Social Capital’s Impact on Civic Engagement: An Empirical Study on Pakistani Youth

The aim of this research is to assess the impact of social capital on civic engagement. The quantitative method was applied to measure impact of independent variables on dependent variable. The survey instrument was applied to collected data from undergraduate student of four general Universities of Pakistan. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was applied to measure impact of bridging, bonding social capital and trust on civic engagement. Results indicate that bonding social capital and trust have strong association with civic engagement, however, association between bridging social capital and civic engagement was found insignificant. The analyses indicate that it is a basic requirement to bring immediately policy reforms in context of youth development and create more opportunities for youth to engage in the social and structural development of society.

Assessment of Socialization Strategies Adopted by Public and Private Sector Universities of Punjab

The research was designed to assess and compare the organizational socialization strategies adopted by public and private sector universities of Punjab for its employees. The major objectives were to explore the socialization strategies that can be applied in the universities; to assess the effect of the socialization strategies being used by the universities of Punjab; to compare the socialization strategies being adopted by public and private sector universities and further to propose the comprehensive model by keeping in view the cultural background of Pakistan to enhance socialization practices. The population of the research was based on 9397 faculty members hired by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognized universities of Punjab, Pakistan. By considering public and private sectors as separate strata proportional stratified sampling technique was applied to draw representative sample. 10 percent of the faculty members from both strata were selected as the sample of the study. That data was collected by the use of three different tools (Socialization Strategies Scale (SSS), Socialization Content Learning Scale (SCLS) and Socialization Practice Suggestion) developed in the light of the model presented by Ruth V. Aguilera, John C. Dencker and Zeynep Y. Yalabik (2006). The data was analyzed with the help of SPSS 16th edition. Results revealed that the socialization strategies used at organizational (β = -.023 & R2 = .003), group (β = -.068 & R2 = .004) and individual level (β = -.069 & R2 = .001) were inversely related with Socialization Content Learning and were not being used effectively. However in the prevailing situation the private sector universities were utilizing socialization strategies more frequently then the public sector. Yet the socialization content learning was found better in public sector employees. On the basis of findings it was recommended that socialization of the employees must be accorded the foremost priority by the organizations’ leadership and the top level management of the universities. Special focus may be retained on the provision of orientation, mentoring, and social activities. There is a need to develop a culture and attitude to share, communicate, support and discuss professional issues and matters.