Cycling and recycling: The effects of group context and member involvement on social capital

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorAlford, John R.en_US
dc.creatorOwnby, Allison Rindenen_US
dc.date.accessioned2009-06-04T08:13:13Zen_US
dc.date.available2009-06-04T08:13:13Zen_US
dc.date.issued2001en_US
dc.description.abstractSocial capital---what it is, how it is generated, and what it may or may not do for the larger political system---is the subject of a large and ongoing debate within political science. This dissertation seeks to answer the question: "What is it about group membership that may or may not produce social capital?" Much of the social capital literature alludes to a relationship between group membership and social capital, yet findings are often mixed on the importance of group membership for the production of social capital. Before the relationship between group membership and social capital can be discounted, it is critical to examine whether or not the organizational structure of a group has an impact on social capital. A theory of organizational structure and member involvement on the production of social capital is introduced and suggests that appropriately structured groups provide a context in which social capital can be produced. Appropriately structured groups are groups that promote face-to-face interaction between members and leaders, avenues for member participation in decision-making and the setting of group goals, communication between members and leaders, and member participation in strategies to achieve group goals. It is expected that the level of member participation within the group will mediate the influence of the group organizational structure. Data used to examine the influence of member involvement and general group structure on the production of social capital are from the American National Election Study, 1996 and the American Citizen Participation Study, 1990. Original data collected from a random sample of members of the Texas Bicycle Coalition and the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club are used to examine more closely the impact of group structure and member involvement on social capital. Overall, the findings indicate that group structure affects the production of social capital and suggest that future research should focus on examining the organizational structure of a larger number of groups.en_US
dc.format.extent255 p.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.callnoTHESIS POL.SCI. 2001 OWNBYen_US
dc.identifier.citationOwnby, Allison Rinden. "Cycling and recycling: The effects of group context and member involvement on social capital." (2001) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/18008">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/18008</a>.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/18008en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.subjectPolitical scienceen_US
dc.titleCycling and recycling: The effects of group context and member involvement on social capitalen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentPolitical Scienceen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineSocial Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen_US
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
3021167.PDF
Size:
9.32 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
Collections
Rice University Theses and Dissertations