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The continued expansion and development of the business requires great computing power and massive data storage systems. Cloud services deliver these resources in a simple, flexible and secure way. There is now a wide range of similar cloud services with different capabilities, which requires a recommendation system. Recommendation based on Quality of Service (QoS) is the first generation of service recommendation systems that only takes into account the rating information of all users without distinction. However, these systems suffer from many shortcomings, such as cold start and data sparsity issues, as well as poor accuracy and reliability of recommendation results. To address these issues and improve the quality of recommendations, a new generation of recommender systems has emerged, such as context‐aware, domain‐specific, and trust‐aware recommender systems. These systems now focus more on how to leverage social data generated from user interactions with each other in social networks to recommend more suitable and reliable services in response to user needs. Due to the importance of considering trust in cloud environments, this study aims to provide an overview of the research on trust‐based cloud service recommendation approaches proposed so far and highlights the current trend towards use new technologies such as deep learning to deal with certain challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do forms of trust influence South Korean views of North Korean arrivals? While a broad literature addresses the institutional and generalized social trust impacting a range of public perceptions, this has not been extended to views on North Korean arrivals. Meanwhile, research on views of arrivals often relies on only one measure for what are likely complex concerns. Through the use of a 2021 Korean Social Integration Survey, we find evidence of institutional and social trust positively influencing overall views of arrivals, with mixed results on the impact on proximal tolerance of arrivals, suggesting that policy efforts to enhance trust as a means to improve integration efforts may fail to produce substantive improvements for arrivals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic development belongs to the group of the most important categories not only in economic, but also social and political theory. Even though this category has been the subject of research since the beginning of the formation of economics as a science, it seems that to this day it has not been possible to explain exactly why economies, despite similar resources, develop at a significantly varied pace. The quality of institutions becomes a factor of development, enabling the analysis of the economy from a much broader perspective. The question of whether institutions are relevant for economic development seems rhetorical. The group of norms of the greatest importance for development are informal ones. One of the most important of their elements is social trust. This paper aims to identify the relationship between social trust and economic development and to quantify these latent variables in selected European countries in 2017–2020. This article applies partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The PLS-SEM model covered 35 European economies in 2017–2020. The analyses carried out in this paper indicate that social trust has a strong, positive and statistically significant influence on economic development dynamics. Differences in the level of trust seem to be a valid reason for notable developmental disproportions among European countries. Moreover, trust towards other people is more important than confidence in organizations in shaping social trust, and consequently accelerating economic development. Social trust can be categorized as a "deep" determinant of growth, due to its impacts on the growth itself and its other determinants. Therefore, it is crucial to make trust a strategic priority by policy makers. Not only does the article provide a novel method for measuring social trust and development, but also for identifying the relationship between these latent categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 2000s, the number of immigrants has been growing in Brazil, as well as the cases of xenophobia. There are multiple explanations in the literature on the drivers of attitudes towards immigrants, which vary at the individual, regional and national analytical levels. We discuss and situate the argument of societal integration within the debate on whether social trust can reduce negative attitudes towards immigrants. We argue that social trust is key to reducing negative perceptions towards immigrants and a good predictor of attitudes in environments with strong perceived threat and prejudice, as is the case in Brazil. We empirically test whether greater generalized trust and trust in foreigners are related to a more positive attitude towards immigrants. Although this relationship has already been studied in other countries, to the best of our knowledge no study has yet been applied to the Brazilian case. Using data from the World Values Survey wave 7, and applying a logit model, our results corroborate that social trust has a positive impact on perceptions towards immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of cities is an unstoppable phenomenon that began in the last century and will undoubtedly be one of the challenges of the current century. It is not only a question of urbanization; its implications and consequences extend to the economy, society, culture and the environment. The capacity of cities as engines of change and progress cannot be questioned, and its consequences will alter the lives of their citizens, who will search, in a more liquid world, for the best places to live. Therefore, this study aims to examine the influence of perception of urban quality (PUQ) and social trust and security (STS) on the life satisfaction (LS) of European citizens to find out if these variables are essential for the population living in Europe. The data were selected from the European Urban Audit survey, which covers 40,597 people living in 80 European cities. The analysis in this study is carried out at the city level. The partial least squares structural equation modelling approach was applied to verify the hypotheses. The findings reveal a positive correlation between PUQ and STS with LS, with STS being a mediator between PUQ and LS. These results underline that improving the perception of the urban environment can significantly increase well-being, contributing more than 70% to citizens' life satisfaction. This multidisciplinary analysis highlights the importance of considering various urban dimensions in planning and public policies to foster prosperous and satisfactory urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The sustainable security of rural settlements is a topic that has been studied from various perspectives by using different approaches. Purpose: This article explored an integrationoriented approach to reveal the capacities of the local community in achieving sustainable security in the rural border settlements of Darmiyan and Sarbisheh Counties in Southern Khorasan. Research Method: The study employed a quantitative, descriptive-analytical research method with a survey approach. The statistical population consisted of 62 rural settlements within 30 kilometers of the common border with Afghanistan, comprising 4,502 households. A non-probability method was used for sampling at the village level, while a random-stratified probability method was employed at the household level. The sample size was 354 rural households, which was calculated using Cochran's formula. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire examining variables related to participation, trust, cohesion, and social solidarity. Findings: The results indicated that the components of participation, trust, and social solidarity had a significant impact on sustainable security from the local community's perspective. Furthermore, the research confirmed a favorable mentality towards social components in rural areas, which could foster the growth and development of security and its dissemination to weaker rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compelling evidence from around the world suggests that ethnic diversity is detrimental to neighborhood trust and cohesion. Much of this evidence derives from empirical associations found with static indicators of diversity, measuring the mix of ethnic groups at a single point in time, and controlling for a varied mix of individual and community‐level covariates. Less attention though has sought to understand how dynamic processes of migration and residential settlement both create diversity and influence trust and cohesion. In this study, census and survey data are used to analyze the demographic and economic characteristics and dynamics coinciding with diversity in local communities in Australia, and the implications for neighborhood trust and cohesion. Diverse communities are heavily concentrated in moderately and highly disadvantaged communities in large immigrant gateway cities. Highly diverse communities experience continual high levels of immigration and population turnover and contain young age structures and more diverse and transient housing and household structures. Survey analyses reveal that these characteristics substantially explain observed negative associations between diversity and neighborhood trust and cohesion. The results point to the near‐intractable difficulties in isolating the effects of diversity and the importance of understanding the dynamic demographic processes in the construction of neighborhood diversity, trust, and cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although blockchain technology has the potential to enhance social sustainability, less is known about how this improvement occurs. This study has focused on I.T firms and investigated the interrelationship among blockchain technology, social networks, social trust, and social sustainability. Our results show that blockchain does not directly influence social sustainability unless mediated by social networks and trust. Policymakers should invest in capacity-building programs to educate and train stakeholders on the potential benefits and challenges of blockchain technology, as well as foster strong social networks and build trust among individuals and organizations involved in blockchain initiatives, to maximize the transformative potential of blockchain for social sustainability outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental innovation is an important force driving the development of a green and low‐carbon economy, and close supervision can assist the government in guiding firms' environmental innovation behavior. Based on institutional theory, we construct a model of the relationship between regulatory distance, environmental information disclosure, social trust, and firms' environmental innovation. We analyze a sample of 577 private A‐share listed manufacturing companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2012 to 2022 using multiple regression analysis to test the impact of regulatory distance on firms' environmental innovation. We also consider the mediating effect of environmental information disclosure and the moderating effect of social trust. The results show that an increase in regulatory distance has a negative impact on environmental innovation. Environmental information disclosure plays a partial mediating role between regulatory distance and environmental innovation, and social trust can weaken the negative impact of regulatory distance on environmental innovation. We propose various suggestions based on our findings to promote active environmental innovation by firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In this article, we examine the historical and cultural foundations of Nordic states' strong contemporary social indicators to understand whether their successes can be replicated in other contexts. Design/methodology/approach: We draw on a range of academic literature to frame a comparison of two regions' cultural and theological roots, identifying contrasts to make arguments about prescriptions for contemporary welfare policy. Findings: We find Nordic history contributes to a duty-based culture with strong cohesion and social trust. These cultural norms make palatable welfare policies with strong activation measures, while the US model prefers to avoid the latter because of its strong cultural orientation to rights and autonomy. Social implications: To mitigate differences between the Nordic states and other cultural contexts, policymakers seeking to replicate Nordic welfare successes should consider welfare programming that combines stronger activation policies with oversight and relational components that mitigate gaps in social cohesion. Originality/value: We uniquely bring together the literature on comparative welfare policy and on religion and culture to understand the precursors of contemporary attitudes and their implications for welfare policy prescriptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Since the 2000s, the number of immigrants has been growing in Brazil, as well as the cases of xenophobia. There are multiple explanations in the literature on the drivers of attitudes towards immigrants, which vary at the individual, regional and national analytical levels. We discuss and situate the argument of societal integration within the debate on whether social trust can reduce negative attitudes towards immigrants. We argue that social trust is key to reducing negative perceptions towards immigrants and a good predictor of attitudes in environments with strong perceived threat and prejudice, as is the case in Brazil. We empirically test whether greater generalized trust and trust in foreigners are related to a more positive attitude towards immigrants. Although this relationship has already been studied in other countries, to the best of our knowledge no study has yet been applied to the Brazilian case. Using data from the World Values Survey wave 7, and applying a logit model, our results corroborate that social trust has a positive impact on perceptions towards immigrants.

The paper aims to explore the relationship between social trust and life satisfaction in the South Caucasus region and Russia. The study uses data from two waves of the Life in Transition Survey conducted in 2010 and 2016 to track changes in living conditions and well-being over time across countries. Structural Equation Models are performed to investigate the research question. Literature review revealed that social trust plays a crucial role in various aspects of human life such as well-being and life satisfaction. It suggests that social trust is positively related to life satisfaction at both the individual and cultural levels and policies aimed at promoting social trust may lead to improved life satisfaction. The results of the research found that social trust is positively associated with life satisfaction, particularly in Azerbaijan and Georgia. The relationship between social trust and life satisfaction is mediated by personal traits such as age, gender, and self-assessed health condition.

