Social Structure Research Papers

- by John Foran
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- Sociology, Political Culture, Economic Theory, Applied Economics

Abstract This study examines the link between social structural variables (gender, race, education, age, rural childhood), individual social psychology (altruism, self-interest, traditionality, and openness to change), and beliefs about the benefits of vegetarianism (for health, the environment, animals, and world hunger) and self-reported vegetarianism. Data from a random sample of 420 adult U.S. residents showed that 5.2 percent considered themselves vegetarian. The strongest predictor of vegetarianism as a dietary choice was the belief that vegetarianism is beneficial to the environment. None of the social structural variables had a direct influence on vegetarianism as a dietary choice. Of the four values studied, only altruism and traditional values influenced beliefs about the benefits of vegetarianism. Altruistic values increased, and traditional values decreased, beliefs that vegetarianism is beneficial to health, the environment, farm animals, and world hunger. Blacks were more likely than Whites to adhere to the beliefs that vegetarianism helps prevent cruelty to farm animals, is beneficial to personal health, and is beneficial to the environment. The race differences in beliefs persisted even with controls for values.

- by Gregory Guagnano
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- Sociology, Rural Sociology, Health, Social Structure

With the rapid growth of Internet and social networking websites, there are various services that provided in these platforms. For instance, Facebook focuses on social activities, Twitter and Plurk are both focus on the interaction of users through short messages (which are so-called microblogs). Therefore, there are more than millions of users registered in these websites and become places where full of marketing possibilities. Thus, it is an important issue to assist companies to understand the users in the social networking websites in order to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of target marketing. In this paper, we have proposed the architecture of a social recommendation system based on the data from microblogs. The social recommendation system is conducted according to the messages and social structure of target users. The similarity of the discovered features of users and products will then be calculated as the essence of the recommendation engine. A case study will be included to present how the recommendation system works based on real data that collected from Plurk.

- by I-hsien Ting
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- Marketing, Computer Science, Data Mining, Databases
- by Brenda Major
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- Psychology, Cognitive Science, Personality, Social Problems

One goal of this paper is to present an integrated tripartite model of violence, with a focus on structural violence within an oppression paradigm. Using qualitative and quantitative data from 27 women (70% African American and 30% European American) who participated in a national substance abuse treatment demonstration program, we describe a model of violence in which structural violence is presented within a transactional relationship with interpersonal, and intrapersonal violence. We suggest that the effects of structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal violence are magnified when race and poverty are considered. The second goal of the paper is to present a preliminary test of the new model of violence. Results indicated that different levels and types of violence are interrelated. Implications of these findings for empowering solutions are suggested.

- by Diana Woolis
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- Psychology, Violence, Poverty, Social Interaction
- by C. Mudde
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- Eastern Europe, Political Science, Political Competition, Social Structure

The social structure of coastal ecotype bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, is largely unknown as they inhabit regions far from shore. This study reports on a community of bottlenose dolphins ! 27 km from Grand Bahama Island (May-September, 1993-2002). Resident and non-resident dolphins occurred in the area. Some dolphins traveled over 320 km between communities; others showed longterm site fidelity up to 17 yr. Average group size was 3-5, and was significantly larger with calves present and significantly smaller when traveling. The half-weight index was used to determine coefficients of association (COA) for individuals of known sex annually and for pooled years. Permutation tests revealed non-random associations and presence of preferred/avoided companions in all data sets. Annual COAs were low: female-female x ¼ 0.31, male-male x ¼ 0.30, and mixed-sex x ¼ 0.26. Mother-calf associations showed the highest values. Some males formed strong, long-term bonds. Female COAs fluctuated with reproductive status. Using pooled data, COAs were lower and the same basic trends were evident. However, strong associations seen in the annual data were not evident in pooled data. Bottlenose dolphins that inhabit offshore, shallow water show many of the same social structure characteristics as in well-studied coastal populations.

