Research Papers A-H

 

Papers indexed by author/organization:
A - H | I - W

Mapping Social Cohesion: The State of Canadian Research
Canadian Policy Research Networks
Concerns about social cohesion currently top the policy agenda of a number of governmental and non-governmental institutions. With so many conversations going on simultaneously, it is not surprising that there is little consensus about definitions and about links to a family of related concepts. A map is needed. Clarification of where the discussion is and where it might go is the primary goal of this study.
Social Dimensions of Economic Growth
Canadian Policy Research Networks
Traditionally, Canadian governments and their advisors have placed economic policy and social policy in two separate, and often conflicting, boxes. The purpose of this paper is to explore the interdependence of economic and social policy and to outline the new roles and responsibilities of state, employers and citizens as they begin the integration of economic and social policy decisions. To do this, I want to try to set out two different notions of competitiveness and to demonstrate that competitiveness and social cohesion are complementary. Economic growth, in the long term, depends on the investments we make in human and social capital -- in the resilience of Canadian citizens.
Measuring the Business Value of Stakeholder Relationships
Centre for Innovation in Management
The research addresses the following questions: 1) Under what conditions, and through which pathways, do stakeholder relationships create business value? 2) What are the essential attributes of an organization that facilitate the creation of positive stakeholder relationships? 3) What measures are most useful in assessing the quality of stakeholder relationships? The project is a joint initiative between CIM and Schulich School of Business at York University, sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Social Capital and Social Learning in a Full World
Dobell, R.
This symposium poses the question “What are the contributions of human and social capital to sustained economic growth and wellbeing?” Inclusion of the word “sustained” forces consideration of possible ecological limits to human activity, and hence of the contributions of human and social capital to continuing well-being through the reconciliation of economic growth with such ecological limits.
Social Capital: A Key Enabler of Innovation in Science and Technology
Foundation, J.
The trend toward inter-organizational linkages in the form of partnerships and consortia has contributed to a strong resurgence of the U.S. economy. Many firms, industries, and regions that are currently successful have formed productive collaborative relationships with a variety of other firms, laboratories, universities, and governments at both state and federal levels in order to leverage the benefits of cooperation. These benefits include shared resources, shared staff and expertise, group problem-solving, multiple sources of learning, collaborative development, and diffusion of innovation.
Social Capital and Civil Society
Fukuyama, F.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/seminar/1999/reforms/fukuyama.htm Social capital is important to the efficient functioning of modern economies, and is the sine qua non of stable liberal democracy. It constitutes the cultural component of modern societies, which in other respects have been organized since the Enlightenment on the basis of formal institutions, the rule of law, and rationality. Building social capital has typically been seen as a task for "second generation" economic reform; but unlike economic policies or even economic institutions, social capital cannot be so easily created or shaped by public policy. This paper will define social capital, explore its economic and political functions, as well as its origins, and make some suggestions for how it can be cultivated.
Social Capital and National Environmental Performance: A Cross-sectoral Analysis
Grafton, R. Quentin and Knowles, S.
http://een.anu.edu.au/download_files/een0206.pdf
Using cross-country data from a sample of low, middle and high-income countries, the paper explores the empirical relationships between national measures of social capital (civic and public), social divergence and social capacity upon various indicators of national environmental performance. The results suggest that the mere existence of social capital, as measured by trust, civic engagement and associational activity, is not a sufficient condition for improved national environmental outcomes. The findings indicate, one, how social capital is applied and whether it is directed to environmental stewardship is important in determining its national impact, two, the significance of public social capital and effective national environmental policies in decoupling the link between environmental degradation and economic activity and, three, the possible link between effective environmental policies and public social capital and higher levels of per capita income.
The Well-Being of Nations: the Role of Human and Social Capital
Healy, T. and Côté, S.
Economic growth is but one aspect of human well-being. It is as important to focus on how broader aspects of well-being feed back into economic performance, according to a new OECD publication, The Well-Being of Nations: the Role of Human and Social Capital. One of the main challenges facing policy makers, according to this report, is how to cope with increasing social and economic pressures while maintaining social cohesion and fairness of opportunities for all. If too many people feel excluded from the fruits of economic growth or the benefits of learning, social cohesion may suffer, with negative effects for sustainable social and economic development.
Maintaining Social Ties: Social Capital in a Global Information Age
Helliwell, John F.
Recent research has documented that social and economic relations remain strikingly local, at least especially when viewed in the light of many discussions of globalization. The main evidence for this is that the density of social and economic exchanges declines far more with distance, and with the crossing of national borders, than could possibly be explained by transportation and border-related costs. This paper surveys evidence suggesting that the relations among social capital of different types, and of different radii, are complementary rather than competitive.
The Contribution of Human and Social Capital to Sustained Economic Growth and Well-Being International Symposium Report
HRDC and OECD (2001).
This book records the proceedings of a joint Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) international symposium on the effects of human and social capital on economic growth and well-being held in Quebec City in March of 2000. The symposium achieved several specific milestones.