This paper explores the long‐term impact of China's Great Leap Forward (GLF) on current differences in cooperative behaviour across Chinese regions and the underlying trust channel of causality. Combining the current firm‐level survey with grain yield over‐reporting during the GLF era, we find that past government dishonesty regarding over‐reporting in the GLF period has long‐term negative consequences on people's behaviours. The firms in the prefecture with a higher degree of yield over‐reporting are less likely to engage in R&D collaborations today. Further tests reveal the possible trust channel through which past government dishonesty impedes current cooperative behaviour. We extend the analyses to social norms of trust and show that GLF over‐reporting has shifted an individual's internal norms towards a present‐day mistrust culture, which contributes to explain the negative effect of GLF over‐reporting on cooperative behaviour. Our findings suggest that dishonest behaviours by local governments in the past can lead to lasting adverse effects on an individual's behaviour in the form of mistrust and subsequent lower frequencies of cooperative behaviour, providing new insights on the origins of cultural differences and human behaviours by investigating the role of governments in shaping social and economic interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The United States has lost many lives to COVID-19. The role of social capital and collective action has been previously explored in the context of COVID-19. The current study specifically investigates the role of social trust at the county level and COVID-19 mortality in the US, hypothesizing that counties with higher social trust will have lower COVID-19 mortality rates. Methods We used cross-sectional data from the General Social Survey (GSS). We collected COVID-19 mortality data from the COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University until October 31, 2021. We obtained county characteristics from the 2019 American Community Survey and supplemented this data source with additional publicly available county-level data, such as measures of income inequality and political leanings. We measured social trust as a single item from the GSS and calculated mean social trust in a county by pooling responses from 2002 to 2018. We then modeled the relationship between mean social trust and COVID-19 mortality. Results Results indicate that counties with higher social trust have lower COVID-19 mortality rates. Higher values of mean social trust at the county level are associated with a decrease in COVID-19 mortality (b= -0.25, p-value

Abstract Background Mental health is a matter of quality of life among older adults. This study aimed to explore the association between the socioeconomic status (SES) perception and mental health of older adults using data from 2017 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS). Methods Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to analyse the association between SES perception and mental health, and the substitution model and variable methods were used to check the robustness of the results. Moreover, we adopted the Sobel model to analyse the mediating roles of social trust and justice. Results SES perception was positively associated with mental health, and this association was mediated by social trust and justice. This kind of positive association was mainly embodied in those groups with the highest or lowest objective SES. In other words, this study confirmed the phenomenon of “a contented mind is a perpetual feast” in Chinese society. Conclusions Higher SES perception is associated with improved mental health for Chinese older adults. It is imperative to prioritize efforts to enhance the perceptual abilities of older adults, particularly those with the highest or lowest objective SES, to promote their overall subjective well-being.

Gene editing contributes to enhancing food security through the creation of novel foods. However, public perception of gene-edited (GE) foods is crucial to their acceptance and adoption. This study expanded the knowledge–attitude–practice model and constructed an integrated framework comprising four dimensions: demographic factors, scientific literacy and beliefs, social trust, and perceptions of gene technology, aimed at explaining the public's attitudes toward GE foods. A questionnaire survey was conducted (N = 649), revealing a positive attitude toward GE foods, with over 80% expressing a certain willingness to pay (WTP) for them. Factors such as income level, subjective knowledge, scientific beliefs, trust in scientists, trust in government, and trust in national technological capabilities and perceived benefits positively correlated with WTP. Conversely, objective knowledge, perceived risks, and perceived ethical concerns were negatively correlated with WTP. The impact of objective knowledge on attitudes toward GE foods demonstrated a significant, nonlinear relationship. Additionally, it is noteworthy that the Chinese public currently exhibits relatively low trust in national technological capabilities, necessitating vigilance against the emergence of conspiracy theories akin to those surrounding genetically modified foods. This research contributes theoretical insights into the public communication of GE foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the effect of international talent inflow on technological innovation and the influence of the Chinese cultural environment on their relationship. Based on provincial-level data from 2000 to 2012, we construct a static panel data model to explore the effects of international talents on technological innovation and the moderating role of Guanxi culture and social trust in the above relationship. We find that international talent inflow positively impacts technological innovation. Guanxi culture significantly negatively impacts technological innovation and negatively moderates the relationship between international talent inflow and technological innovation. Social trust significantly positively impacts technological innovation and positively moderates the relationship between international talent inflow and technological innovation. The interaction between social trust and Guanxi culture has a significant positive effect on technological innovation. The study shows that different cultural environments have an essential impact on developing international talent's innovation ability. This paper provides evidence for the need to improve China's cultural environment and provides important implications for the formulation of talent policies. Based on this, we suggest improving the talent introduction system, optimizing the relationship culture, and building a good social trust system to promote regional innovation. Plain language summary: In this paper, we found that international talent inflow positively impacts on technological innovation. Guanxi culture significantly negatively impacts on technological innovation and negatively moderating the relationship between international talent inflow and technological innovation. Social trust significantly positively impacts on technological innovation and positively moderates the relationship between international