The role of social capital in the promotion of conservation farming: The case of 'landcare' in the southern Philippines

'Social capital' refers to the relationships of trust, communication, and cooperation that facilitate collective action in a community. It is particularly relevant to soil conservation in developing countries, which requires collective efforts to raise awareness of soil degradation, provide effective training in soil conservation practices, and implement soil conservation measures on individual farms. The Landcare Program in the Southern Philippines promotes simple conservation practices in upland environments through establishing and supporting community landcare groups and municipal landcare associations, thus augmenting the social capital of farmers in these locations. An evaluation of the Landcare Program in Barangay Ned, South Cotabato, based on a survey of 313 farm households and case studies of nine landcare groups, shows that, despite extreme isolation and difficult working conditions, farmers responded by rapidly forming landcare groups and a landcare association, and adopting contour barriers on their maize farms. They utilized the bonding social capital inhering in their local communities to build stocks of bridging social capital, linking them to information, training and resources from outside their immediate locality. A logistic regression model of the factors affecting adoption of contour barriers shows that farmers who had undergone the practical, farmer-based training provided by the Landcare Program, and who were members of a landcare group, were significantly more likely to adopt conservation measures. These results confirm the value of investing in social capital to promote soil conservation. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Why do people engage in collective action? Revisiting the role of perceived effectiveness

Research has shown limited support for the notion that perceived effectiveness of collective action is a predictor of intentions to engage in collective action. One reason may be that effectiveness has been in terms of whether the action will influence key decision makers. We argue that the effectiveness of collective action might be judged by other criteria, such as whether it influences third parties, builds an oppositional movement, and expresses values. Two hundred and thirty one attendees at a rally rated the effectiveness of the rally and their intentions to engage in future collective action. For those participants who were not members of an organization, intentions were linked to the perceived effectiveness of the rally in expressing values and influencing the public. For those who were members of an organization, intentions were linked only to the effectiveness of the rally in building an oppositional movement.

The antecedents and consequences of customer emotions in collective hedonic services: An exploratory study

The investigation of the antecedents that influence positive and negative customer emotions and how these emotions influence service outcomes has not been studied in the context of collective hedonic services. In addition, the possibility of moderating effects has not been explored. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative exploratory study that sought to understand the antecedents and consequences of customer emotions in the context of collective hedonic services. This study involved five focus group interviews of customers that attended sporting, performing arts and popular concert events. The findings have important implications for managers and for managing the service process of collective hedonic services.

The Integration of Rural Households Into Ruminant Livestock Industries in China

A major determinant of rural development in China is the way by which rural households integrate with rural industries. Three forms of integration – market integration, vertical integration and integration through local groups – are investigated. Policy measures that may facilitate household integration, household specialisation and market segmentation are identified. Findings for the ruminant livestock sector are widely applicable to other agricultural industries in China.

United we stand: A call for collective cooperation of SME's when they trade globally using internet technology

This paper examines the potential for cluster associations to act globally, enabled by information computer technology (ICT). In particular, it explores the relationship between cooperation and organizational structures and systems of action in developing an ICT capability. The slow up-take of ICT and the problems involved is also becoming of increased interest to policymakers. This paper outlines how, through the use of cluster associations based on co-operation and effective structures and systems, this can be maximized. The proposition introduced in this paper argues that cluster associations with low power-dependence and decentralized structures are better able to provide the necessary support that such SMEs require to utilize the technology

Who are the new two earner households?

This paper is an analysis of the characteristics of two earner households in which both partners are in full-time employment and there are young dependent children. ABS data show that this household type has increased substantially over the last two decades. The paper uses the HILDA data to investigate the demographic and social characteristics of this group and the differences between them and the more traditional breadwinner household forms. The aim is to understand what characteristics encourage couples with dependent children to pursue full-time employment compared to couples who opt for other strategies. The paper uses a combination of descriptive methods and statistical modeling to identify socioeconomic and attitudinal differences amongst couples. The findings are discussed in light of recent policy directions that encourage women with young children to remain at home or to work part-time.