1. |
- Barnes, Michele L., et al.
(author)
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'Bunkering down' : How one community is tightening social-ecological network structures in the face of global change
- 2022
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In: People and Nature. - : Wiley. - 2575-8314. ; 4:4, s. 1032-1048
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Complex networks of relationships among and between people and nature (social-ecological networks) play an important role in sustainability; yet, we have limited empirical understanding of their temporal dynamics.We empirically examine the evolution of a social-ecological network in a common-pool resource system faced with escalating social and environmental change over the past two decades.We first draw on quantitative and qualitative data collected between 2002 and 2018 in a Papua New Guinean reef fishing community to provide contextual evidence regarding the extent of social and environmental change being experienced. We then develop a temporal multilevel exponential random graph model using complete social-ecological network data, collected in 2016 and 2018, to test key hypotheses regarding how fishing households have adapted their social ties in this context of change given their relationships with reef resources (i.e. social-ecological ties). Specifically, we hypothesized that households will increasingly form tight-knit, bonding social and social-ecological network structures (H1 and H3, respectively) with similar others (H2), and that they will seek out resourceful actors with specialized knowledge that can promote learning and spur innovation (H4).Our results depict a community that is largely ‘bunkering down’ and looking inward in response to mounting risk to resource-dependent livelihoods and a breakdown in the collaborative processes that traditionally sustained them. Community members are increasingly choosing to interact with others more like themselves (H2), with friends of friends (H1), and with those connected to interdependent ecological resources (H3)—in other words, they are showing a strong, increasing preference for forming bonding social-ecological network structures and interacting with like-minded, similar others. We did not find strong support for H4.Bonding network structures may decrease the risk associated with unmonitored behaviour and help to build trust, thereby increasing the probability of sustaining cooperation over time. Yet, increasing homophily and bonding ties can stifle innovation, reducing the ability to adapt to changing conditions. It can also lead to clustering, creating fault lines in the network, which can negatively impact the community's ability to mobilize and agree on/enforce social norms, which are key for managing common resources.
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2. |
- Barnes, Michele L., et al.
(author)
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Social determinants of adaptive and transformative responses to climate change
- 2020
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In: Nature Climate Change. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-678X .- 1758-6798. ; 10:9, s. 823-828
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To cope effectively with the impacts of climate change, people will need to change existing practices or behaviours within existing social-ecological systems (adaptation) or enact more fundamental changes that can alter dominant social-ecological relationships and create new systems or futures (transformation). Here we use multilevel network modelling to examine how different domains of adaptive capacity-assets, flexibility, organization, learning, socio-cognitive constructs and agency-are related to adaptive and transformative actions. We find evidence consistent with an influence process in which aspects of social organization (exposure to others in social networks) encourage both adaptive and transformative actions among Papua New Guinean islanders experiencing climate change impacts. Adaptive and transformative actions are also related to social-ecological network structures between people and ecological resources that enable learning and the internalization of ecological feedbacks. Agency is also key, yet we show that while perceived power may encourage adaptations, it may discourage more transformative actions. Multilevel network modelling shows that social network exposure promotes both adaptive and transformative responses to climate change among Papua New Guinean islanders. Different social-ecological network structures are associated with adaptation versus transformation.
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3. |
- Bodin, Örjan, et al.
(author)
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Choose your collaborators wisely : Addressing interdependent tasks through collaboration in responding to wildfire disasters
- 2022
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In: PAR. Public Administration Review. - : Wiley. - 0033-3352 .- 1540-6210. ; 82:6, s. 1154-1167
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Responding to disastrous wildfires traversing geographical scales requires multi-actor collaboration to address a series of interdependent operational tasks. While this type of distributed collective action problem is salient across governance contexts, less is known about if and how collaboration helps individual actors effectively address their tasks. Applying a novel network-centric method to wildfire responder networks in Canada and Sweden, this study shows that when actors working on the same tasks collaborate, and/or when one actor addresses two interdependent tasks, effectiveness increases. The number of collaborative ties an actor has with others does not enhance effectiveness. Furthermore, when the chain of command is unclear, and/or when actors lack recent disaster management experience and/or pre-existing collaborative relationships, effectiveness only increases if multiple actors collaborate over multiple interdependent tasks. The results have implications for disaster response agencies, and they provide valuable insights for collaborative responses to significant societal and environmental challenges.
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4. |
- Diani, Mario, et al.
(author)
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‘‘Right to the City’’ and the Structure of Civic Organizational Fields : Evidence from Cape Town
- 2018
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In: VOLUNTAS - International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. - : Springer. - 0957-8765 .- 1573-7888.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Abstract This article proposes a network analytic approach to the role of frames in shaping the structure of civic organizational fields. Adopting a perspective from the global South, it looks at the impact of the expression ‘‘Right to the city’’ (RTC) over alliance building among civil society actors, exploring patterns of collaborative ties among 129 civil society organizations active in Cape Town from 2012 to 2014. The article addresses two broad ques- tions: What is the relation between RTC and other frames that are also frequently invoked to describe urban struggles and issues? Does the RTC frame affect the structure of urban civic organizational fields in significant ways? Data suggest that while RTC plays a significant role in local civil society, it is neither the only interpretative frame that Capetonian civic organizations draw upon to characterize their activity, nor the more salient. ‘‘Urban conservation,’’ especially tied to nature conservation and environmental issues, actually shapes the structure of local organizational fields in a sharper manner. This is, however, a potentially more divisive frame, rooted as it is in the apartheid legacy that still shapes urban dynamics in the city.
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5. |
- Mario, Diani, et al.
(author)
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Civil Society as Networks of Issues and Associations : The Case of Food
- 2022
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In: Knowledge and Civil Society. - Cham : Springer.
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Scholars usually conceptualize civil society as both a discursive and an associational space. In the former, focus is on communicative practices; in the latter, attention shifts to the actors that cooperate or clash about the identification and production of collective goods. In this chapter, we sketch the contours of an approach to civil society that treats both dimensions in an integrated way. Looking at the role of food issues in urban settings as diverse as Cape Town, Bristol, and Glasgow, we borrow from social network analysis to explore first, how civic organizations combine an interest in food-related issues with attention to other themes, thus defining different, specific agendas; next, we ask if and how interest in food identifies specific clusters of cooperation within broader civil society networks.
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