talent inflows and technological innovation. The interaction between social trust and Guanxi culture has a significant positive effect on technological innovation. This study makes several contributions to the literature. First, it enriches the research on the influence of informal institutions in the field of international talents and reveals the boundary conditions for the role of international talents. Second, it deepens the research on the influence of culture with Chinese characteristics and enriches the empirical research on Guanxi culture in management. Lastly, it expands the antecedents of technological innovation. There are some limitations to this study. First, in addition to the negative side of the Guanxi culture, there is also a positive side. This study only uses the time invested by entrepreneurs and corporate entertainment expenses to explore its effect. Therefore, future research can analyze both sides of Guanxi culture. Second, Guanxi culture is just one of China's core cultures. Other cultures such as favor and face are also cross-cultural adaptation issues that international talents must face. It is necessary to discuss them. Third, limited to data availability, the social trust data only covers 7 years. Therefore, more relevant alternative indicators can be sought to verify the results in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant literature suggests a positive correlation between social trust (also called generalized trust) and life satisfaction. However, the psychological pathways underlying this relationship can be complex. Using the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF), we examined the influence of social trust in a high-violence environment. Employing Bayesian analysis on a sample of 1,237 adults in Cali, Colombia, we found that in a linear relationship, generalized trust is positively associated with life satisfaction. However, in a model including the interactions between trust and education level as well as between trust and socioeconomic status, generalized trust is found to be negatively associated with life satisfaction. In this non-linear relationship, both education level and socioeconomic status have moderating effects against the negative association between generalized trust and life satisfaction. In other words, less educated people living in worse socioeconomic conditions are more likely to have lower life satisfaction when they have higher levels of social trust. In contrast, highly educated people living in better socioeconomic conditions are more likely to have higher life satisfaction when they have higher levels of social trust. Due to the facilitating function of trust in information processing, lowering the rigor of the filtering system in a high-violence social environment will likely put an individual at risk. Based on our findings, we suggest that policymakers should be more meticulous and consider many socioeconomic factors when advocating for increasing social trust. We also recommend that researchers should investigate deeper the complexity of human psychology and the information-processing mechanisms of social trust. Plain language summary: Employing Bayesian analysis aided by the MCMC technique on 1,237 urban people in Colombia, we found that generalized trust is positively associated with life satisfaction. However, people with lower educational levels whose socioeconomic status are lower are more likely to have lower life satisfaction when they have higher levels of social trust, whereas people with higher educational levels whose socioeconomic status is higher will be more likely to have higher life satisfaction when they have higher levels of social trust. Our findings also suggest that education level has a bigger impact compared to socioeconomic status in moderating the relationship between social trust and life satisfaction. Based on our findings, promoting social trust in communities with lower education levels, poor living conditions, and a violent social context should be carefully planned due to the complexity of related information processes' interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN) is an emerging technology, a subset of Wireless Sensor Network. WBAN is a collection of pieces of tiny wireless body sensors with small computational capability and communicates short distance using ZigBee or Bluetooth. The main application of WBAN is in healthcare industry like remote patient monitoring. The small pieces of sensor monitor health factors like body temperature, pulse rate, ECG, heart rate etc., and communicate it to the base station or central coordinator for aggregation or for data computation. The final data is communicated to remote monitoring devices through internet or cloud service providers. The main challenge of this technology is dead nodes due to high energy consumption with all the wireless node working on battery. Minimization of the energy consumption extends life of the network. Security is another major challenge. There are possibilities of internal attacks being executed by malicious nodes, creating problems for the network. This paper proposes a model which provides solution for extending the life span of the network by minimizing energy consumption and also proposes model to provide solution for internal soft attacks created within the network through calculation or trust, computation among nodes to identify malicious nodes with the help of social-and QoS-based trust computation for secure clustering and communication. The proposed model is compared with LEACH and LEACH-MM protocol and performance is measured with various parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has a unique background of "religious practice without religious belief". As China enters the digital age, it is necessary to consider religious practices from the perspective of internet use. In this research, we used data from the 2017, 2018, and 2021 years of the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) to explore whether internet use affects Chinese religious practices. The results show that internet use significantly influences Chinese religious practices. We also constructed a parallel mediation model involving relative deprivation and social trust, demonstrating that relative deprivation positively mediates the effect of internet use on religious practices, while social trust negatively mediates this effect. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that internet use has a greater impact on religious practices in eastern and central regions, among women, and urban residents. Our research underscores the significant role of religious practices in Chinese society, profoundly influencing everyday life and challenging external perceptions of China as "faithless". