Search Results (486)

The study examines economic and non-economic endeavors to explore the association between family involvement and financial decisions within family firms. The non-economic factors of a family drive the need to analyze the impact of socioemotional factors on the financial policies of the family firms. The study explores the impact of family ownership, family management, and family control drawn from agency theory and socioemotional wealth perspectives on the financial decisions of family firms. Our findings in support of the socioemotional wealth perspective show a positive relationship between family ownership and debt financing with a desire to finance growth and avoid control dilution, with an increase in the level of debt. However, the involvement of family members in management and the top management team leads to an adverse relationship between family ownership and debt level, exhibiting the risk-averse behavior of a firm, which drives firms to reduce debt levels. Overall, our findings suggest that the perceptions of the socioemotional wealth theoretical paradigm are important in determining capital structure decisions in family enterprises. The results are resilient to potential endogeneity and heterogeneity difficulties, which may assist scholars and practitioners in assessing capital structure decisions in emerging economies. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and intensified structural tensions surrounding work−life balance, precarity, and gender inequalities in academia. This paper examines the spatial, temporal, and emotional disruptions experienced by early-career and precarious researchers in Italy during the first national lockdown (March–April 2020) and their engagement in remote academic work. Adopting an exploratory and qualitative approach, the study draws on ten narrative video interviews and thirty participant-generated images to investigate how structural dimensions—such as gender, class, caregiving responsibilities, and the organizational culture of the neoliberal university—shaped these lived experiences. The findings highlight the implosion of boundaries between paid work, care, family life, and personal space and how this disarticulation exacerbated existing inequalities, particularly for women and caregivers. By interpreting both visual and narrative data through a sociological lens on gender, work, and organizations, the paper contributes to current debates on the transformation of academic labor and the reshaping of temporal work regimes through the everyday use of digital technologies in contemporary neoliberal capitalism. It challenges the individualization of discourses on productivity and flexibility and calls for gender-sensitive, structurally informed policies that support equitable and sustainable transitions in work and family life, in line with European policy frameworks. Full article

Since the end of the Civil War, Cambodia has pursued economic development to enhance livelihoods, particularly in rural areas, where land is a critical resource. Previous studies have indicated that the country has changed land use and land cover. However, they have not explained how these changes can improve the livelihoods of local communities, thereby mitigating their negative impacts through an asset-based approach. Battambang Province, in the northwestern region, was the battleground until political integration in 1996. Since then, the province has been home to immigrants exploring the lands for livelihood. Thus, this study aims to examine agricultural livelihoods in the villages of Dei Kraham and Ou Toek Thla, located west of Battambang Town. These were selected because of their common characteristics. Adopting a quantitative approach and a sustainable livelihood framework, this study employed stratified random sampling to select 123 families for interviews across three population subgroups: old settlers, new settlers, and young settlers. In situ information was collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using Kruskal–Wallis tests to assess the livelihood assets underlying the physical, natural, human, financial, and social capital. The statistical analysis results reveal no significant differences (p-value = 0.079) in livelihood assets between the strata at the village level. Meanwhile, significant differences were observed in physical, human, and financial capital between old and young settlers when examining the subgroups (p-value 0.000). The extent of the land resources held by old settlers was associated with household income and livelihoods related to agriculture. Based on livelihood asset scores, nearly half of the new settlers (0.49–0.5) and a quarter of the young settlers (0.47) are vulnerable groups requiring support. The youth will soon face an uncertain future if they do not prioritize education. Full article

