1,720,992 research outputs found
Le Nuove forme di «vicinato intenzionale»: il cohousing in Italia e in Inghilterra
Full text linkThe thesis aims to offer a better understanding of the reasons why Cohousing communities arise, how they work, the internal composition, the architectural schemes, the relationships with the "outside". Cohousing may be defined as "intentional communities" that satisfy the need of friendly relationships among neighbours. We argue that the physical layout is not per se able to create the sense of community, other requirements are needed (e.g. intentionality, availability of time to build relationship, individual characteristics, formal activities, size of the group and the site, internal governance, social and cultural homogeneity, length of the residence etc.)Cohousing groups are usually open toward the "outside" making their facilities available to external individuals and organizing many "open activities". Hence, even if safety is not the primary goal of cohousers, it is still guaranteed by a "neighbourhood watch system". The risk that the Cohousing may become a self segregated community is more likely to be associated to the costs of access and the development scheme rather than to a shared ideology. In particular, the resident-led model is characterized by high costs of access because cohousers are responsible for each aspect. At the same time, partnership models may be more affordable, but residents may not have the same freedom. Finally, the market system that follows top-down logics can affect the sense of community because people do not know each other
Measuring Digital Capital: An empirical investigation
No full textThis article develops a Digital Capital Index by adopting the definition provided by
Ragnedda, who defines Digital Capital as the accumulation of digital competencies
and digital technologies, and the model for measuring it developed by Ragnedda and
Ruiu. It aims to develop a measure that can be replicated for comparison in different
contexts. This article contributes both theoretically and empirically to the literature by
(a) consolidating the concept of Digital Capital as a specific capital and (b) empirically
measuring it. A Digital Capital Index is developed through an exploratory factor
analysis (EFA) and validated with a representative sample survey of 868 UK citizens.
The validation procedure shows that the Digital Capital Index is associated with
socioeconomic and sociodemographic patterns, such as age, income, educational level
and place of residence, while it appears not to be related to gende
Developing adaptive responses to contextual changes for sustainable agricultural management: The role of social capital in the Arborea district (Sardinia, Italy)
Full text linkThis article investigates the role played by social capital (in terms of bonding, bridging and linking social capital) in developing adaptive responses to contextual changes (environmental, social and economic) at the local scale. Three questions guided the research: can social capital produce resilience and collective action? Could environmental barriers be turned into opportunities? Can social capital contribute to long-term adaptation to change? Results obtained from a qualitative research conducted in the Arborea district (Sardinia, Italy) show how collective actions to adapt to contextual changes are both results and generators of robust social capital. On the one hand, social capital contributes towards increasing resilience by generating collective responses to contextual changes without compromising the structural functions of the system; on the other hand, the lack of a clear regulatory framework for facilitating the development of local collective adaptive responses, depresses foresight strategies
The self-reinforcing effect of digital and social exclusion: the inequality loop
Full text linkSince an increasing number of daily activities are carried out online, an exclusion or limited access to the Internet prevent citizens from entering a world full of opportunities that cannot be accessed otherwise; in this sense, inclusion in the digital realm is strictly connected to social inclusion. Digital inclusion is not conceived as a mere dichotomy, access versus no access, but in terms of the degree to which e-inclusion improve wellbeing for individuals, community and society. Using a quantitative method based on a multivariate analysis, multiple correspondence analysis and cluster analysis, applied to a representative sample of UK citizens, this article sheds light onto the gradual process of digital inclusion, highlighting how social and digital inclusion are intertwined and how people who have one or more social or economic vulnerabilities are more likely to be in the group of those who are digitally excluded
Measuring Digital Capital in Italy
No full textThis paper aims to theoretically and empirically investigate the concept of digital capital in the Italian context. Digital capital can be conceived as independent individual capital whose lack within a population can be a cause of digital inequality. Our paper draws from recent works that have measured the Digital Capital as a combination of digital access and digital competences, and have tested this operational definition through an online survey on a UK sample. The results of such research proved the construct validity of the operational definition, thus showing that Digital Capital could be empirically measured. However, a measurement model needs to be tested and validated over time and in different socio-cultural contexts in order to be refined and strengthened, and eventually disseminated on a large scale. This is the reason why this paper will show the results of a funded research project (named DigCapItaly) carried out to test the validity of the Digital Capital measure in a different country, i.e. Italy. The data were collected with an online survey using a representative sample (by age, gender and geographical area) of individuals living in Italy aged 18 years or more.
