Documenting the development of social capital in a community safety promotion network: it's not what you know but who you know

Hanson, Dale, Hanson, Jan, Vardon, Paul, McFarlane, Kathryn, Speare, Rick, and Durrheim, David (2008) Documenting the development of social capital in a community safety promotion network: it's not what you know but who you know. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 19 (2). pp. 144-151.

[img] PDF (Published Version) - Published Version
Restricted to Repository staff only

 
17
4


Abstract

Issue addressed: The Mackay Whitsunday Safe Communities (MWSC) was established in February 2000 in response to high rates of injury observed in the region. A key objective was to consolidate and better coordinate a network of community groups already working in community safely promotion.

Methods: This study used Social Network Analysis (SNA) to document and analyse the social resources, or social capital, mobilised by the network. Using a snowballing methodology, the chain of relationships that constitute MWSC and its Support Network (SN) was elucidated and quantified.

Results: Since it was launched in February 2000, MWSC and its SN almost doubled its bonding social capital, while bridging social capital increased 160% and linking social capital increased 280%. Relationships were not evenly distributed. Fourty-four per cent of relationships were maintained by six actors who also maintained 60% of the network's brokerage potential.

Conclusion: SNA proved a powerful tool for describing and analysing relationships within the MWSC and its SN. It provided diagrammatic representation of the social structure and quantified important aspects of its structure and function. It highlighted the asymmetric distribution of relationships, resources and power that had a profound impact on how the network functioned.

Item ID: 6370
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1036-1073
Keywords: safety; injury prevention; health promotion; networks; social capital; social network analysis; safe communities; safety promotion
Related URLs:
Date Deposited: 18 Mar 2010 02:08
FoR Codes: 11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1117 Public Health and Health Services > 111799 Public Health and Health Services not elsewhere classified @ 80%
11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1117 Public Health and Health Services > 111705 Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety @ 20%
SEO Codes: 92 HEALTH > 9204 Public Health (excl. Specific Population Health) > 920409 Injury Control @ 80%
92 HEALTH > 9204 Public Health (excl. Specific Population Health) > 920499 Public Health (excl. Specific Population Health) not elsewhere classified @ 20%
Downloads: Total: 4
More Statistics

Actions (Repository Staff Only)

Item Control Page Item Control Page