This paper introduces the concept of degenerative affordances to explain how social media can unintentionally destabilise family-run influencer businesses. While affordance theory typically highlights the enabling features of technology, the researchers shift the focus to its unintended, risk-laden consequences, particularly within family enterprises where professional and personal identities are deeply entangled. Drawing on platform capitalism, family business research, and intersectional feminist critiques, the researchers develop a theoretical model to examine how social media affordances contribute to role confusion, privacy breaches, and trust erosion. Using a mixed-methods design, the researchers combine narrative interviews (n = 20) with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) on survey data (n = 320) from family-based influencers. This study’s findings reveal a high explanatory power (R² = 0.934) for how digital platforms mediate entrepreneurial legitimacy through interpersonal trust and role dynamics. Notably, trust emerges as a key mediating mechanism linking social media engagement to perceptions of business legitimacy. This paper advances three core contributions: (1) introducing degenerative affordance as a novel extension of affordance theory; (2) unpacking how digitally mediated role confusion and privacy breaches function as internal threats to legitimacy in family businesses; and (3) problematising the epistemic assumptions embedded in entrepreneurial legitimacy itself. This study’s results call for a rethinking of how digital platforms, family roles, and entrepreneurial identities co-constitute each other under the pressures of visibility, intimacy, and algorithmic governance. The paper concludes with implications for influencer labour regulation, platform accountability, and the ethics of digital family entrepreneurship. Full article

Blackness, both as a racial identity and a marker of cultural difference, disrupts the hegemonic norms embedded in dominant forms of cultural capital. This article examines how first- and second-generation Haitian and Jamaican communities in Ontario and Quebec negotiate Blackness within a Canadian context. Drawing from international literature, it introduces distinctly Canadian concepts—such as polite racism, racial ignominy, and duplicity of consciousness—to illuminate local racial dynamics. Using Yosso’s (2005) framework of community cultural wealth, the study analyzes six forms of cultural capital—linguistic, aspirational, social, navigational, resistant, and familial—as employed by Afro-Caribbeans to navigate systemic exclusion. The article expands the limited Canadian discourse on Black identity and offers theoretical tools for understanding how cultural capital is shaped and constrained by race in multicultural democracies. Full article

Immigrant households frequently face liquidity constraints upon arrival, which potentially hinders their long-term economic integration. The Family Investment Hypothesis (FIH) suggests that couples may respond to these constraints by coordinating their labor supply: one spouse works to finance the other’s investment in local human capital. Previous studies have tested the FIH by comparing married immigrants to married natives, attributing differences in outcomes to financial constraints. However, this approach may conflate such constraints with other inherent differences between immigrants and natives. This paper introduces a novel identification strategy that compares the differences in labor market outcomes of married and single immigrants to those of their native-born counterparts, allowing for better isolation of the effects of liquidity. Applying this strategy to repeated cross-sectional data on immigrants from the Former Soviet Union who arrived in Israel during the 1990s, the analysis finds no supporting evidence for the FIH. One possible explanation for this finding is the substantial government support extended to these immigrants, which may have mitigated their financial constraints. Alternatively, the results may indicate that immigrant households do not systematically adjust their labor supply in accordance with the FIH framework. These findings highlight the importance of the institutional context in shaping household labor supply decisions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Intergenerational care plays a significant role in shaping household dietary quality and human capital development in China. Influenced by the legacy of the one-child policy, the care provided in these families often prioritizes child-focused practices. This study examines how intergenerational care influences schoolchildren’s sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption. Methods: This study utilizes data from the 2014–2015 China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) to investigate the impact of intergenerational care on schoolchildren’s dietary behaviors, with a focus on sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption. We apply both ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and the ordered logit model to estimate the impacts, and we use the instrumental variables approach to address potential endogeneity. Results: Schoolchildren from only-child families report greater SSB consumption, while those from multi-child families consume less. Intergenerational care is linked to more digital media exposure, more pocket money, and less parental supervision. These findings withstand rigorous validation through multiple robustness checks, including sample restriction strategies and propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. The effect is especially pronounced among boys, schoolchildren from families with higher parental education levels, and schoolchildren attending schools without formal nutrition education programs. Conclusions: The result indicates that intergenerational care significantly increases SSB consumption among schoolchildren from only-child families. Community nutrition and school health education programs can reduce schoolchildren’s SSB consumption, thereby lowering risks of obesity and other public health concerns. Full article

