of an emerging sustainable social scheme within the community to promote the development of local social and human capital. We know that cultural habits do not change quickly, and our research shows that organizations need to be proactive and seek very actively the participation of the local community if they want to see changes. Our case study highlights the fact that it is important to invest actively in mobilization, local information and promotion and to do so with the cooperation of local community organizations to attain some form of bonding with the local population, have the positive effects expected in terms of involvement in the community and act as a lever for local socio-economic development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We use an endogenous growth model to contrast the socially optimal allocation of human capital with the decentralized solution, in a context where workers make the choices that determine social capital accumulation. As social capital is expected to increase productivity but is not traded in markets, a positive social capital externality is identified. We discuss the possibility that, in response to this externality, firms subsidize social capital accumulation activities, incurring into additional costs that are recouped through productivity gains. This reaction by firms may be seen as a justification for some corporate social responsibility actions targeted at workers, although a full internalization of the externality does not look achievable in practice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: I investigate the effects of trust on human capital measured as average years of schooling in U.S. states using data from the 1980s and the 1990s. I find robust evidence that an increase in trust increases schooling across U.S. states. According the results of the seemingly unrelated regression estimation, a 25 percentage point increase in Trust increases the average years of schooling by approximately 1.5 months. This is not insignificant since more than $5000 increase in per capita income (in 2000 prices) is needed to have the same effect on schooling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We estimate fixed-effects and Arellano–Bond GMM equations using panel data from a large group of developing countries and test whether trust-based social capital, proxied by contract-intensive money, complements the role of institutions in promoting development. The results we obtain provide robust evidence that social capital enhances the contribution of institutions when we focus on political institutions and weaker evidence when we use civil liberties. Both social capital and institutions have positive effects on income but the relationships these variables have with income tend to be non-monotonic. Moreover, social capital has a positive influence on the effectiveness of human capital. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Health services are suggested to contribute to remote communities in the ways that extend beyond healthcare delivery. This international multiple case-study research provides qualitative evidence of the social, economic and human contributions (the ‘added-value’) that may be lost should remote communities lose in-situ health provision. We present a typology of added-value contributions that differentiates institutional aspects (residing in buildings, or embodied in the specific status, capabilities and skills of health professionals) and individual aspects (attributable to health professionals’ unique personalities and choices). This typology has relevance for communities, policymakers and managers when considering the impacts of potential service changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models of economic growth are typically based on the use of one or more stocks of productive assets to create goods for utility-generating consumption. The roles played by man-made capital, natural capital, and human capital have been explored in the literature, and more recently the notion of social capital has been brought to the fore. This paper provides an attempt to construct an inclusive model of growth, analyzing externalities and distortions due to market failures linked with social capital and environmental problems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Although it has been hypothesized in the literature that both human capital and social capital are important for the economic performance of new immigrants, few studies have examined these relationships empirically, especially in understudied populations such as Chinese populations. This study simultaneously examines the roles of human capital and social capital in the economic integration of new arrivals from Mainland China to Hong Kong, using a random sample of immigrants. In the early stage of immigration (less than 6 months after arrival), we find little support for the presumed positive effects of both human capital and social capital on employment status among new arrivals in Hong Kong. Follow-up studies are underway to investigate the dynamic relationship between social capital and economic integration in this group of new arrivals, and whether social capital, especially friendship networks, plays a more important role in the economic integration of new immigrants 1 or 2 years after arrival. