Description
TitleThe social ties that bind
Date Created2012
Other Date2012-05 (degree)
Extentxvi, 332 p. : ill.
DescriptionThe dissertation study, The Social Ties that Bind: How Filipino-American Communities Leverage Social Capital for Democratic Purpose draws upon literature in the field of social capital to explore how Filipino communities build social, economic, and political gains for their communities. Communities that possess a high level of social capital not only enable their members “to act collectively for achieving diverse common goals” (Krishna, 2002, p. 9) but it also leads to stronger bonds of trust that further democratization and counteracts notions that would support a nondemocratic establishment (Paxton, 2002). The following research questions frame the dissertation: (1) What unique characteristics are evident in social capital development?; (2) How does social capital transition from mere interactions between members to actions that will benefit the community as a whole?; and (3) Which factors of social capital development might be useful in conducting similar studies in other immigrant or ethnic communities as well as in other aspects of American society? For this study, social capital is defined as “resources embedded in a social structure that are accessed and/or mobilized in purposive actions” (Lin, 2001a, p. 12; Lin, 2001b, p. 29; Lin, Fu, and Hsung, 2001, p. 58). By studying the Filipino-American communities in Tallahassee, FL, Jacksonville, FL, and Orlando, FL, a mixed methodology that included case study research, survey research, and in-depth, openended interviews was employed. Then the frequency distribution of the survey data, the correlations from the Mokken Scaling Procedure, the results of the OLS regression and the outcomes of the case study and interviews were analyzed. Through a mixture of social ties, norms, and trust, it was found that Filipino- Americans use a combination of expressive and instrumental actions to access and mobilize social capital resources for democratic purpose. But the degrees of expressive and instrumental actions utilized to achieve democratic goals result from the levels of social capital present in each community. The aim of this research is to help public administrators understand the needs of citizens, how citizens take part in developing an environment conducive to democratic participation, and how to improve democratic processes to further civic engagement.
NotePh.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
NoteIncludes vita
Noteby Portia Mauricio Diñoso
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
Languageeng
CollectionGraduate School - Newark Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.