- by J. Mallefet
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- Zoology, Social Structure, Marine Mammal Science, Group Size

From a software engineering perspective, agent systems are a specialization of object-oriented (OO) systems, in which individual objects have their own threads of control and their own goals or sense of purpose. Engineering such systems is most naturally approached as an extension of object-oriented systems engineering. In particular, the Unified Modeling Language (UML) can be naturally extended to support the distinctive requirements of multi-agent systems. One such requirement results from the increasing emphasis on the correspondence between multi-agent systems and social systems. Sociological analogies are proving fruitful models for agent-oriented constructions, while sociologists increasingly use agents as a modeling tool for studying social systems. We combine several existing organizational models for agents, including AALAADIN, dependency theory, interaction protocols, and holonics, in a general theoretical framework, and show how UML can be applied and extended to capture constructions in that framework.

- by Van Parunak
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- Software Engineering, Multi Agent System, Social Structure, UML

The paper discusses the theme of wandering in the novel by French author André Dhôtel. The protagonist of Le Mont Damion, Fabien Gort, is not a typical vagrant, as he is a member of an intellectual and quite rich family. However, because of his strong absent-mindedness and strangeness, Fabien is unable to find a place in social structures. People’s hostility leads him to many wanderings and unexpected encounters which influence his existence. The novel seems to be also a generic wandering, as it possesses some features of picaresque novel, adventure novel, initiation story and fairytale fantasy.

- by Quêtes littéraires
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- Hybridity, Social Structure, Social structures, Wandering
- by Sandra Braman
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- Telecommunications Policy, Multidisciplinary, Social Structure

Individuals in social groups interact with numerous other group members in a polyadic network. Interactions can depend on the individual's own attributes (age, sex, status etc.), on their partner's attributes, and the group's network of social interactions. Previous studies tend to look at a subset of dyadic interactions, focusing on particular classes of individuals. We used social network analysis to explore how an individual wild meerkat's (Suricata suricatta) attributes related to their positions in three different interaction networks (grooming, dominance interactions, and foraging competitions) across eight groups. We asked whether individuals within groups associated assortatively and whether individuals with similar attributes occupied similar network positions. Differences in an individual's attributes did not consistently influence association patterns across different interaction network types. However, within network types, some attributes were especially influential across all groups. Grooming networks revealed negative assortativity by age and mass. Dominance networks revealed dominant-subordinate associations and high assortativity between males. Dominant individuals exhibited higher levels of dominance interactions and were aggressive to more different individuals than subordinates. Heavier individuals received higher levels of dominance interactions. Foraging competition networks revealed that younger and lighter individuals received higher overall levels of competitions and from more group members. Our observations were similar to focused studies on dyadic interactions but also revealed subtle differences. Future descriptions of social interactions should account for networks of social interactions occurring within a group and should be cautious about treating individuals with similar attributes as functionally similar with respect to their position within a social network.

- by Gareth Pearce
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- Social Networks, Social Interaction, Social learning, Behavioral Ecology

Borana pastoralists in southern Ethiopia are faced with the challenge of developing more efficient and sustainable use of natural resources. In past decades poorly adapted development interventions and inadequate land-use policies aggravated by population growth have weakened pastoral rangeland management. Ignoring pastoralists’ technical and organizational capacities has contributed to progressive land degradation, the erosion of social structures and poverty. The Endogenous Livestock Development concept recognises pastoralists’ indigenous knowledge-based strategies and priorities, and uses them as the bases for further development of their production system and social relations, to be utilized, improved and combined with modern technologies. This paper explores the Borana pastoralists’ adaptive strategies for improved utilization of natural resources and the manner in which they respond to environmental risk and external influences such as water development and new formal administ...

- by Sabine Tui
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- Human Ecology, Institutional Change, Indigenous Knowledge, Natural Resource Management

Numerous studies are currently addressing the issue of contextual effects on health and disease outcomes. The majority of these studies fall short of providing a theoretical basis with which to explain what context is and how it affects individual disease outcomes. We propose a theoretical model, entitled collective lifestyles, which brings together three concepts from practice theory: social structure, social practices and agency. We do so in an attempt to move away from both behavioural and structural-functionalist explanations of the differential distribution of disease outcomes among areas by including a contextualisation of health behaviours that considers their meaning. We test the framework using the empirical example of smoking and pre-adolescents in 32 communities across Qu! e ebec, Canada. Social structure is operationalised as characteristics and resources; characteristics are the socio-economic aggregate characteristics of individuals culled from the 1996 Canadian Census, and resources are what regulates and transforms smoking practices. Information about social practices was collected in focus groups with pre-adolescents from four of the participating communities. Using zero-order and partial correlations we find that a portrait of communities emerges. Where there is a high proportion of more socio-economically advantaged people, resources tend to be more smoking discouraging, with the opposite being true for disadvantaged communities. Upon analysis of the focus group material, however, we find that the social practices in communities do not necessarily reflect the ''objectified'' measures of social structure. We suggest that a different conceptualisation of accessibility and lifestyle in contextual studies may enable us to improve our grasp on how differential rates of disease come about in local areas. r

