ARC Research Network in Spatially Integrated Social Sciences members, click here to download a registration form (PDF)

All other registrees, click here to download a registration form (PDF)

Introduction

There is a growing policy focus on community strengthening, which demands greater understandings of the significance of social connectedness, and political capacity for coordinated action. In this context, the importance of understanding what is often referred to as 'social capital' has become starkly apparent. Social capital represents the benefits of informal sociability, cohesiveness and connection to community and social institutions. As a concept, social capital has now been taken up at many levels, and governments are searching for new ways of facilitating local self-reliance and re-forging effective connections with a diverse citizenry. However, better tools for theorising and measuring 'social capital' are required.

While social capital clearly relates to the capital generated through relationships with others, much of the research on this topic uses individual level, rather than network-based approaches. Network ties provide crucial links between actors as well as to groups, cultural resources, neighbourhoods, and communities, playing an important role in structuring opportunities and constraints. The term social connectedness is used to indicate that the approach of central interest here is social capital using network-based approaches. The symposium will focus on theoretical issues and methodological approaches to collecting, analysing and modelling social and political connectedness, using network-based approaches.

The symposium features Ralph Matthews, Professor of Sociology, The University of British Columbia who is currently engaged in number of projects that address these issues. A number of people based at the University of Melbourne involved in current and planned projects on innovation inside government at the municipal level, social and political connectedness in communities, impoverished neighbourhoods, and theories and methods for measuring social capital, will also discuss their research.

The symposium will be held at the Rydges Carlton on Swanston Street.

In order to keep the symposium interactive, we are strictly limiting the numbers to 40 people, so please register early to secure your place.

ARC Research Network in Spatially Integrated Social Sciences members, click here to download a registration form (PDF)

All other registrees, click here to download a registration form (PDF)

For further information about the program, please contact Dr Jenny Lewis, University of Melbourne.

Draft Program

9:30 - 10:00am

Morning coffee and informal welcome (Jenny Lewis)

Symposium Chairperson: Yoshi Kashima, School of Behavioural Science, University of Melbourne

10:00 - 11:00am

Ralph Matthews, Ph.D, Professor of Sociology, The University of British Columbia, and The Sir Allan Sewell Visiting Fellow, Griffith University, Queensland

Social Capital, Trust, Resilience and Engagement: Collaborative Research Activity with Civic and Aboriginal Communities in Coastal British Columbia, Canada

This presentation will introduce two major research and collaborative initiatives under way in coastal British Columbia, Canada.

The Resilient Communities Project (www.resilientcommunities.ca) is a six year research program that is examining the relationship between social capital and economic development.  It takes as its starting point, the assumption that economic relations are embedded in social contexts, and is focusing particularly on the roles of social capital and trust in the resilience of communities.  The Coastal Communities Project (www.coastalcommunitiesproject.ca ) is a five year collaborative program in which a team of faculty and graduate students from the University of British Columbia are working with six civic coastal communities and their nearby aboriginal communities to develop together research activities designed to stimulate knowledge development, knowledge exchange, and knowledge mobilization around issues of: community governance; education; social and economic development; environmental sustainability; and, health, healing and wellness.  Professor Matthews is the Principal Investigator and Team Leader of both projects.

Besides describing the projects themselves, the presentation will examine findings from a mailed survey sent to over 4300 households (60 percent completion rate). In particular, it will examine how concepts of social capital, trust and reliance have been operationalized, and will examine some of the statistical findings from this phase of the project.  In addition, the presentation will discuss the process of commitment and trust formation that is the prerequisite to developing joint collaborative knowledge mobilization activities in both civic and aboriginal communities, and will describe some of these projects.

11:00 - 11:30am Morning tea

11.30am - 1.00pm

Mark Considine, Jenny Lewis and Damon Alexander, Department of Political Science, University of Melbourne

Who matters and what counts? Connections and innovation

Pip Pattison, School of Behavioural Science, University of Melbourne

Can social capital be counted?

1:00 - 1:30pm Lunch

1:30 - 3:00pm

Jenny Lewis and Jo Barraket, Department of Political Science, University of Melbourne

Place and other space: conceptual and methodological approaches to 'community'

Deb Warr, Centre for Health and Society, University of Melbourne

Social connection and disconnection in impoverished neighbourhoods

3:00 - 3:30pm Afternoon tea

3:30 - 4:15pm

Yuval Kalish and Garry Robins, School of Behavioural Science, University of Melbourne

Bridging in social networks: who are the people in structural holes and why are they there?

4:15 - 5:00pm

Open discussion of other current and planned research projects of interest from attendees

This session is to share information about projects on social capital, social connectedness, and community, going on throughout the ARCRNSISS and beyond. If you are working on some research of interest, please come prepared to give a very brief overview (5 mins maximum).

6:00pm Onwards Cocktails and dinner at the Rydges Carlton