The creation of a composite index to measure Digital Capital followed a two-stage Principal Component Analysis approach. First, the paper provides a methodological framework for facing challenges and pitfalls in operationalizing and assessing a complex concept in social research. Secondly, results show that Digital Capital operational definition works in Italy as well as in the UK, thus legitimizing its recognition as an independent capital
Exploring Digital-Environment Habitus in Italy—How Digital Practices Reflect Users’ Environmental Orientations?
No full textThis study employs the Bourdieusian concept of habitus to explore how users’ mental dispositions are associated with both their eco-conscious use of digital technologies and online behaviours. The digital-environmental habitus, reflecting such a combination of digital technology use and environmental attitudes, is explored through an online survey of 1188 participants. Factorial analyses are used to measure the environmental orientation of digital users, their digital expertise, and the digital-environmental habitus, encompassing both awareness and behavioural dimensions. We then use a path structural model to investigate the relationship among these constructs. The results indicate that pro-environmental dispositions are associated with digital pro-environmental awareness and behaviours. The existence of digital-specific environmental awareness also enhances pro-environmental digital behaviours, emphasising the importance of educating users about the environmental impact of digital tools. While digital expertise alone does not significantly predict digital-environmental awareness, it does moderate the digital-environmental habitus’s behavioural aspect, promoting behaviours mutually beneficial for users and the environment. Further research is needed to understand how benefit-oriented and eco-centric environmentalism manifests in the digital arena
Investigating how the interaction between individual and circumstantial determinants influence the emergence of digital poverty: a post-pandemic survey among families with children in England
Full text linkThis paper explores Digital Poverty (DP) in England by adopting the DP Alliance’s theoretical framework that includes both Individual Determinants (individual capability and motivation) and Circumstantial Determinants (conditions of action). Such a framework is interpreted as an expression of Strong Structuration Theory (SST), by situating the connection between social structure and human agency in an intertwined relationship. We focus on new potential vulnerabilities that are connected to DP in England by drawing on a survey conducted on a randomised stratified sample (n = 1988) of parents aged between 20–55 with children at school. Exploring parents’ experience in the COVID-19 era, we identified economic factors and having children with disabilities as important predictors connected to Digital Poverty. Additional socio-demographic traits (such as age and education), parental status, lifestyles and digital behaviours also play a role in predicting some of the determinants linked to Digital Poverty. This paper adds to SST by empirically exploring how individuals use the Internet according to their metabolised embodiment of external determinants
Measuring digital capital in Italy
Full text linkIntroduction: This paper aims to theoretically and empirically investigate the concept of digital capital in the Italian context. Digital Capital can be conceived as independent individual capital whose lack within a population can be a cause of digital inequality. Our paper draws from recent works that have measured the Digital Capital as a combination of digital access and digital competences, and have tested this operational definition through an online survey on a UK sample. The results of such research proved the construct validity of the operational definition, thus showing that Digital Capital could be empirically measured. However, a measurement model needs to be tested and validated over time and in different socio-cultural contexts in order to be refined and strengthened, and eventually disseminated on a large scale.
Method: This is the reason why this paper will show the results of a funded research project (named DigiCapItaly) carried out to test the validity of the Digital Capital measure in a different country, i.e., Italy. The data were collected with an online survey using a representative sample (by age, gender and geographical area) of individuals living in Italy aged 18 years or more. The creation of a composite index to measure Digital Capital followed a two-stage Principal Component Analysis approach.
Results: First, the paper provides a methodological framework for facing challenges and pitfalls in operationalizing and assessing a complex concept in social research. Secondly, results show that Digital Capital operational definition works in Italy as well as in the UK, thus legitimizing its recognition as an independent capital
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