- by Katherine Frohlich
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- Sociology, Anthropology, Health Behavior, Focus Groups

In the recent literature on institutions and social capital, there has been a renewed emphasis on the importance of social structure in explaining the performance of economic markets. Approaches to how this 'social structure' is conceived differ widely, however. This article examines the social structure and partitioning of the market in foreign currency in Kinshasa, based on fieldwork in the mid-1990s, and finds remarkable similarities with Geertz's seminal paper on the functioning of peasant markets and his description of the bazaar economy in Sefrou. The case study is also instructive as it highlights the day-to-day reality of hyperinflation and monetary chaos.

- by Tom De Herdt
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- Economics, Social Structure
- by Sergio Andrés Cabello and +1
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- Social Work, Social Structure, Políticas Públicas, Estados De Bienestar

This book is a critical and multidisciplinary IPE of the unequal structures of South American development and uneven insertions in the global order following the decline of the commodities boom. The work explores the extent to which regional development issues are related to merely a decline of commodities´ prices and/or to the resilience of the historical structures within an unequal world order. Thus, the authors seek first to analytically explore the regional issues beyond the formal limitations of North American and Eurocentric approaches. Secondly, they empirically scrutinize the complex dimensions of regional inequality and global insertions. Aspects analysed include economic reprimarization, the impact of China, development finance, trade and regional value chains, knowledge and technology, regional and transnational organised crime, cities, economic integration and the Global South. Preface. Fredrik Söderbaum 1. The IPE Puzzle of Regional Inequality, Political Instability an...

- by Ernesto Vivares
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- Development Studies, Research Methodology, Renewable Energy, International Trade

The general mathematical representation of hierarchical structure of arbitrary system is analysed. Formal description of hierarchy is presented. General mathematical properties of the models of social structure are studied. It is that such models are shown to be based on a non-standard analysis. The origin of the probabilistic nature of social systems is studied. The general equations of the process of learning as hierarchical process are presented.

- by Viatcheslav Barkaline
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- Engineering, Social Structure, Mathematical Sciences, Social System

In this study, we investigated the genetic social structure of a polygynous fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx. We tested whether colonies of C. sphinx are substructured and if genetic relatedness among group members is non-random. Although we did not find statistical evidence of genetic structuring of harems within a colony, significant levels of inbreeding within colonies and social associations between related individuals were observed. The average pairwise relatedness was higher for females within a harem (average: 0.02) than within the colony (average: −0.03) (p < 0.005). In most harems, the harem male was highly related to one harem female (with an average relatedness of 0.2). Further, statistical resampling suggested that this association is non-random, potentially suggesting mate selection. Although the average relatedness among males in colonies was zero, the range of relatedness (−0.43 to 0.49) was high. We conclude that colonies, to some extent are inbred units, comprising of both related and unrelated individuals, and that social associations might be kin based.

- by Kritika Garg
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- Genetics, Zoology, Mate selection, Molecular Genetics

Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, has been the focus of much research and speculation, particularly with reference to the island's hundreds of giant, enigmatic statues and the set of conditions that supported their construction and transportation. In this paper, we analyze an abundant class of lithic artifacts, mata'a, to study of patterns of cultural transmission with implications for the evolution of groups, competition, and scale of socio-political organization among this island population. While these kinds of studies often draw upon assemblages of decorated ceramics, here we show how analysis of variability unconstrained by performance allows us to measure aspects of inheritance related to the manufacture of these artifacts. In the case of mata'a from Rapa Nui, we demonstrate that it is possible to reach falsifiable conclusions about the evolutionary dynamics that shaped the remarkable archaeological record on Rapa Nui.

