Local Social Capital and Low Fertility in Seoul

A Fuzzy‐Set Analysis of Social Enterprises and ESG

Datos Bibliográficos

ID16756384
AutoresInseok Seo (0000-0003-2079-3856, Sungkyul University), Wonhee Chung (Korea National Defense University), Youho Shin (0009-0006-8844-5638, Dankook University)
Año2026
Volumen67
Número2
Páginas282-296
Fecha de publicación2026-04-09
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAsia Pacific Viewpoint (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1360-7456 • E-ISSN: 1467-8373
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/apv.70047
OpenAlexW7152955213
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas33

This study examines the community‐level determinants of persistently low fertility across Seoul's districts, a pivotal case in the Asia‐Pacific demographic landscape. We advance a place‐based, community‐oriented framework by conceptualising fertility as a contextual outcome shaped by local institutional environments and collective social capital. Using Seoul's 25 districts as a bounded comparison, we analyse how social‐enterprise capacity and municipal ESG performance (Environmental–Social–Governance) intersect with socioeconomic conditions to foster higher fertility. Utilising a unique integrated dataset of national vital statistics, ESG evaluations and administrative records, we apply fuzzy‐set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). The analysis reveals no single necessary condition but identifies two sufficient pathways: (1) a synergy of robust environmental/governance performance and civic volunteering, which sustains fertility despite weaker marital and employment profiles; and (2) dense social‐enterprise ecosystems coupled with strong environmental/social performance that offset governance deficits in diversity‐intensive districts. These findings demonstrate equifinality, suggesting that effective demographic interventions require differentiated, place‐based policy mixes rather than monolithic, uniform strategies

Corporate governance · Fertility · Local governance · Outcome (game theory · Psychological intervention · Qualitative analysis · Social capital · Socioeconomic status · Critical Realism in Sociology · Qualitative Comparative Analysis Research · Social Capital and Networks

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