Book Citation Index - Social Sciences & Humanities (Web of Science)

The aim of this monograph is to examine the impact of a new set of uncertainties on the socio-economic situation of people and societies and to provide research-based innovative approaches and methods for building socio-economic resilience in order to reduce vulnerability and promote the resilience of people and societies to shocks. To achieve its objective, the monograph aims to reduce human and societal vulnerability and build resilience in the face of uncertainty and shocks. The authors of this monograph propose a new approach to address the problem of vulnerability not by focusing on traditional social policies but by strengthening the resilience of social groups in the face of uncertainty and shocks, by developing a strong person who (1) pursues goals, who is responsible for his or her life and actively participates in shaping it; (2) can respond and adapt to stressful situations; and (3) uses the experience and resilience gained for further human development and flourishing. The proposed understanding of resilience is a relatively innovative approach to dealing with human and societal vulnerability. This book is helpful for many researchers and academics dealing with related fields, policymakers on all levels, as well as practitioners and entrepreneurs. A large scientific and academic community is involved in studies of society’s resilience to various shocks, and they might be interested in new and important topics related to their work and addressed in this book.

The purpose of the edited collection “Families in Economically Hard Times: Experiences and Coping Strategies in Europe” is to provide readers with novel and unique sociological knowledge on European families’ experiences and behavioural strategies decade after economic crisis at the beginning of 21st century. Particular importance of the topic conditioned by new reality in which last economic crisis went. It much diverged from previous, new phenomena emerge, and already known coping strategies not necessary work. Prominent scholars from Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Spain, and Switzerland, and the United Kingdom joined efforts and, based on their latest researches, seek to answer the questions: how challenges emerged during recent economically hard times influenced way of life of European families? Which known and unusual behaviour strategies are specific to families of various structures in solving vital issues caused by the latest economic crises? Novel empirical findings, holistic approach towards explored experiences and strategies, as well, international dimension constitute the main benefits of the book. Hardships, functional solidarity, and issues of vital human needs, including practices of co-residence, sharing of money, food acquisition explored in the main nine chapters. Some investigations conducted at national level, whereas other – at international level. Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, as well, international comparative dimension applied.

Since the middle of the 20th century, some of the family’s functions were taken by welfare state. As a consequence, individuals became socially and economically independent from the family and community more than never before. At the same time, the family institution changed drastically – became more open for new ways of living and daily life arrangements, family model became pluralistic and dynamic. In some cases, friends and others from beyond the nuclear and extended family replace family members and their roles, including friendship, love, care and support. Nevertheless, researches reveal, in the periods of crises, as older, as young generations preferences give to the family. And then families meet challenges once changed families not always are able to satisfy vital needs of its members. On the other hand, those who live in the traditional nuclear or extended family, also, meet some challenges because of various factors, e.g. unemployment, burden or dependents, and etc. Considering said above, the questions emerge: how families cope with challenges and hardships in the periods of economic crisis? What strategies do they apply? In order to extend knowledge on purposive experiences and behaviour strategies, prominent scholars from Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Spain, and Switzerland, and the United Kingdom joined efforts and created a manuscript based on their latest researches. The latter focus towards hardships, functional solidarity, and issues of vital human needs, including practices of co-residence, sharing of money, food acquisition. Some investigations conducted at national level, whereas other – at international level. Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, as well, international comparative perspective used. Such multidimensional approach enable to identify both universal and unique experiences and behaviour strategies, and to ensure reliable results contributing to better understanding of the phenomena. To conclude, recession and austerity have made the lives of the families harder and more complex. Though, intergenerational relationships, personal networks, collaborative consumption, strategies applied on issues of co-residence, sharing of money, and food acquisition ensure the material provision for the family and its separate members during economically hard times.

Co-creation can be defined as the involvement of citizens in the initiation and/or the design process of public services in order to (co)create beneficial outcomes and value for society. Mediated public open spaces are ideal environments for co-creation to emerge due to the involvement of the community and ICT in the knowledge creation. The aims of the research presented in the chapter are two-fold: to conduct a mapping activity in order to collect the insights on civic technologies promoting the creation of open public spaces through the use of ICT and to define the critical dimensions in designing cocreative ecosystems. The mapping strategy was conducted by evaluating the civic technologies in Lithuania and Bulgaria. The insights from the empirical exercise allow to draw managerial and organizational recommendations for strengthening the collective efforts of citizens, IT developers, public and governmental institutions in creating open, inclusive and reflective open public spaces.