- by Carl P Lipo and +1
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- Evolutionary Biology, Archaeology, Geochemistry, Anthropology

Coffee is an important commodity and an important comestible, one that is momentous not only for nations' economies but also, at the micro-social level, as a resource for interpersonal sociability. Among a subculture of certain coffee connoisseurs, the coffee itself is a topic that is an organizing focus of, and for, that sociability. This paper is an empirical investigation of online narratives produced by hobbyist participants in what coffee aficionados refer to as the ''third wave'' coffee phenomenon and engages and challenges extant perspectives social aspects of ''taste'' by inspecting members' insights concerning their conceptions of taste and their participation in a subculture that comprises taste as an important, central defining aspect. The analytic point of view deployed in this paper is ethnomethodological, one that, instead of emphasizing a priori the social structural characteristics of these connoisseurs as do Bourdieu (In: Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste, tr. Richard Nice, Routledge, New York 1984) and those who work in his tradition, emphasizes discovery of members' own displayed understandings of the topic at hand. As such, this paper is more than an investigation of the ''coffee geek'' subculture but is also an invitation to an ethnomethodologicallyinformed sociology of ''taste.''

- by John Manzo
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- Sociology, Cultural Studies, Philosophy, Ethnomethodology

This paper examines how social structures and agency have been included in backcasting studies for sustainable development. For this purpose an analytical framework was developed, based on what objects of change (whats), measures (hows) and change agents (whos) are included in the scenario, and to which extent these are approached in an explorative way. Through reviewing a number of backcasting studies it was found that these typically are built upon and elaborated with a predominant focus on the questions of what and how physical/ technical aspects could change. Social objects of change and explicit representation or analysis of the question of who could change is rarely included in the analysis. This unbalance brings a number of implications. Firstly, not including social structures and agency obstructs developing socio-technically consistent and comprehensive scenarios. Secondly, through not addressing the questions of how to change and change by whom in an explicit and explorative way, social structures and agency become represented only implicitly and/or are maintained according to the status quo.

- by Josefin Wangel
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- Economics, Technology, Sustainable Development, Social Structure
- by Victor S. Venida
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- Social Change, Globalization, Theory, Economic Development

El articulo describe los cambios ocurridos en la estructura social del trabajo urbano argentino entre el punto mas alto del crecimiento economico bajo el regimen de politicas neoliberales de la decada del novena (1998), la crisis socio economica del periodo 2001-2002 y el todavia vigente proceso de crecimiento con politicas heterodoxas. Se analizan las variaciones en las composiciones de la fuerza de trabajo en terminos de pertenencia sectorial (formal, informal y publico) y calidad de los puestos (estables, precarios y marginales), asi como el impacto de la crisis del regimen social de acumulacion sobre las brechas de ingreso de los ocupados. Los autores discuten sobre la profundidad del proceso y la plausibilidad de la hipotesis del cambio de regimen desde el ano 2003.

- by Agustín Salvia
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- Philosophy, Political Science, Economy, Social Structure

Reproductive biology and social behaviour of the parrotfish Sparisoma cretense was studied in the Azores Islands, northeast Atlantic, to characterize its spawning season and general reproductive biology in the region, to clarify the species mating system and associated spawning behaviours, and to evaluate the relationship between its reproductive traits and habitat features. S. cretense exhibits a dual mating system where males hold female harems within year-round territories or live in multi-male groups. Group behaviour predominates in smaller size classes, and territoriality in larger size classes. Males mature and become territorial earlier in life than females, and the best territories are held by larger males. The two behavioural modes are usually spatially segregated, with larger territorial fish preferring exposed and deeper reef ledges, and group fish occupying shallower, protected habitats. However, they frequently interact and overlap in space, especially during reproduction in the summer. Our findings indicate a highly competitive system and suggest that high quality spawning sites are important for the reproductive success of both types of fish. Patchiness of habitat along shorelines determines the relative distribution and equilibrium of territorial versus group fish. The complexity of this relationship between social structure and habitat might impact the populations' productivity, and could influence the success of marine protected areas for this species.