As we move toward a more digitalized and interconnected world, new cybersecurity challenges emerge. While most related research has focused on large companies, this study aims to fill a gap in the literature by exploring cybersecurity issues in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly in relation to nontechnical, soft-skill, and intellectual capital aspects. This study examines the interplay between cybersecurity awareness and perception and ownership structure in SMEs in the Silesian region of Poland. Unlike the majority of cybersecurity literature, our focus is on how ownership structure influences cybersecurity perception. We surveyed 200 SMEs at random within the respective region and utilized hierarchical and simple linear regression analyses to assess the relationships between these factors and financial performance. Our results indicate that larger enterprises and those without a family-owned structure exhibit significantly greater levels of cybersecurity. Additionally, we found a positive correlation between cybersecurity and a firm’s financial performance and overall health. These findings underscore the importance of cybersecurity awareness and practices for the growth and stability of SMEs. Full article

Background/Objectives: Although several studies have examined the importance of social capital to individual health, the relationship between social capital and family well-being remains unclear. This study examines the relationships among social capital, parental depressive symptoms, and family well-being, and evaluates whether parental depressive symptoms mediate the association between social capital and family well-being in immigrant Chinese and native Japanese families. Methods: A cross-sectional study using Google questionnaires was conducted between January and April 2024 among parents of local Japanese and immigrant Chinese families with children. The survey assessed demographics and social capital using the PSCS-16 and K6 Scale, family well-being using the General Functioning Index of the Family Assessment Device, and family life satisfaction using the New Brief Job Stress Questionnaire. Multiple-group structural equation modeling clarified the association between bonding and bridging social capital and family well-being. Results: The survey data was collected from 133 parents (75 Japanese and 58 Chinese) of preschool children aged six years and under. About 81.2% of respondents were mothers and 18.8% were fathers, with the majority aged between 30 to 39 years (63.9%). Bonding social capital was positively associated with family well-being among Japanese families. In Chinese families, bonding social capital was indirectly associated with family well-being by reducing parental depressive symptoms. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of enhancing bonding social capital to benefit both native and immigrant families. Besides, policymakers should consider tailored strategies that reflect the differing needs of both groups. Full article

In Latin America, over 50% of the population has relied on loans from family members or friends, reflecting the importance of trust-based networks in response to financial exclusion. This study examines how distrust in the formal financial system influences the use of informal borrowing. Using data from 17 countries for the years 2014, 2017, and 2021, and applying a fixed-effects logistic regression model by country and time, we confirm that rising distrust significantly increases the likelihood of turning to loans from personal networks. This relationship intensifies in times of crisis. Beyond this, we find that macroeconomic variables such as GDP per capita and unemployment also significantly affect informal borrowing behavior. This research contributes to the literature by integrating institutional, economic, and social variables, highlighting the role of interpersonal trust as a form of social capital. It also advances the field of personal finance by revealing an everyday strategy of financial resilience. Finally, this study offers relevant implications for public policy, advocating for a more realistic and context-sensitive approach to financial inclusion, especially in regions where credit constraints in the formal sector have pushed households to seek more accessible and flexible alternatives. Full article

Income level is a key indicator of the standard of living and the economic efficiency of undertaken activities. This paper aims to evaluate the earnings of Polish dairy farmers compared to those in other economic sectors between 2005 and 2022. The analysis covered 1688 family-run farms that participated continuously in the FADN system throughout the study period, with particular emphasis on farms that expanded their dairy cow herds. The remuneration for the labour of farmers and their families was estimated ex post by subtracting the opportunity costs of owned land and capital from farm income. The alternative cost of engaging one’s own land was determined on the basis of actual rental prices for farmland occurring in the surveyed farm groups in the years analysed. This information is collected in the FADN system from which the studied group of farms was drawn. The basis for determining the alternative cost of involvement of own capital was the average interest rates on deposits for households, concluded for a period of 6 months to 1 year inclusive, reported by the National Bank of Poland. The analysed population was divided into seven groups based on the number of dairy cows maintained. The analysis focused on two three-year reference periods: 2005–2007 and 2020–2022. The results were compared with average salaries and wages in non-agricultural sectors of the economy. Structural changes in agriculture, increased productivity, and the expansion of production scale in dairy farms indicate a growing professionalisation of the sector. The rise in farm incomes during the analysed period contributed to a significant increase in the remuneration for farmers’ and their families’ labour. The highest growth in remuneration was observed among farms with the greatest production potential and scale. While in 2005–2007 the remuneration for labour in dairy farms was lower than in non-agricultural sectors, this situation changed in 2020–2022. During this latter period, the average remuneration for labour on dairy farms slightly exceeded the average salary and wages in other sectors of the economy. Full article

