Judith Möllers, Theresa Bäuml and Thomas Dufhues
Ethical consumption is on the rise amidst concerns about the environmental and health impacts of industrial agriculture. In light of increasingly complex food choices, alternative…
Abstract
Purpose
Ethical consumption is on the rise amidst concerns about the environmental and health impacts of industrial agriculture. In light of increasingly complex food choices, alternative food networks have emerged. However, their success depends on a deeper understanding of the product attributes that guide (ethical) consumer decisions. This study focuses on the preferences of consumers when choosing and buying fresh vegetables in Romania.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs a discrete choice experiment to determine how consumers make trade-offs across a set of product attributes, such as local origin and production method.
Findings
The study analysis sheds light on the importance of food attributes relevant to ethical consumers. The main barrier to making an ethically driven choice is convenience. While local production remains of lower importance than the production method, the authors show that the Romanian consumers surveyed strongly prefer non-certified “traditional” vegetables over certified organic products.
Originality/value
This study is pioneering with a state-of-the-art discrete choice setting looking at a set of product attributes that reflect the demand of ethical consumers in an understudied transitional context. The authors go beyond the current debate on the trade-off between organic vs local food labels by introducing traditional small-scale production as a separate attribute level. The food attribute preferences of different consumer segments and a market simulation offer relevant insights how to market fresh vegetables to health- and environmentally-conscious urban people.
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Quoc Dinh Hoang, Thomas Bernhard Dufhues and Gertrud Buchenrieder
– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of network-based individual social capital on the access of rural households to services.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of network-based individual social capital on the access of rural households to services.
Design/methodology/approach
In the context of development economics, an innovative data collection approach is used to determine network-based social capital. The approach originates from the field of sociology and entails a personal network survey. The authors define four social capital variables according to tie strength and social distance between the respondent and his/her network member.
Findings
Social network ties are not homogeneous. The econometric results suggest that social capital with weaker ties in combination with socially distant ties can potentially improve households’ access to rural services.
Research limitations/implications
The empirical survey focusses on a single province in Northern Vietnam. Thus, the main limitation of the micro-study is its regional focus. A more representative sample of the whole country would be desirable to backup the policy recommendation.
Originality/value
The results indicate that access to services in rural Vietnam it still too personalized and subjective. Thus, a thorough review of the access procedures and making them more objective would be better choice. This would also root out a potential alley for corruption and nepotism.
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Luminita Postelnicu and Niels Hermes
Empirical studies on the importance of social capital for poor households show divergent outcomes. This divergence may stem from the lack of a conceptual framework for capturing…
Abstract
Purpose
Empirical studies on the importance of social capital for poor households show divergent outcomes. This divergence may stem from the lack of a conceptual framework for capturing the social capital dimensions that deliver economic value to individuals. The purpose of this paper is to define individual social capital from an economic perspective and propose a measurement based on two dimensions of individual social capital that bring economic value to individuals, i.e. informal risk insurance arrangements and information advantages arising from personal social networks.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors first provide a concrete definition of individual social capital and identifying social capital dimensions that are important from an economic perspective (i.e. dimensions that bring economic value to the individual). Next, the authors develop a new conceptual framework around this definition and propose a social capital measurement. Finally, the authors apply this measurement numerically to demonstrate that differences in the network configurations between individuals lead to asymmetry of social interactions between these individuals.
Findings
The authors show that the exchange of resources between two individuals is affected by their individual network configurations. In particular, the authors show that differing network configurations drive asymmetrical social interaction between individuals.
Originality/value
The approach may be especially relevant for understanding of the persistence of poverty and inequality in developing economies. These economies are characterized by environments in which imperfect information, underdeveloped or non-existent formal institutions and limited contract enforcement abound and where social capital may therefore be important to facilitate economic transactions. In particular, the authors see clear applications of the approach in better understanding and improving the use of microfinance programs.
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Jogeswar Mahato and Manish Kumar Jha
The present study examines the relational, structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital developed within members of self-help groups (SHGs) in India.
Abstract
Purpose
The present study examines the relational, structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital developed within members of self-help groups (SHGs) in India.
Design/methodology/approach
The study has used multistage random sampling to collect 1,285 samples covering 4 districts such as Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj, Koraput and Rayagada in Odisha. Structure equation modeling (SEM) is used in hypothesis formulation and data analysis.
Findings
The result highlighted that relational, structural and cognitive social capital are significant to social capital formation among the participants of SHGs. However, structural social capital has the highest impact compared with others in building social capital.
Practical implications
Policy professionals, development agencies and government departments must use social capital as a catalyzing agent for the successful implementation of welfare schemes in rural areas.
Originality/value
The paper adds valuable contributions in advancing the theory of social capital. Additionally, marginalized households fail to uplift their socioeconomic conditions in developing nations due to a lack of social capital; hence, its measurement is critical.
Peer review
The peer-review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-10-2023-0804.
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Emmanuel Kanchebe Derbile and Raymond Abudu Kasei
The purpose of this paper is to analyze vulnerability of food crop production to heavy precipitation in north-eastern Ghana, specifically, the upper east region (UER) and the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze vulnerability of food crop production to heavy precipitation in north-eastern Ghana, specifically, the upper east region (UER) and the policy implications for adaptation. Heavy precipitation events are a common part of climatic variability; but little attention is given to its impact on livelihoods as compared to droughts in research and policy domains.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on both quantitative and qualitative research methods and data. Rainfall data are analyzed using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). This is compared with quantitative analysis of crop yields and complemented by narratives of farmers from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions.
Findings
The results show that heavy precipitation events often lead to low food crop productivity and this suggests that the latter is vulnerable to the former.
Originality/value
Although some adaptation is occurring through a wide range of local measures, these are inadequate for eliminating vulnerability. Thus, additional policy measures are recommended for enhancing farmer adaptation, including: incorporating climate change adaptation policies, including adaptation to heavy precipitation into District Development Planning; building human resource capacity for effective implementation of climate change adaptation policies at district levels; improving market access to seed through improved market infrastructure and rural transportation; establishing Community Seed Banks (CSBs) as back up sources of seed; promoting “nursing and transplant” as an alternative planting method for millet and guinea corn; promoting low costs solar drying technologies for drying food crops; and supporting livelihood diversification through credit and business development services.