Community Wellbeing + Collective Efficacy = Elite Presence

Elite -lite |əˈlēt, āˈlēt| noun1 a group of people considered (by others or themselves) to be the best in a particular society or category, esp. because of their power, talent, or wealth- Oxford English Dictionary via Mac
The clout and importance of elite presence in a functionally healthy community is essential to it's long term success. As Sampson's evidence has proved in Chapter Fourteen Leadership and the Higher-Order Structure of Elite Connections, leadership network presence in communities has a direct correlation to the  lower rates of violence and teenage births, and overall the better wellbeing of communities. I personally believe that these findings are groundbreaking and must be incorporated to every community to improve living conditions and it's collective efficacy. 
Sampson's findings in this chapter not only shed light on the the fact that the over all well-being in the community does directly relate to the bettering of the community but also that the migration flows of leadership ties are also related to the migration flows of community. Meaning, the residents of the neighborhood deciding where to move is directly similar to the flow of connections that are made between community elites. This comparable movement is peculiar because the elite behavior of connection is mirrored by the community and it's movement  of residents. This proves important as it would almost be predictable in deciding where a new community could rise up depending on the elite's move or connection to that area. If an elite were to move to an outer division neighborhood and other elites were to improve and increase the connection between each other it would then be logical based on Sampson's findings that in turn that the flow of a new community would suddenly spring up or revitalize that neighborhood. As a business major this is personally striking. The reason being that if an elite's connection was to be tracked, one could practically predict the subsequent movement of community to that connection area. This is even more powerful real-estate and economic wise due to the fact that if an elite with immense clout was moved to a new area, new communities would then flow also brining new business and opportunity for housing and commercial building. 
Indeed Sampson's findings are at large of important social and economic findings, yet they seem to expound on already personal intuition. I've learned that the movers and shakers do carry and almost seem to sprinkle the clout they possess wherever they move. These elites have power and will promote, share, and protect the networks and the areas of their choosing. The results uncovered by Sampson in Chicago's neighborhoods more deeply strengthens and concretes the fact that elite network movement is related to that of community movement. It is imperative therefore, that in order to protect and increase longevity, well-being, and growth within a community there must be an elite presence and network. In turn, that presence will become a leadership power to positively impact the collective efficacy of the community as a whole. 


Research Paper UpdateMy research for my paper is coming along well. I have been pondering direction of my thesis and the results I'd like to achieve. Largely, I do want to investigate the viability of the presence of art in a community but I'd also like to pursue the possibility of doing a tangible social test within the community as well. There may the possibility to tie these two distinctions together, however I feel to produce explicit and worthwhile results I should delve into one venture fully. The first potential subject would be to simply prove the viability of having an art center or art education organization within the community. I have supporting evidence for both of these topics and would be able to research these findings rather hassle-free.  The second option would be a bigger beast, as I would be producing tangible and physical results within a community. The idea I have is to strategically place pieces of art throughout the community and to watch social interactions associated with the piece. One influencing research article in which sparked my interest in this was a BYU student that designed a billboard with poetic and artistic appeal. The billboard previously had been seen as trash and the improvement and art transformation peaked the communities interest. Then they advertised a follow up to that billboard that there would be art involvement based off that billboard. Classes were open to the public and events were hosted per that theme on the billboard. This after-effect increased community of awareness of the art and also brought together community residents overall increasing the collective efficacy as a whole.I will be dedicating more time this week to further investigation and thought as to which pursuit would fruit more impacted results. Deep down I know which route I want to pursue, I just need to convince my overall being that I should pursue it. Any feedback would be much appreciated as to which topic would be more interesting to read about and become involved in.