Blog Response #5
As I worked through chapter 5 in Sampson book, I had a difficult time trying to get a clear understanding of what Collective Efficacy means since I never been familiar with that terminology before. I was finally able to establish that Sampson defines Collective Efficacy as "social cohesion (the “collectivity” part of the concept) and shared expectations for control (the “efficacy” part of the concept)".
I reviewed the case study that was done in Stockholm, entitled "Social Mechanisms of Community
Influences on Crime and Pathways in Criminality" by Per-Olofh Wikstrom and Robert J. Sampson.
In this study, the focus was centered around crime and the factors or mechanisms that seem to influence people, in different classes of communities, to decide to commit crimes. This study reveals how collective efficacy is one of the mechanisms that play a big influencial role in this area because it empasizes how an individual's decision whether to commit a crime or not is greatly influenced by the behavioral environment that that they are exposed to. It points out that communities that tend to have a more negative, lower poverty class, poorer environments tend to have higher crime rates.
Enjoyed your post and I am glad you found your answers in chapter 5; I went straight to chapter 7 and found most of my answers there. Collective Efficacy truly affects a neighborhood's actions as a whole, but not always for the better. It may contribute in reducing crime in our society, but can have an adverse affect in a third world country and harbor or increase crime there. Either way, even in the best of scenarios neighborhoods can not fix their economic infrastructure without any qualified help from the outside. Bill Clinton who attended Johannesburg, Africa's City Year Service Project said, "I've long believed that building networks of creative corporation among governments, the private sector and nonprofits is the key to overcoming the challenges, both great and small... Mobilizing for impact empowers people faster, more effectively and at lower cost than other alternatives.
ReplyDeleteI agree that sometimes it is a bit difficult to get through Sampson's text without scratching your head a few times and wondering what it is he is trying to say. What I find that helps is to research the topic that is most likely the title of the chapter and then read what other people have to say on the subject. It has really helped me develop my blog posts and understand the topics. I too looked at the case studies regarding Stockholm and found that collective efficacy is a bit more understandable when it is explained through this example because as you said, this is a new concept for me as well. Thanks!
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