- by Ricardo Santos
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- Reproduction, Fisheries, Biology, Ecology

This chapter reflects upon and summarises the theoretical evolution of the research project “Me. The World. The Media” as a path from the initial structural-functionalist model of post-communist transition to the social constructivist paradigm, which makes it possible to analyse social reality and societal transformation through their representation in people’s life-worlds as changes in social time and space, socio-cultural restructuration, social cognition, and acceleration of personal and social time. This theoretical evolution has occurred in interaction with rich empirical data, collected in five waves of the survey with basically the same structure of indicators. In the final stage of the generalisation of the results, we employed the concepts of great transformation (Polanyi), acceleration of social time and life (Rosa and Wajcman), social morphogenesis (Archer), late modernity (Beck and Beck-Gernsheim, and Giddens), agencies (Giddens) and capitals (Bourdieu) as useful frames for the theoretical interpretation of the trends revealed in the analysis of the data from all five waves of the survey.
In answering the main research questions of the book, this chapter summarises and discusses the following trends and processes: (1) the deepening differentiation of social groups, (2) changes in vertical and horizontal social stratification, including subjective self-positioning, (3) differentiation in terms of social embeddedness, (4) differentiation in terms of political, economic, cultural and social capitals, (5) differentiation related to changes in media and the information environment, (6) differentiation related to the acceleration of personal and social time, (7) increasing inter-generational differences, (8) deepening differences between ethnic groups, and (9) the weakening synchronicity of social life (ongoing de-synchronisation).
The chapter outlines the formation of new social agencies and presents the matrix model of agency clusters based on two dimensions: activity versus passivity, and innovativeness versus conservativeness. We conclude that the first wave of transitional controversies between more and less capitalised social groups is receding due to increasing general welfare. At the same time, global technological and cultural changes, migration crises, and increasing violence and terrorism have brought about new controversies and challenges in Estonian society. On the one hand, we see rising activism among groups frightened by changes and trying to defend traditional institutional order; on the other hand, there is an increasing manifestation of a new agency oriented to diversity and openness, instead of domination and encapsulation.

- by Veronika Kalmus and +1
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- Social transformation, Social Structure, Agency, Social Differentiation

... » Cette partie de la population, qui « se débrouille », comment vit-elle cette situation? Sur les fiches, à la rubrique « adresse », les hommes que j'interrogeais répondaient souvent : « SDF » (c'est ainsi que... more

- by Claudia Fonseca
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- Anthropology, Poverty, Social Structure, Comparative Analysis

Liquid ant baits are an alternative to broad-spectrum insecticide sprays conventionally used to control Argentine ants. We review the development of liquid ant baits, which capitalize on the ants' sugarfeeding requirements and social structure to deliver small doses of toxicant throughout the colony. The ant bait program described here, developed for commercial vineyards, also has the potential to facilitate the use of biological controls for mealybug and scale pests. The implementation of an Argentine ant bait program will enable grape growers to target other pests more selectively with insecticides, further contributing to their sustainable viticulture practices. An Argentine ant tends an adult mealybug. A drop of honeydew, the sugar-rich mealybug excretion, can be seen in the ant's mouthparts.

- by Monica Cooper
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- Biological Control, California, Social Structure, Spectrum

This article presents the results of a qualitative analysis of 80 articles, chapters, and practitoners' guides focused on collaboration and coalition functioning. The purpose of this review was to develop an integrative framework that captures the core competencies and processes needed within collaborative bodies to facilitate their success. The resulting framework for building collaborative capacity is presented. Four critical levels of collaborative capacity--member capacity, relational capacity, organizational capacity, and programmatic capacity--are described and strategies for building each type are provided. The implications of this model for practitioners and scholars are discussed.

- by David Lounsbury
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- Psychology, Health Promotion, Public Health, Health Services Research

A central tenet in sociology holds that positions in social structure influence the attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes of the actors occupying those positions. Though this proposition underlies much sociological thinking, perhaps the clearest instantiation of it appears in the literature collectively referred to as 'social network theory'. Research in this area investigates both the structure of the relations between social

- by Adedeji Adediran
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- Marketing, Capital Flows, Information Flow, Social Structure

