Social Capital
2 articles filed under this keyword.
The Role of Social Capital in Empowering Individuals for Social Development
Lana Kawa Taib, Aram Ibrahim Hussein
The aim of the current study is to understand the role of social capital in empowering individuals for social development. In this study, the descriptive method was employed. Erbil city is a research community and stratified random sampling was used to collect a sample of 384 individuals. A questionnaire consisting of three main sections was used to gather data from the study sample: 1) general information (gender, age, and economic status), 2) a social capital measure consisting of three dimensions (structural, communication, and cognitive), and 3) a measure of individual empowerment for social development, which consists of four dimensions (self-efficacy, social participation, internalization of values, and institutionalization). The most important results of the study were: Social capital was high in the structural and communication dimensions, but the cognitive dimension was low, indicating lack of social homogeneity. Individual empowerment is high across all four dimensions (self-efficacy, participation, internalization of social development values, and institutionalization). Regarding demographic variables, economic status had a prominent impact, in a way individuals with good economic standing exhibiting the highest levels of social capital and empowerment. Furthermore, regarding the effect of the variables on each other, social capital had a positive and strong impact on individual empowerment. Based on the results of the study, it is suggested that governments and organizations should plan to strengthen social capital, particularly in the cognitive dimension, which is carried out through activities such as festivals and conferences. Supporting low-income people via financial assistance and job opportunities. Also, developing integrated programs for all dimensions of social capital (structural, communication, and cognitive).
Volume 12 · Issue 3 · June 2025The Education System of the Kurdistan Region and Social Justice
Hiba Sabri Hasan, Eyyub Kerimi
The citizens' perception of social justice directly affects the consent and survival of a sociopolitical system. This article focuses on the education system in the Kurdistan Region and its relationship with social justice. Education systems in underdeveloped countries have played varying roles in the process of modernization. Some have successfully reduced social inequality, particularly in terms of class and gender, while others have reproduced it. This research aims to determine whether the education system in the Kurdistan Region has reduced or reproduced social inequality. We gathered the perspectives of Kurdistan universities graduates on social justice and the impact of the academic system on inequality. Overall, the findings suggest that, according to the interviewees, the education system in the Kurdistan Region, specifically the academic system, has not effectively reduced economic inequality. However, it has positively influenced graduates in terms of social and cultural capital. The reasons behind this perspective on social inequality include the income disparity between the public and private sectors, the reproduction of discrimination within the education system based on social backgrounds, and the perception of social justice as social equality influenced by Kurdistan's egalitarian and political culture.