Competitive globalism has shifted the focus of how to attract economic revenue.
In the past businesses and employment producers have focused on the metropolis
itself, but now it is shifting to a metropolitan area approach to determine its
location. Social capital and collective efficacy play a key role in determining
the attractiveness of a region. At a regional scale we see the impact of
collective efficacy from neighborhood to neighborhood and municipality to
municipality. Social capital and collective efficacy are partly overlapping and
complementary to one another. They
establish and help sustain the community’s social control. These concepts extend
from a community image to a regional image.
Collective efficacy is the social cohesion among neighbors combined
with their willingness to intervene on behalf of the common good and is linked
to reduce violence. Collective efficacy and social capital intertwine with each
other to make the region attractive. Social capital is a key component of
regionalism. Without social capital nothing can be accomplished. Social capital
refers to the features of social organization. A social organization is a
social network that has norms and trust which produce coordination and
cooperation for mutual gain. Social capital includes the institutions,
relationships, the attitudes, values and beliefs that govern interactions among
people and contribute to economic and social development. Together collective
efficacy and social capital control the regions image on an individual level.
If there are high crime rates, it is usually the result of a lack in collective
efficacy and social capital.
An increase of collective efficacy leads to an increase in social
capital. Civic engagement is a main part of social capital. Without the
participation in voluntary associations along with activities like voting,
there is a lack of communication. A lack of communication leads to a lack of
social capital. The lack of social capital is interpreted as a lack of caring,
goodwill, loyalty, sense of belonging, and sense of community leads to violence
and economic loss. An improved economic performance does not lead to an
increase in social capital. When there is social capital, there is more
charitable giving, voting, and involvement in community which helps the region
grow. Studies show that social capital or civic engagement are an important
independent determinant of economic growth from a city-level and county-level.
This indicates the region cannot grow to its potential without harvesting and
cherishing social capital at a local scale.
In the future, communities must continually build their collective
efficacy and social capital to develop social control of their landscape. Dense
local ties promote social cohesion, but can grow negative networks such as
gangs. It is a complex process, but can be controlled on an individual level.
Shared expectations of social control will help build shared public
expectations. Once individuals can trust and rely each other it can multiple to
a regional effort of attraction for future investors and innovators. One person
can make a difference if they can influence others to follow their vision. From
a big picture perspective, collective efficacy plays a vital role in
determining the output of a region. Social capital emphasizes on trust and
norms in a social network while collective efficacy is a form of social
organization that involves social cohesion and trust with expectations of
social control. These two concepts build off each other. Regions that will
prosper in the future will have the key attribute of a good collective efficacy
and social capital mix.
Ansari, Sami. "Social Capital and Collective Efficacy: Resource
and Operating Tools of Community Social Control." Journal of
Theoretical and Philosophical Criminology 5.2 (2013): 75-94. Web. 4
Apr. 2016.
Rupasingha, Anil, Stephan J. Goetz,
and David Freshwater. "Social Capital and Economic Growth: A County-Level
Analysis." Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 32.2
(2000): 565-72. Web.
I like how you explained the positive effects social capital can have on a community. However, I would have liked a more detailed example of what it means to have a lot of social capital and how it affects communities. Also, you talked about dense local ties can spur the growth of gangs, which I thought was a really good point, but I would have liked you to expand on that further. Overall this was a very informative post with some good pictures, a few more detailed examples and you're all set.
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