This chapter guides the reader to an understanding of social responsibility in educational settings, namely on school/university social responsibility (USR). The phenomenon of social responsibility in these settings is nuanced when encountering stakeholders, either external or internal. This chapter conceptualizes school/USR and describes related stakeholders and their management strategies. In addition to this, the chapter discusses eight transition lines of stakeholders developed on the expectations of stakeholders, the degree and the format of engagement and impacts on society and institutions: pupil–student; teachers-academics; parents; alumni; future employers; business sector; funding providers; and society at large. It concludes that a managerial pattern while implementing social responsibility by involving stakeholders differs by educational setting. This is to say that school social responsibility is rather carried out through process, whereas USR concerns both process and outputs. This distinction results in introducing the definition of school/USR as a commitment toward performance based on ethical and other conventional principles that are respectively substantiated in the mission, values and related activities in the interplay with all possible stakeholders in order to create social value foremost.

The book “Families and Personal Networks. An International Comparative Perspective” critically assesses the main features of the modernization of the family life and personal relationships by examining and comparing three European countries with different social and political pathways – Portugal, Switzerland, and Lithuania. Drawing on national surveys on family trajectories and social networks, the research process was conducted in close collaboration between the three teams between 2010 and 2013. The chapters highlight personal and family relationships through the lens of network and life course perspectives as well as gender and generational perspectives. Due to the innovative comparative findings on families and personal networks and the diverse methodologies used (i.e. optimal matching, cluster analysis, subjective perspectives on the life course, network analysis), the book will be of interest to scholars wishing to understand the impact of late modernity on changing patterns of family and personal relationships as well as those interested in combining a variety of methodologies to analyse families, personal networks and the life course. Readership will also include policy makers, social workers, family organizations and students.

The main aim of this chapter is to compare the social capital structures produced by personal networks in Portugal, Switzerland, and Lithuania. On the one hand, we hypothesise that the type of social capital is primarily associated with the composition of personal configurations. On the other hand, we also expect that social capital structures are shaped by the constraints and opportunities associated with different welfare regimes, social policies, and level of social development in each country. Findings show that both Portuguese and Lithuanian networks are characterised by a bonding type of social capital, although in Portugal the interdependencies rely on the exchange of emotional support, whereas in Lithuania the interdependencies stem from face-to-face interactions. Switzerland, in contrast, is characterised by a bridging type of social capital.

This book seeks to understand the impact of late modernity on the changing patterns of personal and family relationships and to explain them in the context of broader societal effects and national histories. Findings confirm that, far from the vision of individualized free choice and kinship decline, individuals’ choices in their personal and family networks are shaped by biographical and social constraints. The book draws out the influence of major mechanisms and shaping factors of relational proximity, such as past co-residence, life trajectories, or individuals’ positioning in social structure, and provides some innovative conclusions with regard to the impact of national context. Comparison across Switzerland, Portugal, and Lithuania illuminates how different historical and social pathways affect the complex reconfiguration of the shape of personal networks.

Family relationships in late modernity are considered to be embedded in wider processes of closeness and commitment, which go beyond blood and alliance principles. The aim of this chapter is to identify who is perceived as family in personal relationships and to examine the overlap between personal configurations and family networks. Despite some blurring of ties, findings show that there continue to be fairly clear boundaries between kin and non-kin ties in the predominant meanings of family. The salience of close kin ties emerges in all three countries, as well as the focus on long-lasting friendship; but there are country-specific aspects with regard to the categories and number of ties imbued with family meaning, the degree of overlap, and the types of family network.

The aim of this chapter is to map the variety of personal configurations by focusing on personal ties regarded as important. The configurational perspective emphasizes the inclusion of different kinds of close ties that go beyond kin, co-residence, and genealogical proximity in personal relationships. In order to identify the diversity of arrangements, we present a typology of personal configurations and compare their importance across three different countries, controlling for individuals’ position in social and family structures. Results show that while the family of procreation and parents are important overall, there are different patterns of sociability across countries: more inclusive of extended kin in Portugal, more inclusive of non-kin (friends) in Switzerland, and more focused on the nuclear family in Lithuania.