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the relationship between social capital and food security in rural areas. Researchers have highlighted the importance of social capital in enhancing household food security in rural settings. This descriptive and analytical study uses library research and fieldwork (questionnaires) for data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistics (t-test and diagnostic analysis) were used for analysis. The study focused on 8 villages in the Ghani Bigloo district of Zanjan County, with a total of 2,471 households and 7,614 people. To obtain a sample size of 315, the Cochran formula was used, and simple random sampling was employed. According to the results of the analysis, there is a difference in the food security status of households, and it is feasible to create a formula to distinguish between two categories of households based on the studied factors. The coefficients of the discriminant function and the structure matrix coefficients demonstrate that social trust, social cohesion, local networks, and social participation are the most crucial factors affecting the food security of rural households. The presence of social capital plays a significant role in addressing food security and promoting development in different areas. By enhancing social capital, we can effectively reduce food insecurity in these regions. Hence, this article aims to explore the significance of social capital in enhancing the food security of rural households, offering valuable insights and original perspectives on the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to analyze the effects of restaurant stimuli on customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, emphasizing the role of social trust moderator. The current research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptivesurvey in terms of nature and method. The statistical population of the current research is made up of all the customers of Zagros chain restaurants in Kermanshah province, and because the statistical population was uncertain, the sample size based on Morgan's table, 384 people was obtained in an improbable way. The data collection tool is the standard questionnaires that exist in this field. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires also indicate that the measurement tools have good validity and reliability (0.711, 0.776, 1.000, 0.798). The results of hypothesis testing by SMART-PLS software and using t-test statistics and path coefficients (β) showed that combined effects of drivers on customer satisfaction have a medium, direct and significant effect, Customer satisfaction has a medium, direct and significant effect on brand loyalty, In the end, social trust plays a moderating role in influencing customer satisfaction on brand loyalty. With the design model, it can be expected that the mentioned restaurant will be able to increase the satisfaction of its customers in order to advance its goals in order to spread the sense of loyalty to the restaurant brand in this way as well, Of course, for this purpose, they should be able to consider the combined effects of drivers, and if they cannot create such conditions, they will not only reduce the social trust of the restaurant, but will also give a bad blow to the customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to analyse the factors influencing entrepreneurs' decisions about investing in renewable energy. It outlines a number of different factors that may affect the process of transforming entrepreneurs into business prosumers, who thus want to limit the effects of rising energy prices. The article defends the thesis that in addition to the economic, technological and psychological dimensions, legal and political stability, access to reliable information and the level of trust in a given society are equally important. Based on the quantitative research results, the article indicates which elements are particularly important for entrepreneurs when making decisions about investing in renewable energy and which institutions are indicated by Polish entrepreneurs as responsible for implementing energy transition. The article also indicates that information about the possibility of receiving funding from the European Union and the government, the government's energy policy and technological possibilities is important for entrepreneurs' decisions about investing in renewable energy in Poland. It is always difficult to implement sustainable development goals without an atmosphere of trust and predictable legal stability in which entrepreneurs can run their businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental health is a matter of quality of life among older adults. This study aimed to explore the association between the socioeconomic status (SES) perception and mental health of older adults using data from 2017 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS). Methods: Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to analyse the association between SES perception and mental health, and the substitution model and variable methods were used to check the robustness of the results. Moreover, we adopted the Sobel model to analyse the mediating roles of social trust and justice. Results: SES perception was positively associated with mental health, and this association was mediated by social trust and justice. This kind of positive association was mainly embodied in those groups with the highest or lowest objective SES. In other words, this study confirmed the phenomenon of "a contented mind is a perpetual feast" in Chinese society. Conclusions: Higher SES perception is associated with improved mental health for Chinese older adults. It is imperative to prioritize efforts to enhance the perceptual abilities of older adults, particularly those with the highest or lowest objective SES, to promote their overall subjective well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of markets in North Korea has spurred discussion about the prospects for social change in the country. This article explores whether and how marketisation increases social trust among market participants and its implications for everyday politics in North Korea. We draw insights from the literature on social trust as well as empirical evidence from interviews conducted with Chinese business entrepreneurs operating in North Korea to better understand the relationship between market activity and trust in North Korea. We argue that market participants rely on a variety of strategies to navigate North Korea's ambiguous political and economic climate. These strategies are often adopted to increase transparency, access information, reduce uncertainty, and resolve business disputes between parties. Ultimately, each of these strategies is linked to building trust among North Koreans. At the same time, the North Korean state has also inserted itself into trust networks to extract additional resources from markets and (re)establish political control. Thus, in the everyday politics of North Korea, participation in informal markets reflects socialisation into norms and behaviours that increase trust while simultaneously providing support to the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern democratic states are increasingly adopting new information and communication technologies to enhance the efficiency and quality of public administration, public policy and services. However, there is substantial variation in the extent to which countries are successful in pursuing such public digitalization. This paper zooms in on the role of social trust as a possible account for the observed empirical pattern in the range and scope of public digitalization across countries. Our