This paper introduces a new extension of exponentiated standard logistic distribution. Some important statistical properties of the novel family of distributions are discussed. A simulation study is also conducted to observe the behavior of the estimated parameter using several estimation methods. The adaptability as well as the flexibility of the new model is checked through two real-life applications. A comprehensive financial risk assessment is conducted using multiple actuarial risk measures: Peaks Over Random Threshold Value-at-Risk, Value-at-Risk, Tail Value-at-Risk, the risk-adjusted return on capital and the Mean of Order P. These indicators offer a nuanced view of risk by capturing different aspects of tail behavior, which are critical in understanding potential extreme losses. These risk indicators are applied to analyze actuarial financial claims data, providing a robust framework for assessing financial stability and decision-making in the face of uncertainty. Full article

Somali refugee youth face intersecting stressors related to displacement, economic hardship, and systemic exclusion, yet their coping strategies remain understudied. This study examines the psychosocial distress, coping mechanisms, and help-seeking behaviors of Somali refugee youth in Nairobi’s urban displacement context using a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative analyses assess the prevalence of stressors, coping strategies, and perceived support, while qualitative responses provide insight into lived experiences. Findings reveal that 72% of participants reported distress linked to economic insecurity (15.9%), family separation (16.9%), or refugee-related adversities (13.2%). Religious coping (59.5%) and self-care practices (60.5%) were the most frequently used strategies, while 15.8% relied on avoidance-based methods. Help-seeking patterns showed that 76.7% of participants were willing to seek help in general, but only 40.7% did so for emotional issues, with mothers and same-sex friends being primary sources. Regression analysis (R² = 0.507, p < 0.001) showed that scope of community (β = 0.417, p = 0.001), trust in bonding social capital (β = 0.343, p = 0.012), and perceived community violence (β = 0.346, p = 0.003) were positively associated with perceived support. In contrast, help-seeking intention (β = −0.206, p = 0.049) was negatively associated with perceived support. Other variables—including religious coping, emotional coping, age, gender, and bridging trust—were not significant predictors. These findings underscore the need for community-driven mental health interventions that strengthen existing social structures while integrating culturally adapted service models. Leveraging social capital is essential for fostering sustainable, accessible, and community-based mental health support for displaced Somali youth. Full article

The digital economy is emerging as a transformative force for advancing inclusive sustainable development in rural China, particularly in addressing gender disparities in non-agricultural employment. Using the Digital Inclusive Finance Index and China Family Panel Studies data, this paper analyzes the digital economy’s impact on the gender gap in rural non-agricultural employment. It finds that the digital economy boosts women’s employment and wage, narrowing the gap. This effect is more obvious among groups with medium-high human capital, younger people, married people, and those with kids. The digital economy narrows the gap through the following three mechanisms: reshaping skill demands, reducing info-search cost, and promoting domestic labor socialization. It is an engine for growth and a force for gender equality in rural employment. Full article

This paper proposes the application of Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework, rooted in the critical race theory (CRT), as a transformative lens for sport-based youth development (SBYD) research. Moving beyond traditional deficit-based models, which often depict youth as problematic or at-risk, CCW emphasizes recognizing and building upon the cultural strengths and assets of marginalized youth. We begin by reviewing the development of theoretical applications within the youth development, positive youth development (PYD), and SBYD literature to highlight the criticisms against conventional deficit-focused approaches. CCW offers an asset-oriented lens by offering six forms of capital—aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant—that are typically overlooked in mainstream frameworks. We illustrate how these forms of capital can reposition SBYD programs as spaces for cultivating resilience, identity, and social justice while addressing systemic inequities. By incorporating CCW with participatory research methods and critical theories, such as intersectionality and CRT, researchers can broaden the theoretical and methodological scope of SBYD. This paper concludes by suggesting practical implications for program design, organizational advocacy, and policy development, advocating for culturally responsive, community-led initiatives that prioritize the active engagement and empowerment of marginalized youth. In sum, CCW provides the “why” for critical SBYD research and practice. Full article