Planning for Social Environments: Social Capital in the Context of Critical Realism and the Dynamics of Complex Systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Milton J. Friesen
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Complex Systems ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Social Environments

scholarly journals Konseptualisasi Pembangunan Komuniti melalui Analisis Konsep Struktur Sosial, Teori Modal Sosial dan Perspektif Realisme Kritikal

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
AHMAD SHUKRI ABDUL HAMID
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Theoretical Basis ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Structuration Theory ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Capital Theory ◽  
Philosophical Perspective ◽  
Conventional View

This article discusses the conceptualization of community development through sociological analysis of the concept of social structure and social capital through the lenses of critical realism. The main goal of the discussion is to develop a novel conceptual framework of community development using the typical setting of a Malay community that practices the Islamic way of life as the basis. Social capital theory, structuration theory and critical realism philosophical perspective were utilized as the theoretical basis for the development of the framework. The concept of social capital regards the community as incubators for resources deemed crucial for individual and community well-being. The harnessing of these resources in the form of social capital is considered an important factor in the overall process of community development. perspective provide the theoretical basis capable of delineating the processes and mechanisms involved in the production of social capital and thereby increase the community functioning. The resulting conceptual framework provides a non-conventional view of the process of community development and provides better understanding of the role of religious institutions such as the community mosque. Additionally, structuration theory and critical realism  

The complexity continuum, part 2: modelling harmony

Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 1626-1652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurice Yolles
Keyword(s):  
Complex Systems ◽  
Agency Theory ◽  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Philosophical Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Viable Systems ◽  
Complex Adaptive ◽  
Viable System

PurposeComplex systems adapt to survive, but little comparative literature exists on various approaches. Adaptive complex systems are generic, this referring to propositions concerning their bounded instability, adaptability and viability. Two classes of adaptive complex system theories exist: hard and soft. Hard complexity theories include Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) and Viability Theory, and softer theories, which we refer to as Viable Systems Theories (VSTs), that includes Management Cybernetics at one extreme and Humanism at the other. This paper has a dual purpose distributed across two parts. In part 1 the purpose was to identify the conditions for the complementarity of the two classes of theory. In part 2 the two the purpose is to explore (in part using Agency Theory) the two classes of theory and their proposed complexity continuum.Design/methodology/approachExplanation is provided for the anticipation of behaviour cross-disciplinary fields of theory dealing with adaptive complex systems. A comparative exploration of the theories is undertaken to elicit concepts relevant to a complexity continuum. These explain how agency behaviour can be anticipated under uncertainty. Also included is a philosophical exploration of the complexity continuum, expressing it in terms of a graduated set of philosophical positions that are differentiated in terms of objects and subjects. These are then related to hard and softer theories in the continuum. Agency theory is then introduced as a framework able to comparatively connect the theories on this continuum, from theories of complexity to viable system theories, and how harmony theories can develop.FindingsAnticipation is explained in terms of an agency’s meso-space occupied by a regulatory framework, and it is shown that hard and softer theory are equivalent in this. From a philosophical perspective, the hard-soft continuum is definable in terms of objectivity and subjectivity, but there are equivalences to the external and internal worlds of an agency. A fifth philosophical position of critical realism is shown to be representative of harmony theory in which internal and external worlds can be related. Agency theory is also shown to be able to operate as a harmony paradigm, as it can explore external behaviour of an agent using a hard theory perspective together with an agent’s internal cultural and cognitive-affect causes.Originality/valueThere are very few comparative explorations of the relationship between hard and soft approaches in the field of complexity and even fewer that draw in the notion of harmony. There is also little pragmatic illustration of a harmony paradigm in action within the context of complexity.

Influence of social capital on the experiences of married Syrian refugee women in Al-Mafraq Governorate

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 640-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manal Fathi Anabtawi ◽  
Tamara Hamza Al Amad
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Refugee Women ◽  
Syrian Refugee ◽  
The City

This article examines the influence of social capital on the experiences of married Syrian refugee women who live in Al-Mafraq Governorate/Al-Mafraq city centre. Focus group discussions were conducted with married Syrian refugee women in order to provide a detailed description of their situation. The findings of the fieldwork with refugee women in Al-Mafraq Governorate gathered from June to September 2015 are presented here. It becomes apparent that married Syrian refugee women living in Al-Mafraq city are encountering many difficulties, regardless of the pre-existing and extensive social capital/networks within the city. Therefore, one can deduce that social capital does not play an important role in alleviating the magnitude of the suffering faced by married Syrian refugee women due to space restrictions, economic conditions, social environments and traumatic experiences.

Predicting and Shaping or How to Close the Future

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2020) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Vagt
Keyword(s):  
Complex Systems ◽  
General Problem ◽  
Computer Engineering ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Strategic Response ◽  
Computer Technologies ◽  
The Future ◽  
Behavioral Design

Behavioral design of so called »persuasive computer technologies« is the result of a merger between psychology, economics, and computer engineering. The article discusses its genealogy from the strategic response of military, governmental, and academic players to the general problem that the behavior of complex systems such as humans, societies, or markets is difficult to predict, and that controlling these complex systems means shaping them by designing their technological and social environments.

Social Capital Multidimensionality as a Determinant of Entrepreneurial Intention: Evidence from Mexico and Spain

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 43-56
Author(s):  
Jesús Manuel Palma-Ruiz ◽  
Ana María Serrano-Bedia ◽  
María Concepción López-Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intention ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Entrepreneurial Spirit ◽  
Access Information ◽  
The University

The assessment of the university and family social environments is relevant due to the influence during the individual's formative years, effecting the individual's development, career and occupational preferences. In an attempt to deepen the understanding of social capital, the authors proposed an examination of its dimensionality. Hypotheses were formulated building upon three dimensions—cognitive, structural, and relational—embedded in both contexts as determinants of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and intention. Implications are discussed promoting an appropriate social capital dimension and favorable environment for individuals to access information, resources, and support, with the purpose to foster and motivate their entrepreneurial spirit. Structural equation modeling was used considering 399 undergraduate students from universities in Mexico and Spain.

scholarly journals Social Capital Management. A Case Study of the Town of Racibórz

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-89
Author(s):  
Robert Geisler ◽  
Michał Potracki
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Good Case ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Town

For many years, social capital has been the subject of research in various areas and social environments. What is worth diagnosing is not so much its functioning or formation, but its management, i.e. deliberate development aimed at achieving individual or collective benefits. The cultural borderland region of the Racibórz area, especially the town, is a good case for an analysis of such phenomena, because, over the centuries, the town has been part of various administrative and economic regimes and thus has developed forms of social capital independent of state structures. The main research questions in this paper are the following: What remains of them today? Are they subject to management processes?

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