argument is that high social trust makes it easier to digitalize the public sector to the benefit of overall society. We develop a simple game-theoretical model that specifies this positive externality from a high-trust culture and provide empirical evidence that a higher level of social trust is associated with a higher level of public digitalization. Of course, high-trust countries cannot do without the rule of law (formal rules of the game) and some institutionalized mechanisms of control and accountability. However, from our argument, it follows that one future challenge could be that control crowds out trust, so that the balance is no longer optimal. If such overcontrol occurs, public digitalization win–win situations between citizens and government can be undermined, even in high-trust countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the relationship between social trust and firm debt maturity mismatch in the Chinese context. Additionally, we investigate the economic mechanisms through which social trust affects debt maturity mismatch, and the differential roles played by social trust among firms with different characteristics. We employ enterprise trustworthiness scores and provincial blood donation rates as our measures of regional social trust level and find a negative relationship between local trust and firm debt maturity mismatch, suggesting that social trust which promotes ethical norms acts as a restraint on firms' propensity for excessive risk. An alternative but consistent explanation is higher social trust increases debtors' willingness to lend, hence it reduces firms' funding costs and consequently the potential cost‐saving motivation behind such a mismatch. We further document evidence that social trust improves the firm information environment and consequently risk‐taking and/or the ability to reduce funding costs. The study also reveals variations in the role of social trust based on firm characteristics, such as leverage and profitability, and the ownership structure (state‐owned enterprises vs. non‐state‐owned enterprises). The findings contribute to the literature by highlighting the increasing importance of social capital for policy and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is it the case that social trust is significantly different for people with a disability compared to people without a disability? Or is it the case that disabled people's perception of social trust is country-specific and/or socio-demographic specific? This article analyses how people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) compare with the general population's perceptions of social trust in Norway, The Netherlands, and South Africa. The study is based on survey data for people with an SCI and the general population. Contrary to our expectations, we find that people with an SCI tend to have a social trust on a par with or somewhat higher than the general population. The low levels of social trust in South Africa are striking compared to levels in Norway and The Netherlands. Those with higher education and those having paid work show higher levels of trust than those who are less educated or those who are unemployed; women have somewhat higher levels of trust than men, and that the mean level of social trust increases with each age group. The findings illustrate a need for more critical empirically oriented research on social trust as well the value of exploring the research object beyond conventional understandings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at investigating the impact of respondents' social trust, perceived institutional corruption, and performance on the respondents' level of institutional trust in Mindanao State University-Marawi City. Quantitative research design was utilized in the study. Questionnaire were given to 285 respondents which were interpreted using Pearson's Product-Moment Correlation (Pearson's r), Independent Samples T-test, and One-Way ANOVA. Respondents' perceptions of the mechanisms to improve institutional trust were collected during interview and analyzed using thematic analysis. The study found that they have high level of social trust towards university officials, moderately low level of perceived institutional corruption, and good perceived institutional performance affect the high level of institutional trust. It was also suggested by most of the selected ten respondents that services, transparency, and accountability could improve institutional trust. Future researchers may conduct a similar study for possible changes in the respondents' perceptions during the new administration at Mindanao State University, Marawi Campus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural cooperatives play an important role in increasing rice production and contribute to the rural economy of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, but their resilience can be influenced by community governance and the social capital of members. This study investigated the comparative importance of social capital of members in two agricultural cooperatives in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. We focused on two primary research questions: (1) How has social capital influenced the resilience of agricultural cooperatives for rice production? (2) What key factors influenced social capital in the two cooperatives? The study applied qualitative and quantitative data collection methods including focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and household surveys. Measures of social capital of members in the cooperative in An Giang scored higher than that of members in the cooperative in Can Tho. Our study found that low levels of education amongst members and weak bonding social capital between subgroups with different social networks and different farming outputs in the same cooperative were two key factors impacting adversely on the resilience of the two cooperatives. Trust was revealed to be a very important component of successful ACs. These are critical areas that need to be addressed by policy makers in order to improve the community governance and resilience of rice farming cooperatives in the Mekong Delta.

AbstractThis study aims to explore the correlation between different social support patterns and perinatal mental health, and the mediating role of social trust in this. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Jiangsu, China, with a sample size of 1705 pregnant respondents. Latent class analysis (LCA) was utilized to identify various social support patterns, while a multiple regression model was employed to analyze the mediating effect of social trust on the relationship between social support patterns and perinatal mental health. The study found four distinct social support patterns among the respondents: primary relationship-centric support, overall weak support, primary-secondary relationship-balanced support, and overall strong support. In the relationship between social support patterns and perinatal mental health, social trust played both a partial and full mediating role. The findings indicate that a social support system that enhances maternal trust and promotes honest disclosure of symptoms can effectively promote perinatal mental health.

