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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

The musicality of literary text can be analyzed in many aspects and using various methodologies, the main ones being hermeneutical and semiotic; but other methods are useful as well (the method of functional analysis, various conceptions of forms of classical and modern music, etc.). The aim of this paper is to discuss some terms of generative semiotics, which can be applied for the analysis of musicality in a literary text (e.g., passion concept, etc.), and also to specify several applied concepts of music semiotics. In this way, the possibilities of the analysis of literary text musicality will be enriched and the terminology will be specified. In this work, the research will be limited to several aspects of textual musicality, which can be applied in these levels of texts: the so-called word music (phonics, syntax, metrics, etc.) and music forms and technique analogues in literature. The works of Eero Tarasti, Algirdas Julius Greimas, Werner Wolf, Mikhail Bakhtin, Viktor Bobrovsky, Inga Jasinskaitė-Jankauskienė, Kęstutis Nastopka, etc., will be used.

In order to understand how changing trends of individualization and pluralization have been affecting personal networks in the three countries, this chapter provides an overview of the core characteristics of personal networks in Portugal, Switzerland, and Lithuania. First, we compare the size and composition of personal networks across the three countries, by highlighting the commonalities and differences. Secondly, we examine how the characteristics of personal networks are shaped by individuals’ birth-cohort, structural conditions, and normative contexts. Findings show that the underlying mechanisms of proximity linked to kinship, friendship, co-residency, long-lasting acquaintanceship, and gender homophily are differently valued in the three countries. These differences are discussed in the light of individuals’ social context, but also according to national historical pathways, welfare regimes, and social-economic conditions.

This chapter sets the scene for this book’s contribution to the study of families, personal networks, and life course in the early twenty-first century, by focusing on three European countries: Portugal, Lithuania, and Switzerland. The underlying argument of the book is that personal ties, at first sight private and explained by lifestyle preferences, depend on a series of social conditions which shape them beyond individuals’ volition. Personal networks go hand in hand with individual trajectories within a system constrained by the opportunity structures and normative orientations of each society. Such structures and orientations are the product of national histories, as well as classical stratification principles such as those associated with gender and social class, but also with the life cycle and generations.

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.