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The Relationship Between Perceptions of Insecurity, Social Capital, and Subjective Well-Being: Empirical Evidences from Areas of Rural Conflict in Colombia

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Subjective Well-Being and Security

Part of the book series: Social Indicators Research Series ((SINS,volume 46))

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Abstract

Subjective well-being (SWB), the evaluation that people carry out of their lives, has been proposed as an alternative measure of tracking the development of communities instead of economic growth. As part of a more general research question, in which we tested the impact of subjective insecurity on the choice of hybrid organizational modes, we hypothesized that subjective insecurity does negatively correlate with SWB and that subjective and objective insecurities are not significantly correlated. Subjective insecurity consisted of three items: perceptions of political, economic, and communitarian insecurity. We proposed that the relationship between insecurity and SWB is moderated by the level of social capital found in the region. Social capital was defined as interpersonal trust as well as the frequency of participation of producers in voluntary associations. We used multiple and multilevel regression models to test the hypotheses. Based on a survey of 742 rural producers in five conflicted areas, we found that the perceptions of insecurity do correlate significantly (negatively) with levels of SWB and we also found a significant contribution of social capital to levels of SWB. Significant correlations between demographic variables and SWB corroborated results of previous research. These results have important implications for public policy and future research.

Wills-Herrera, E., Orozco, L. E., Forero, C., Pardo, O., & Andonova, V. (2011, February). The relationship between perceptions of insecurity, social capital and subjective well-being: Empirical evidences from areas of rural conflict in Colombia. Journal of Socio-Economics, 40(1), 88–96. Printed with permission of the publisher ©Elsevier Inc.

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Correspondence to Eduardo Wills-Herrera .

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Appendices

Annex 1. Municipalities Per Region and Chosen Municipalities

Region

Municipalities in region for third-level variables

Chosen municipalities

Montes de María

Córdoba, Carmen de Bolívar, Guamo, María la baja, San Jacinto, San Juan Nepomuceno, Zambrano, Colosó, Chalán, Morroa, Ovejas, Palmito, Los Palmitos, San Onofre, Tolú Viejo

Carmen de Bolívar, Guamo, San Juan Nepomuceno, Los Palmitos, Tolú Viejo

Magdalena Medio

Regidor, Tiquisio, Rio Viejo, Arenal, Morales, Santa Rosa del Sur, Simití, San Pablo, Cantagallo, La Gloria, Gamarra, Aguachica, San Martín, San Alberto, Puerto Wilches, Sabana de Torres, Rionegro, Yondó, Barrancabermeja, San Vicente de Chucurí, Betulia, El Carmen de Chucurí, Puerto Berrio, Puerto Nare, Bajo Simacota, Puerto Parra, Landazuri, Cimitarra, Bolívar, El Peñón

San Pablo, San Alberto, Puerto Wilches, Sabana de Torres, Cimitarra

Nariño

Pasto, Alban, Aldana, Ancuya, Arboleda, Barbacoas, Belen, Buesaco, Colon, Consaca, Contadero, Cordoba, Cuaspud, Cumbal, Cumbitara, Chachag?I, El Charco, El Peñol, El Rosario, El Tablon De Gomez, El Tambo, Funes, Guachucal, Guaitarilla, Gualmatan, Iles, Imues, Ipiales, La Cruz, La Florida, La Llanada, La Tola, La Union, Leiva, Linares, Los Andes, Magi, Mallama, Mosquera, Nariño, Olaya Herrera, Ospina, Francisco Pizarro, Policarpa, Potosi, Providencia, Puerres, Pupiales, Ricaurte, Roberto Payan, Samaniego, Sandona, San Bernardo, San Lorenzo, San Pablo, San Pedro De Cartago, Santa Barbara, Santacruz, Sapuyes, Taminango, Tangua, Tumaco, Tuquerres, Yacuanquer

La Unión, Los Andes, Policarpa, Ricaurte, San Pablo

Huila

Neiva, Acevedo, Agrado, Aipe, Algeciras, Altamira, Baraya, Campoalegre, Colombia, Elias, Garzon, Gigante, Guadalupe, Hobo, Iquira, Isnos, La argentina, La plata, Nataga, Oporapa, Paicol, Palermo, Palestina, Pital, Pitalito, Rivera, Saladoblanco, San Agustin, Santa Maria, Suaza, Tarqui, Tesalia, Tello, Teruel, Timana, Villavieja, Yaguara

Algeciras, Iquira, Oporapa, San Agustín, Santa María

Meta

Villavicencio, Acacias, Barranca De Upia, Cabuyaro, Castilla La Nueva, Cubarral, Cumaral, El Calvario, El Castillo, El Dorado, Fuente De Oro, Granada, Guamal, Mapiripan, Mesetas, La Macarena, Uribe, Lejanias, Puerto Concordia, Puerto Gaitan, Puerto Lopez, Puerto Lleras, Puerto Rico, Restrepo, San Carlos De Guaroa, San Juan De Arama, San Juanito, San Martin, Vistahermosa

Acacias, El Castillo, Lejanías, San Carlos de Guaroa, San Martín

Annex 2

figure a_8

Annex 3. Belongingness to Associations in Order to Measure Social Capital?

  1. 1.

    Groups for community action

  2. 2.

    Neighbor associations

  3. 3.

    Parents associations

  4. 4.

    Sport teams

  5. 5.

    Chorus and groups of music, theatre, and literature

  6. 6.

    Labor unions

  7. 7.

    Communitarian mothers associations

  8. 8.

    Women associations

  9. 9.

    Alumni associations

  10. 10.

    Association in pro of any cause

  11. 11.

    Users associations

  12. 12.

    Consumers associations

  13. 13.

    Citizenships oversight

  14. 14.

    Social clubs

  15. 15.

    Religious communities

  16. 16.

    None

  17. 17.

    Other. Which?

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Wills-Herrera, E., Orozco, L.E., Forero-Pineda, C., Pardo, O., Andonova, V. (2012). The Relationship Between Perceptions of Insecurity, Social Capital, and Subjective Well-Being: Empirical Evidences from Areas of Rural Conflict in Colombia. In: Webb, D., Wills-Herrera, E. (eds) Subjective Well-Being and Security. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 46. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2278-1_8

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