The rise of decentralized social networks (DSNs) necessitates robust trust models to ensure secure and reliable interactions in an increasingly dynamic online environment. While blockchain technology has revolutionized finance with cryptocurrencies and decentralized control, its potential to transform trust management in DSNs remains largely unexplored. This survey aims to fill this gap by offering a comprehensive analysis of recent advancements in blockchain-based trust models for social networks. Our work delves into the core concepts of trust, trust models, and trust prediction methodologies within the context of DSNs. We explore how trust is decentralized in social networks, their economic implications, and the architectural frameworks of these systems. We also examine the role of decentralization in fostering trust within these networks and how blockchain technology can further improve trust and security. The survey investigates the relationship between trust and blockchain technology, analyzing various blockchain types and their specific applications in DSNs. We categorize existing trust models based on relevant parameters and critically evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, we suggest promising future directions for researchers interested in advancing trust management in DSNs empowered by blockchain technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trust is not always lower among racial and ethnic minorities. The between-ethnicity differences in trust largely depend on the reference category. The within-ethnicity differences are often overlooked. In this study, we examine both social trust in others and political trust in governmental institutions among Chinese Canadians, one of the largest ethnic groups in Canada. We adopt a multidimensional comparative approach and analyze four major Chinese groups – Canadian-born Chinese, Mainland Chinese, Hong Kong Chinese, and Taiwan Chinese. Drawing on data from the Canadian Democracy Checkup Surveys (2020 and 2021), we show that Chinese Canadians stand out as one of the most trusting people in comparison to many other ethnic and racial groups. Specifically, overall, they possess a comparable social trust level to White Canadians and display higher political trust. However, their trust also varies based on birthplace. Hong Kong-born Chinese exhibit significantly lower social trust than White Canadians. Canadian-born and Mainland Chinese are politically more trusting as compared to Whites. Within the Chinese groups, the Hong Kong-born show the lowest social trust and trust in the federal government, while Mainland Chinese Canadians demonstrate the highest social trust. These trust patterns align well with birthplace origins, highlighting the importance of exploring the cultural roots of both social trust and political trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study centres on the Idle Fish platform, a prominent online marketplace for second-hand goods in China, and constructs a theoretical structure predicated on social cognitive theory and social capital theory. The quick expansion of the sharing economy has not merely catalysed economic transformation but has revolutionized consumption patterns. This research employed a survey methodology, utilizing a digital questionnaire disseminated via Credamo, which yielded 400 valid responses. The sample pool on this platform is of exceptional quality. Prior to accessing the questionnaire, the respondents must complete five perquisite prompts, which ensure their attentiveness. This procedure acts as a safeguard, ensuring the high calibre of the data collected. Employing the SmartPLS (structural equation model), the paper elucidates how self-efficacy and social trust, influenced by social referral, system quality, platform resources, community interaction, rights protection, and shared goals, drive users' sustained willingness to utilize the sharing economy platform. The findings reveal that selfefficacy and social trust positively impact users' willingness to persist in using the platform of the sharing economy. Furthermore, shared goals emerge as the most critical determinant of social trust. The paper accomplishes this by discussing the practical suggestions of the research findings for the platforms of the sharing economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines associative participation in Spanish society from a gender perspective, focusing on participation levels, associative integration and forms of associationism. The following research questions were formulated: “Do levels of associative participation differ between men and women?” and “Do men and women participate in the same type of associations?”. To respond to these questions, data from the 2019 Survey on Social Capital in Spain was analyzed. This data is representative at a national level, and descriptive, correlational and ordered logistic regression analyses were performed. It was concluded that evidence supports a burden of gender roles in terms of associationism, especially for political associationism, creating a ceiling effect for participation and even social trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to cover the transformation of social capital in a digital society and its support for tolerance. This study used a quantitative method with descriptive content analysis. The research subjects are Twitter social media users. The object of this research is identified through user involvement in tolerance issues on social networks such as Twitter. The analysis tool that is maximized is Nvivo 12 Plus. The study reveals that disseminating harmful and intolerant content on social media platforms can pose a significant obstacle to establishing meaningful social connections. Such content is capable of provoking conflicts, reinforcing intergroup divisions, and eroding the social trust needed to foster tolerance. Fake news and negative narratives can reinforce negative stereotypes and have a significant impact on society's mindset. Promoting positive social values requires increasing digital literacy, taking a strong stance against content intolerance, implementing policies that promote tolerance, and ensuring access to information for all. This study highlights the grave danger of spreading harmful content on social media platforms like Twitter, as it can significantly threaten the building of substantial social capital. To promote digital tolerance, we need to increase literacy, enforce strict policies, strengthen online networks, and promote constructive dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to study whether the adoption of an entry mode that fits the social trust level contributes to the improvement of foreign subsidiary performance. Design/methodology/approach: The authors used the Probit model, linear regression, strategic fit approach and instrumental variable regression. The sample was made up of 11,095 observations of Chinese multinational enterprises' foreign subsidiaries in 54 countries from 2005 to 2020. Findings: The results suggest that a host country with a high level of social trust results in fewer difficulties for enterprises in gaining legitimacy, thus foreign subsidiaries are more likely to select the wholly owned entry mode. The results also show that the effect is contingent on the formal institutions of host countries. The results of the mechanism test suggest that social trust influences subsidiaries' entry mode choice by reducing information asymmetry, costs and uncertainty risks. This study further finds that selecting a fit entry mode based on social trust level substantially increases foreign subsidiary performance and this effect is more significant when multinational enterprises (MNEs) are state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of this paper is its only focus on foreign subsidiaries of Chinese MNEs, which may limit the generalizability of research findings. Originality/value: This paper responds to the call for conducting more research on informal institutions. Findings highlight the critical role of informal institutions in helping foreign subsidiaries in gaining legitimacy in host countries and the essentialness of selecting a fit entry mode based on the informal institutions of host countries for the development of foreign subsidiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementing payments for ecosystem service (PES) programs in national parks has proven effective in balancing the conflicts between ecosystem conservation and economic development, achieving long-term sustainability. Residents' participation and financial contributions are crucial prerequisites for establishing PES programs in national parks. Hence, it is necessary to investigate residents' willingness to participate in and pay before its official operation in China's Qinling National Park. By adopting a contingent valuation method, this study collects 1431 face-to-face, one-to-one questionnaire answers from rural residents in the region. The results show that 76.7% of the sample are willing to participate in the ecosystem conservation of Qinling National Park, although their willingness to pay is relatively low, with the average being RMB 136.5 (USD 20.3) per household per year. Moreover, informal institutions maintained by social trust continue to play an essential role in this rural area. Residents' willingness to participate is positively influenced by their social trust, which includes both institutional and interpersonal trust. Additionally, their willingness to pay is positively affected by their household income and cultural preferences. Finally, residents' occupation as farmers exhibits a negative moderating effect on the direct influence of their household income on their willingness to pay, while their education level positively moderates the impact of their cultural preferences on their willingness to pay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social trust is derived from the interaction of environmental and social factors, which has important significance for the sustainable development of society and social governance. In particular, in the post-pandemic era, tourist activity will receive special attention in terms of its role in the development of the public's social trust. On the basis of the sample of big data, this research takes China as an example to study the influences of different geographical and environmental elements on individuals' social trust as well as the common role played by the tourist activity. The research showed that the geographical environment and tourism activities have interacting effects on public social trust. This influencing mechanism is specifically manifested as the rice-growing ratio and tourist reception level can have interacting effects on the social trust of the residents in a tourist destination; pathogen stress and tourist supply level can exert interacting effects on the social trust of the residents in an area from which tourists originate; and economic development and tourist reception level can have interacting effects on the social trust of the residents in a tourist destination. By doing so, this research provides theoretical support and practical suggestions for the recovery of the public's social trust from the perspective of tourism geography in the post-pandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Previous research has shown a relationship between social and economic equality and trust, but the relationship between gender equality and trust has received relatively little attention. This study addresses that lacuna and analyzes the relationship between gender equality and political trust as well as social trust. Methods: Using the 2015 Latinobarómetro, we test the relationship between two types of gender equality, labor gender equality and overall gender equality, and two types of trust, political trust and social trust in a series of regressions. Results: The results show that gender equality is positively associated with social and political trust. In particular, the magnitude of association of labor gender equality with social trust is greater than that of overall gender equality. Also, the magnitude of association of overall gender equality with political trust is greater than that of labor gender equality. Conclusions: Our article contributes to the literature by demonstrating that overall gender equality and labor gender equality have varying association with trust depending on types of trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between economic inequality and subjective well-being has produced mixed results in the literature. Conflicting evidence may be due to overlooking the role of psychosocial processes that translate socioeconomic conditions into subjective evaluations. We argue that perceiving high economic inequality erodes social capital, undermining people's subjective well-being. We rely on the Psychosocial Model of Perceived Economic Inequality and Subjective Well-Being (PEISW), which posits that perceived economic inequality negatively affects subjective well-being by increasing status anxiety and decreasing social trust. Furthermore, these indirect effects from perceived inequality to subjective well-being will be moderated by system-justifying ideologies. The present article provides the first empirical test of this model using a national survey from Spain (N = 1,536). We confirmed that perceived economic inequality is negatively associated with well-being. We also found that perceived economic inequality had an indirect negative effect on subjective well-being via increasing status anxiety and reducing social trust. We found no evidence that system-justifying ideologies (i.e., social dominance orientation) moderated the association between perceived economic inequality and subjective well-being. We discuss that perceived economic inequality is crucial to understanding the link between economic inequality and subjective well-being and elaborate on the role of psychosocial mechanisms that promote competition and undermine social cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alongside economic factors, regional variation in trust reflects the structure of social ties available to different regions. We support this claim by linking cross-national survey data from 22 countries in the European Social Survey with data on Facebook friendships. Regions with more local (within-region) connections exhibit lower political trust, but higher levels of (particular) social trust. Those regions with more social ties to national capitals and urban centres exhibit higher levels of political trust but lower (particular) social trust. Social ties to power centres support the creation of political trust and their absence limits it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social capital is one of the fundamental elements for participating in developing rural economy plans. It is considered a facility and capacity for improving sustainable rural livability and provides the basis for villagers' participation and constructive interaction. The present research was conducted in 30 villages and 400 sample households using a quantitative and descriptive-analytical method based on a questionnaire. In order to provide a meaningful framework, a structural equation modeling method using Imus graphic software was used for the relationship between social capital indicators, villagers' participation in the development of village economic plans, and sustainable rural livability in the central part of Jiroft city. The research results revealed that the social cohesion index has the lowest average of 2.83 among social capital indicators, and social organization, with a value of 3.42, has the highest average. The average indicators of participation of villagers in the development of economic plans are equal to 2.85. Among the dimensions of sustainable rural livability, the economic dimension has the lowest average, 3.15, and the environmental-ecological dimension has the highest average, 3.59. In addition, the findings of the communication model of the research showed that the fit of the coefficients of the social capital path had an effect of 1.39 on the participation in the development of economic plans and on sustainable rural livability by 0.54. Based on this, the findings revealed that the path coefficient of the variables has a good fit. Thus, social capital can positively affect the villagers' ability to participate in the development of economic projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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