In episodes of inter-group violence, which group members participate and which do not? Although such violence is frequently framed as occurring between distinct ethnic, racial, or sectarian groups, it is easily overlooked that it is usually only a subset of the group's members who in fact participate in the violence. In predicting participation, extant research has privileged an atomistic approach and identified individual attributes indicative of a predisposition for violence. I suggest instead that a situational approach should complement the atomistic paradigm and present evidence that an individual's micro-spatial environment is an important predictor of differential participation into inter-group violence. Using GIS data on 3426 residents from one community, I map the household locations of participants, non-participants, and victims of Rwanda's 1994 genocide. I find that participants are likely to live either in the same neighborhood or in the same household as other participants. Specifically, as the number of violent to non-violent individuals in an individual's neighbourhood or household increases, the likelihood of this individual's participation also increase. In explaining these neighbourhood and household effects, I suggest social influence is the mechanism at work. As micro-spatial distance decreases, micro-social interaction increases. Neighbors and household members exert influence for and against participation. Participation then may be as much the product of social interaction as of individual agency. What neighbours and family members think, say, and do may influence participation in collective action such as intergroup violence. The conceptualization of neighborhoods and households as micro-spheres of influences suggests the importance of social structure as a determinant of participation.

- by Omar McDoom
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- Political Science, Applied Economics, Social Influence, Peace

Nepal has established community forestry institutions to manage natural resources at the local community level under the assumption that there will be better management than under Government agencies. However, community forestry has not been entirely successful as it has not addressed the needs of poor and marginalised groups. The main goal of this study is to examine how Nepalese social

- by Hugh Bigsby
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- Political Economy, Decision Making, Statistical Analysis, Urban Development

In a follow-up study of over 17,000 individuals born 12 years apart (in 1958 and 1970) this article investigates the formation and realization of teenage career aspirations in a changing sociohistorical context. Two types of analytical models, a mediating model and a contextual systems model, were used to analyze the processes by which the effects of social structure influence teenage aspirations and subsequent occupational attainment. Both models suggest that teenage aspirations in combination with educational attainments are a major driving force in the occupational development of young people and that they mediate the effects of socioeconomic background factors. The contextual system model is an elaboration of the mediating model, providing additional insights into the effects of distal and proximal contexts. Differences in the experiences of young people growing up 12 years apart indicate that the sociohistorical context plays a key role in shaping occupational progression. For the later born cohort the importance of educational credentials has increased, both in influencing teenage aspirations and predicting adult occupational outcomes.

- by Ingrid Schoon
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- Psychology, Young People, Social Structure, Business and Management

Artykuł ma na celu sportretowanie szczególnej grupy nowych mieszkańców wsi: osób, które po 1989 roku kupiły dawny dwór lub pałac ziemiański i traktują go przede wszystkim jako dom prywatny. Bazując na 17 wywiadach z 19 osobami, autorka szuka cech wspólnych łączących rozmówców, analizując ich doświadczenie biograficzne i funkcjonowanie jako właścicieli obiektu zabytkowego. Przedstawia ich motywacje, styl życia, postawy wobec ziemiańskiego dziedzictwa oraz członkostwo w szerszych środowiskach związanych z etosem ich grupy. Teoretyczną podstawę tekstu stanowią badania biograficzne, studia nad stylem życia i etosem.
This article aims at sketching a collective portrait of a particular group of new countryside inhabitants: these are people who, after 1989, bought a mansion or a palace once belonging to the landed gentry with an intention to live there. The article’s theoretical
approach owes to biographical research as well as to the studies of lifestyles and group ethos. On the basis of the material from 17 interviews with 19 research participants, the author sets out to establish these persons’ shared traits and analyzes their biographical
experience and daily routines of being owners of the heritage sites. The analysis centers on their motivations, lifestyle, attitudes towards the gentry heritage and membership in the wider circles that relates to the ethos of the group.

- by Anna Wylegala
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- Sociology, Rural Sociology, Qualitative methodology, Local History

Widespread poaching prior to the 1989 ivory ban greatly altered the demographic structure of matrilineal African elephant (Loxodonta africana) family groups in many populations by decreasing the number of old, adult females. We assessed the long-term impacts of poaching by investigating genetic, physiological, and reproductive correlates of a disturbed social structure resulting from heavy poaching of an African elephant population in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania, prior to 1989. We examined fecal glucocorticoid levels and reproductive output among 218 adult female elephants from 109 groups differing in size, age structure, and average genetic relatedness over 25 months from 2003 to 2005. The distribution in group size has changed little since 1989, but the number of families with tusked old matriarchs has increased by 14.2%. Females from groups that lacked an old matriarch, first-order adult relatives, and strong social bonds had significantly higher fecal glucocorticoid values than those from groups with these features (all females R 2 = 0.31; females in multiadult groups R 2 = 0.46). Females that frequented isolated areas with historically high poaching risk had higher fecal glucocorticoid values than those in low poaching risk areas. Females with weak bonds and low group relatedness had significantly lower reproductive output (R 2 [U] = 0.21). Females from disrupted groups, defined as having observed average group relatedness 1 SD below the expected mean for a simulated unpoached family, had significantly lower reproductive output than females from intact groups, despite many being in their reproductive prime. These results suggest that long-term negative impacts from poaching of old, related matriarchs have persisted among adult female elephants 1.5 decades after the 1989 ivory ban was implemented.