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: This study examined the role of maternal human, social, and cultural capital in the relationship between early motherhood and harsh parenting behavior. Methods: This study used data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing (FFCW) Study. Harsh parenting behaviors by mothers who were 19 years or younger at birth of the focal child (n = 598) were compared with that of adult mothers 26 years or older (n = 1,363). Measures included: For harsh parenting behavior, three proxies were created from the Parent to Child version of the Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS-PC) and self-reports of maternal spanking. For maternal human capital, education, employment, and depression were used. For maternal social capital, expected-social support, paternal support, and lone caregiver status were included. For maternal cultural capital, religious attendance and attachment to race/ethnic heritage were used. Results: Multivariate analyses indicated that adolescent motherhood has a significant impact on all three harsh parenting behavior outcomes even after controlling for demographic and maternal capital characteristics. Working since the birth of the focal child, depression scores, paternal support, expected-social support, and attendance at religious services made independent contributions to the prediction of harsh parenting behavior. Conclusions: Findings emphasize the importance of the prevention of adolescent motherhood and suggest intervention strategies for reducing the risk of maternal harsh parenting behavior. Further study is necessary to examine the complicated relationships among maternal capital and parenting. One method may be to focus on the development of measures of maternal capital, notably measures of expectations regarding and perceptions of received capital. Practice implications: Findings from this study have implications for social work practice, particularly for the prevention of adolescent pregnancy and intervention with adolescent mothers and their children. First, the study calls for more recognition of school social work and intervention programs in school settings as important components of prevention services. Second, the importance of identifying fathers and helping them become involved and connected with their young families are highlighted. Finally, practitioners should become more aware of the role of culture in young families as the effect of cultural capital on parenting behavior becomes better understood. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We explore the relationship between educational attainment and social interaction using individual level data from the British National Child Development Study. To be specific, we analyze whether an intergenerational aspect to this relationship exists by examining the relationship between the educational attainment of children and the degree of formal social activity undertaken by their parents. Our results suggest that children''s scores in reading, mathematics and vocabulary tests are positively associated with the extent of their parents’ formal social interaction, and this relationship is robust to alternative definitions of social interaction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper we examine linkages between social trust and economic development using, for the first time, a panel of data. We confirm earlier cross-sectional studies finding that trust is a significant factor in development and also show for the first time that trust significantly interacts with both investment in physical and human capital. We provide a robustness analysis of our results via a set of jackknife experiments on our main equations, and the trust coefficients and interactions are very tightly distributed, indicating that the results are not highly sample dependent. We also consider whether trust directly influences investment and find that in a panel framework it does not unless we allow for a trust–education interaction in the investment equation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Social capital is a broad term containing the social networks and norms that generate shared understandings, trust and reciprocity, which underpin cooperation and collective action for mutual benefits, and creates the base for economic prosperity. This study deals with the formation of social capital through development of human capital that is created from productive consumption. This paper attempts to formalize incorporation of social capital (SK). This paper sets up a one-sector growth model, where the engine of growth is capital accumulation. The production function for final output is of the AK-type, which uses aggregate capital as single input. Aggregate capital is represented by a Cobb–Douglas index comprising three types capital. Human capital accumulation results from productive consumption and an increase in social capital is driven by the existence of human capital. The optimal growth rate of consumption is derived and it is shown that both human capital and social capital accumulation affect the equilibrium growth rate. Finally, paper presents some empirical evidence on social capital and economic growth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents an empirical analysis of the relationship between social capital and student math and language achievement and the probability of promotion, using data gathered from fourth grade classrooms in public schools in four Latin American cities. The results suggest that social capital among teachers in a school, between teacher and students, and among the students in a classroom contribute significantly to learning achievement and the probability of promotion. Furthermore, social capital between the students matters at least as much as the teacher''s social capital. Children learn from each other and the networks allowing that to happen can be very important. The current pressure on teachers to achieve results on reading and math scores has tended to push teachers to “teach to the test”. Ironically, this study''s results indicate that spending time in creating social capital within the classroom environment is associated with higher language and math test scores. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Based on the argument in both economic and sociological literature that religion is conducive to children’s human capital formation, this paper provides a model of religious participation and explores a mechanism that “social capital” affects children’s education, a la Coleman [Coleman, J.S., 1988. Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology 94, S95–S120]. The model generates several interesting implications, which help explain some important stylized facts about education and religion. Further, in a dynamic setting, the model shows that there exists a steady state in which individuals allocate a positive amount of time and resources to religious activities. Thus, it complements the existing literature to explain why seemingly unproductive religions can be everlasting. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper proposes three models of social capital and growth that incorporate different perspectives on the concept of social capital and the empirical evidence gathered to date. In these models, social capital impacts growth by assisting in the accumulation of human capital, by affecting financial development through its effects on collective trust and social norms, and by facilitating networking between firms that result in the creation and diffusion of business and technological innovations. We solve for the optimal allocation of resources channelled into the building of social capital, examine the models’ comparative statics and dynamics, and demonstrate how a tax and subsidy scheme may correct the resource under-allocation that results from the public good aspect of social capital creation. Observed differences in social capital across countries are explained by differences in government policies and the possibility of multiple equilibria and social capital poverty traps. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Researchers and development organizations have shown interest in individual empowerment because it presumably improves well-being. Estimates of empowerment''s effects on well-being contain biases from the potential endogeneity of empowerment. Using data from a sexually egalitarian and highly autarkic society of foragers and horticulturalists in the Bolivian Amazon, the Tsimane’, we overcome the problems that this poses by: (1) matching spouses’ responses to the same questions about who makes decisions or who breaks ties in 10 domains to improve accuracy in measures of empowerment; and (2) using parental attributes of spouses as instrumental variables for spousal empowerment. Outcomes include two anthropometric indices of short-run nutritional status: body-mass index and age and sex-standardized z scores of mid-arm muscle area. The amount of empowerment of household heads did not affect their nutritional status or other indicators of their well-being, such as income, wealth, expenditures, happiness, social capital, or self-perceived health. It also did not affect the nutritional status of their offspring. Nor did it affect the difference in income, wealth, or monetary expenditures between spouses. The insubstantial effects persisted with other definitions of empowerment or types of regressions. We end with a discussion of why empowerment, despite its popularity in development discourse, has such tenuous links with objective indicators of well-being, and the implication of this finding for future studies of empowerment''s effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: This paper empirically examines the role of community social capital in the individual’s health production function. We focus on health measures relating to physical as well as mental health. In addition to exploring the relationship between social capital and health, we test for interrelationships between social and human capital in the production of health. Data come from more than 10000 adults surveyed in the Indonesian Family Life Surveys of 1993 and 1997. We identify a robust positive empirical association between community-level social capital and good health. We find weak evidence for an interrelationship between human and social capital and mental health. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Russian public health and its social determinants have been the theme of several recent studies. In one of these, Rose [(2000). How much does social capital add to individual health? A survey study of Russians. Social Science & Medicine, 51(9), 1421–1435] puts forward a composite model as a way of getting away from two traditions: one that postulates that social capital influences health independently of human capital attributes (education, social class, income, etc.) and one that postulates that human capital is the main determinant of health, while social capital is more or less irrelevant. In this study, we investigate the composite model, conceptualising social capital as a type of capital, on the basis of Bourdieu. By doing this, not only do the relations between social capital and other types of capital become relevant, but also whether the effect of social capital on health differs depending on the possession of other types of capital. We used the Taganrog survey of 1998 which used structured interviews with the family members of 1009 households and the response rate was 81%. We found that social capital is stratified by education, and also that its effect on health varies depending on the volume of educational capital possessed. It also seems to be extremely important to specify different types of social capital, in order to get a better overview of possible mechanisms by means of which different types of capital might affect health. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper combines quantitative and qualitative data to estimate empirically the impact of social capital on household welfare in Bolivia. Social capital measured by memberships in agrarian syndicates and other associations is found to increase household welfare and reduce poverty. As an asset, social capital matters more for the poor than the nonpoor and has greater effect on household welfare than investment in primary education. The paper elaborates on the relation of complementarity and substitution between informal and formal institutions. The relationship between social capital and welfare is modified by the nature and presence of regional organizations that have federated upward from communities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The researchers compare ethnographic data from two neighboring countries––Suriname and French Guiana––to investigate whether public welfare systems displace informal risk-sharing arrangements. The results suggest that the informal safety nets of poor rural households are deficient when shocks are extreme, irreversible, cumulative, and co-variate. Public welfare can reduce poverty by strengthening informal insurance systems, distributing cash, enabling new risk management strategies, and promoting human capital development. It remains a challenge for policy makers to implement welfare systems that cover society members with the lowest levels of human and social capital, and that minimize adverse consequences of economic change. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A model of the cultural co-evolution of honesty and capital is analyzed. It is shown that the sign of the payoff differential between honest and dishonest types depends on the ratio of benefits that an employee gets from shirking to the resulting loss of revenue to the firm. If this ratio decreases with capital accumulation, then multiple equilibria in output and honesty are possible in the long run. Small changes in government corruptibility may have large long-run effects on per capita output and the extent of honesty. The honesty and human capital of workers will be positively correlated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Support to farmer nurseries is classified as either “hard” referring to material inputs (tree seed, water, inoculum, tools and fencing) or “soft” (information, training and backstopping advice). Against a background of poor services for smallholder farmers in southern Africa, it was hypothesized that a number of support agents operating at the grass root level together with farmers themselves provide the different support functions needed in farmer nurseries. A study was conducted to evaluate the role of support systems in farmer nurseries in Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania. Furthermore, the early tree planting impact of farmer nurseries was assessed in Malawi. Support for hard inputs came largely from single service providers, with significant and increasing contributions coming from farmers themselves. Soft inputs came from a larger diversity of providers with collaborative effort gaining importance. There is an urgent need to facilitate grassroot level support systems with larger participation from the private sector for tree seed and from the national extension services for provision of training and backstopping advice. It was noted that individual nurseries achieved larger transplanting impact, but this did not translate into higher impact at the landscape level, because group nurseries were the predominant type. Strengthening the human capital of farmers and service providers emerged as critical in increasing impact. Farmer nurseries are shown to play a number of important and interrelated functions in building natural, human and social capital. Monitoring and evaluating farmer nurseries in catalyzing these three functions should therefore receive proper attention in assessing the impact of sustainable land use systems. Policies need to be articulated to address some of the major constraints identified. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Trees play a critical role in the development of sustainable land use systems in the southern Africa region, but access to tree germplasm is limited. It was hypothesized that facilitating the establishment of farmer nurseries would promote decentralized tree seedling production in an efficient way, while at the same time provide opportunities for building natural, human and social capital. A study was conducted in Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania over 2 years to analyze the productivity of farmer nurseries and their functions in sustainable development. With limited outside support, farmers produced an estimated 6.2 million tree seedlings from 1901 nurseries across the three study areas over two years. Productivity of nurseries depended greatly on access to scarce water sources during the dry season. Farmers located the majority of nurseries therefore in ecologically sensitive dambo locations and along riverbanks, both posing possible land use conflicts in the future due to increasing human populations. Farmers organized two types of nurseries, with group nurseries producing significantly fewer tree seedlings compared to individual nurseries. This was attributed to larger transaction costs associated with organization and capacity building of group nurseries. On the other hand, the success of individual nurseries appeared to depend on human and social “start-up” capital being provided by group nurseries through previous training. In the absence of rigorous valuation of the longer-term effects of both types of nurseries in building natural, human and social capital, it appears that both have a role to play in meeting local demand for tree seedlings. Results generally suggest that smallholder farmers can play a pivotal role in providing tree germplasm for the development of sustainable land use systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper develops a theoretical model of the family as producer of health- and social capital. There are both direct and indirect returns on the production and accumulation of health- and social capital. Direct returns (the consumption motives) result since health and social capital both enhance individual welfare per se. Indirect returns (the investment motives) result since health capital increases the amount of productive time, and social capital improves the efficiency of the production technology used for producing health capital. The main prediction of the theoretical model is that the amount of social capital is positively related to the level of health; individuals with high levels of social capital are healthier than individuals with lower levels of social capital, ceteris paribus. An empirical model is estimated, using a set of individual panel data from three different time periods in Sweden. We find that social capital is positively related to the level of health capital, which supports the theoretical model. Further, we find that the level of social capital (1) declines with age, (2) is lower for those married or cohabiting, and (3) is lower for men than for women. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper explores how entrepreneurial family background impacts upon the development of social and human capital resources and demonstrates how these affect the profitability and growth of new enterprise. Through a qualitative approach, we found that those entrepreneurs from higher socio-economic groupings had high endowments of human capital. Significantly, their businesses were characterised by greater profitability and growth potential. Those entrepreneurs also had social networks characterised by high endowments of human capital. Consequently entrepreneurs from higher socio-economic class had access to highly effective business support, and these networks provided a ‘platform’ from which opportunities could be both recognised and realised. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Economics has been defined as the science of allocation of scarce resources towards alternative ends. This definition implies that the first step in economic analysis is to determine what ends are desirable for society. Most sectors of the society would agree that sustainability is a desirable end, but there is little agreement as to what a sustainable future would look like. The University of Maryland Institute for Ecological Economics sponsored a democratic future search process designed to create a relatively detailed, shared vision of a sustainable and desirable USA in the year 2100. This paper presents the vision developed at that conference, examines the resources required to achieve the vision, and assesses the suitability of market mechanisms for allocating the required resources towards the desired ends. We find that markets are not efficient mechanisms for allocation in this case, and propose the institutions of a ‘strong democracy’ as a promising alternative. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Developing positive perception of future is based on personal and social resources. • Self-enhancement and self-transcendence develop positive perceptions of future. • Risk factors to positive perception of future: conservation and openness to change. • Level of religiosity affects adolescents' perceptions of work and family future. Perception of the future (PF) includes setting goals, establishing courses of action for achieving them, and assessing one's personal abilities to do so. The present study was designed to examine the degree to which the research variables (personal characteristics, personal and social resources, and values) contribute to explaining the variance in measures of PF between at-risk adolescents and their normative peers regarding life roles in two realms – work and family. It was further designed to examine whether there are differences between the groups in the rate to which these variables contribute to variance. Participants were 323 Jewish Israeli adolescents (age 14–18) in two comparison groups – 139 at-risk adolescents who were treated in child and youth care (CYC) units, and 184 normative high-school students. The research tool was a questionnaire that examined personal characteristics, personal resources, values, and measures of PF work and family life roles. The conclusion was that the groups of variables examined have a relatively similar contribution to explaining the variance in perception of the importance of work and family in both groups. At the same time, self-efficacy, optimism, and values of openness to change, as well as the personal characteristics, contributed differently to each group. The variables' contribution to PF in both groups was examined to identify those that predict the importance of perception of future in different areas in each group, which could enable education and welfare professionals establish means of helping at-risk adolescents form positive PF regarding various life roles and manage to integrate successfully into society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islands have been a focal point of sustainable development efforts. To understand the dynamic evolution of island sustainability is of great importance. In this study, a capital-based approach is piloted for measuring sustainability in Chongming Island along with its interactions with nearby mainland Shanghai, and to estimate the dynamic changes along with its responsible drivers. Initially, as per the capital-based approach, a three-tier indicator system with 31 indicators is developed to reflect sustainability by five capitals, namely, natural, social, human, financial and physical capitals. Subsequently, a detailed analysis is conducted to analyze the dynamic changes of each capital from 2000 to 2017 for both Chongming and mainland of Shanghai. Results show that: natural, physical and financial capitals followed a significant increasing trend, whereas a slight decline was observed in social capital. Also, no specific trend was noted in human capital for both study regions. Furthermore, as compared to the island, mainland seems to develop a higher sustainability for the respective time span. It is recommended that Chongming Island should focus on strengthening social and human capitals in the future. A wider and new public-private partnership is encouraged to improve public participation. This framework clearly depicts the dynamic evolution of sustainability, would help stakeholders to identify the restricting elements hindering the overall sustainable development, make it understandable and comparable for decision-makers to monitor gaps and proposing initiatives to reduce inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Human capital is developed and shaped through social learning processes. • Social capital facilitates or constrains the accessibility and mobilization of relational resources for professional learning. • Emotional capital supports the development of interpersonal relationships and promotes the professional learning of teachers. Efforts to improve teaching and learning in general are leading to wide variability in outcomes in different countries and areas, with similar investments and reforms focusing on the instrumental side of professional learning. A rapidly growing research literature has suggested the important role of social connectivity in the success of individual and organizational change and development. This paper draws on theories of human capital, social capital, social network, emotional capital, and research literature in this space to illuminate some of the complex components as related to professional learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]