Last update: 09/09/03. Thank you for visiting Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
NOTE: Click here for the Events (including access to several PowerPoint presentations) in the
Sept. 13: "Community by Design" presentation by Lyn Kathlene (Political Science). Professor Kathlene has been involved in a substantive effort to consider how urban design affects the production and use of social capital. The video she produced for Nebraska Educational Television will be shown, as well as principles underlying the project and the approach will be discussed.
Oct. 11: Open discussion of the paper:
Adler, P. S., and S-W Kwon. "Social Capital: Prospects for a New Concept." Academy of Management Review 27, 1 (2002): 17- 40. (see PowerPoint review by Gary Lynne)
(NOTE: If you are associated with the UN-L community, and are entering the system through a campus computer, simply click on the title... and then go to the Social Capital reserve list. The Adler and Kwon published paper as well as an earlier draft of same is located at that point, in *.pdf format).
Nov. 8: Linda Price led the discussion of the paper (click on title for a PowerPoint presentation):
Robison, L. J., A. A. Schmid and M.E. Siles. "Is Social Capital Really Capital?" Review of Social Economy LX, 1 (March, 2002): 1-21.
If you are a member of the university community, the paper is available through the Electronic Reserves at the UNL Library under the "Social Capital" section. (Your Browser will have to be configured appropriately per instructions at that site, and the Adobe Reader is necessary).
Dec. 13: Gary Lynne (John Allen and Sam Cordes are also part of this team effort; Prof. Cordes initiated this project) will present the results on an empirical study involving a team of researchers (economists and sociologists) from U. Wisc.; Mich. State; Iowa State and Univ. Nebraska on measuring social capital in a rural community, the "PlaceX, Nebraska" study. Findings suggest that the character of social capital cannot be adequately understood without considering motivations for its existence.
(See PowerPoint: Note that this was originally prepared for a group of practicing community development specialists, for presentation in Gering, NE, earlier this fall. The emphasis on Dec. 13 will be on the actual measurement and econometric models; see esp. the "notes" on slides 18, 20, 21, 24 and 27).
Jan. 17: Lyn Kathlene will present the paper and lead dialogue:
Shih, Johanna. "Ethnic Identity, Bounded Solidarity, and the Formation of Immigrant Networks of Care." Working Paper #55. Center for Working Families. University of California, Berkeley, 2002.
(available in the Social Capital electronic reserve through UN-L library)
Feb. 14: This event has been canceled. See you in March!
Mar. 14: Linda Price will present the material in this book chapter, and lead dialogue (If you have access to the UNL library through your browser, click the title for the *.pdf file):
Burt, R.S. and M. Knez. "Trust and Third-Party Gossip" Chapter 5,
Apr. 11: Gary Lynne will present a book review (Note we are meeting in a different room, in CBA 138). The book holds the potential to stir lively dialogue at this event! (click on the title for a PowerPoint overview of Part II, and major conclusions, in the book).
Sober, E. and D.S. Wilson. Unto Others: The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998 (third printing, 2000).
This book has gained a great deal of attention, in that it makes the clear case that standard monist theories currently dominating social science thinking may be severely flawed. Intriguingly, and perhaps the most important theme in the book, little scientific evidence (the book draws heavily on both experimental laboratory studies in social psychology and evolutionary biology research) supports either the egoistic-hedonistic (self-interest) or the empathetic-altruist (other-interest) conception of human nature. In fact, the favor put to the self-interest side reflects instead an "intellectual pecking order (S&W, p. 330)" in both biological and social science, instead of really being evidence based. The book takes an evolutionary look at human motivations (Wilson is an evolutionary biologist); it also draws on the psychological research and traces the philosophical thought on human nature (Sober is a philosopher). Building on these literatures, S&W point to the real possibility that it is, instead, the nature of human nature to be pluralist... both egoistic-hedonistic and empathetic-altruistic... and thus pursue both interests in complex and perhaps even joint (simultaneously) ways. They call for a greater research effort into formulating a new pluralist theory in the social sciences.
The discussion on April 11 will focus on Part II of the book, that on "Psychological Altruism." Part II builds on both the research in philosophy and in the social sciences (mainly the laboratory research is highlighted) on human nature.