- by Samuel Wasser
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- Physiology, Demography, Conservation Biology, Conservation

Phenomena of attributing value to objects, practices, and people, and of assessing their value have become a popular subject in sociological research. Classification, among other valuation practices, represents a central topic in these studies. Thus, the sociology of valuation is emerging as a new field that, however, lacks common ground in theorizing about its subject even though preoccupation with valuation has a long-standing history in sociology. Authors such as Durkheim, Simmel, and Dewey have interpreted valuation as more than a specific localizable phenomenon, in that valuation is a constitutive element of the fundament of the social. Discussing classical approaches to valuation and relating them to current sociological work, we identify key concepts within different theoretical approaches that need to be taken into account when theorizing valuation. We suggest five building blocks – valuation practices, value structures, valuation infrastructure, valuation situations, and reflexivity of valuation – theories of valuation need to consider for coming to terms with the multifaceted empirical studies in the sociology of valuation.

- by Anne K. Krueger and +1
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- Reflexivity (Sociology), Social Practice, Social Structure, Infrastructure

There appears to be generally a broad consensus that the multidimensional nature and complexity underlying the critical problems of Africa such as poverty, food insecurity and disease urge for integrated and holistic views and approaches to deal with the challenges successfully. Innovation systems approaches are promising, but in practice they require new mindsets and competences for systemic thinking, institutional interfaces and partnerships. Often curriculum review is seen as a solution to such new demands, but in reality, even before considering curriculum review, it is critical that universities deal with the basic elements of changing mindsets, and building a new vision and new skills for training and research amongst the academic staff. This paper is based on a 'personal mastery/soft skills experiment towards reorienting mindsets and building complementary skills among university lecturers for holistic and interactive learning; and impact oriented research and consultancy. The initiative was conducted with 26 lecturers from three agriculture related Faculties of Makerere University over a period of two years. Overall enhancement it enhanced personal and professional development profiles of the lecturers which resulted in more interactive teaching, a move towards action research, and more marketable development consultants and facilitators. Specifically, the assessment brought out the following outcomes: enhanced self-awareness and taking action to develop their full potentials; the abilities to influence change in the university system through feedback; taking initiative to work in team and promote peer-learning; facilitation skills for interactive learning and collective action processes; overcoming fear to try out new things as reflective practitioners; communication for problem solving -negotiation, conflict resolution; and thinking beyond disciplinary boundaries to influence development impact through action research and process consultancy.

- by Jürgen Hagmann
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- Social Change, Veterinary Medicine, Transformative Learning, Reflective Practice

We examine the drivers of diffusion of information through organizations and the effects on performance. In particular, we ask: What predicts the likelihood of an individual becoming aware of a strategic piece of information, or becoming aware of it sooner? Do different types of information exhibit different diffusion patterns, and do different characteristics of social structure, relationships and individuals in turn affect access to different kinds of information? Does better access to information predict an individual's ability to complete projects or generate revenue? We hypothesize that the dual effects of content and structure jointly predict the diffusion path of information, and ultimately performance. To test our hypotheses, we characterize the social network of a medium sized executive recruiting firm using accounting data on project co-work relationships and ten months of email traffic observed over two five month periods. We identify two distinct types of information diffusing over this network -'event news' and 'discussion topics' -by their usage characteristics, and observe several thousand diffusion processes of each type of information from their original first use to their varied recipients over time. We then test the effects of network structure and functional and demographic characteristics of dyadic relationships on the likelihood of receiving each type of information and receiving it more quickly. Our results demonstrate that the diffusion of news, characterized by a spike in communication and rapid, pervasive diffusion through the organization, is influenced by demographic and network factors but not by functional relationships (e.g. prior co-work, authority) or the strength of ties. In contrast, diffusion of discussion topics, which exhibit more shallow diffusion characterized by 'back-and-forth' conversation, is heavily influenced by functional relationships and the strength of ties, as well as demographic and network factors. Discussion topics are more likely to diffuse vertically up and down the organizational hierarchy, across relationships with a prior working history, and across stronger ties, while news is more likely to diffuse laterally as well as vertically, and without regard to the strength or function of relationships. Furthermore, we find that access to information strongly predicts the number of projects completed by each individual and the amount of revenue that person generates. The effects are economically significant, with each additional "word seen" correlated with about $70 of additional revenue generated. Our findings highlight the importance of simultaneous considerations of structure and content in information diffusion studies and provide some of the first evidence on the economic importance of information diffusion in networks.

- by Marshall Van Alstyne
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- Social Networks, Productivity, Access To Information, Social Structure
- by Gerhard Preyer
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- Sociology, Social Theory, Ethnic Studies, Multiculturalism

The collapse of State-centralized management model in Latin America gave rise –during the 90’s- to urban public services ’ management instruments designed under a maximalist market-driven conception. Today, networks ’ dynamics and tariffs ’ systems are at the core of the current debate about these services ’ private management in Argentina. Severe population outbursts claim a complete review of public services management scheme. Novel designs fostered by global companies and multilateral agencies – e.g., out-of-network deliveries or differential qualities for the poor – crystallize socio-spatial fragmentation, operate as territorial versions of “targeted social policies ” and severely undermine urban citizenship. The semantic field constructed by the discourses of various economic and political actors about social tariffs – i.e., about funding instruments for ensuring universal accessibility to urban networks – is a privileged observatory that unveils a complex web of conflictive ra...

- by Jorge Karol
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- Social Policy, Semantic Analysis, Civil Society, Social Structure
- by Allen Cordero Ulate
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- Social Movements, Typology, Social Movement, Politics

pointed at a further characteristic when he hypothesized that reinvestment associated with gentrification was most likely to occur in areas where land value was most depressed. Studies also described gentrifiers' socio-economic features. It appeared that they are relatively young, employed in white-collar occupations, often as professionals and managers, and very well educated. In addition, research revealed that gentrifying households have few or no children and that gentrifiers earn more than incumbent residents (Gale

- by Pierre Filion
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- Economics, Urban And Regional Planning, Social Structure, Case Study

»Theorien der Valuierung-Bausteine zur Konzeptualisierung von Valuierung zwischen Praxis und Struktur«. Phenomena of attributing value to objects, practices, and people, and of assessing their value have become a popular subject in sociological research. Classification, among other valuation practices, represents a central topic in these studies. Thus, the sociology of valuation is emerging as a new field that, however, lacks common ground in theorizing about its subject even though preoccupation with valuation has a long-standing history in sociology. Authors such as Durkheim, Simmel, and Dewey have interpreted valuation as more than a specific localizable phenomenon, in that valuation is a constitutive element of the fundament of the social. Discussing classical approaches to valuation and relating them to current sociological work, we identify key concepts within different theoretical approaches that need to be taken into account when theorizing valuation. We suggest five building blocks-valuation practices, value structures, valuation infrastructure, valuation situations, and reflexivity of valuation-theories of valuation need to consider for coming to terms with the multifaceted empirical studies in the sociology of valuation.

- by Anne K. Krueger
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- Reflexivity (Sociology), Social Practice, Social Structure, Infrastructure

The relationship between social stratification and entrepreneurship is one that is underexplored in the literature of management and organizations. In the authors' view, social stratification (social structure, institutions, and culture) influences the context, process, experience, and outcomes of entrepreneurship. In this article, the authors discuss these relationships in the context of African American women engaged in high-growth entrepreneurship. The authors support their premise by presenting the limitations of prevailing approaches that exist within the current minority and women entrepreneurship literatures. Using the concept of entrepreneurial success as an example, the authors demonstrate how a social stratification and entrepreneurship framework may be useful for scholars who seek to understand the process of entrepreneurship.

- by Laquita Blockson
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- Social Stratification, Stratification, Multidisciplinary, Social Structure

Social Structure Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)