Social contagion

Rukhsana Shaheen

The term contagion means the spreading of a disease by people touching each other. For long, social scientists have been struck by the tendency of certain behaviours, as opposed to diseases, to spread through populations as if they were contagious. In some instances, mere exposure to a behaviour is sufficient for replication and spread of that behaviour. This phenomenon is the social contagion, which is still poorly understood. Social contagion may be risky or favorable.
   Over the last fifty years, a considerable body of empirical evidence have confirmed and demonstrated the existence and voracity of social contagion in several areas of social life. Human behaviour, in both local and dispersed collectivities appears to tend towards homogeneity even when there is no compulsion or logical explanation. Empirical studies demonstrating contagion have focused on mood, anxiety, fear, appreciation, stress, and enjoyment.
   Within risky social contagion research, a number of types of behaviour have been found to spread by contagion. Firstly, the spread of medical symptoms and signs of conditions for which there is no medical basis. Such contagions are known hysterical contagions, or mass hysteria. A second class of behaviour that sometimes appears to spread through populations by contagion is rule violation. Examples include teenage smoking, speeding, substance abuse, delinquency, youth sex and criminality. A third type of contagious behaviour is deliberate self-harm, of which suicide is an example. A fourth social contagion is the financial contagion where the infectious behaviour of market dealers results in panics, buying frenzies, and crashes that sweep across both domestic and international exchanges. A fifth type of behavioural contagion is that of consumer behaviour -fashions and fads. A sixth type of contagion is aggressive behaviour which has been shown to spread through both crowds and dispersed collectivities.
   Recorded evidence points that mass hysteria has been observed from time to time from fifth century onwards in different parts of the world. In recent times, frequent episodes of such hysteria have been observed in Bangladesh too. Human nature tends to violation of rule, which can be traced back to primates. This violation of rule has penetrated and formed a meshwork in every sphere of activity in Bangladesh. The behaviour of deliberate self-harm can also be traced back in time, irrespective of state of development of a country.
    Deliberate self-harm in the form of suicide by hanging, poisoning, shooting, crashing under wheels...are not uncommon in Bangladesh. In recent years, the stock exchange has witnessed sudden unexplained ups and downs, and rapid market price hike of essentials in Bangladesh, which are examples of financial contagion. Globally too, the price of fuel, stock exchange, and currency conversion rates have gone through rapid changes. Under the influence of global electronic communication, consumer behaviour has undergone rapid changes involving personal grooming to cultural diffusion, where Bangladesh does not lag behind. Minor incidences appear to spark of aggressive behaviour all over the world, for example, termination of terrorist activities, protest against a regime, failure of a favorite team (football, cricket)....
   Social contagions that are favorable to mankind probably should be fostered while those that are risky in any way should be discouraged. In these days of globalization, concerted efforts by the social scientists need to be taken to control the harmful social contagion both globally and locally.

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Holiday Desk

The World Bank (WB) recently approved a US$102.26 million credit to support Bangladesh Government's efforts to improve national water resources management.
   The Water Management Improvement Project is designed to enhance water management by expanding the role of local communities, from planning and design to operations and management. It also aims to improve institutional performance of the country's principal water institutions ? Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO).
   It is estimated that 2 million households will benefit from the project. It is expected to reduce crop losses during the pre-monsoon and monsoon periods and increase agricultural production due to improved drainage and flood control and expansion of irrigation.
   Bangladesh is prone to recurring natural disasters like floods, erosion, cyclones and tidal surges that result in human casualties and economic losses. Each year, about 30 per cent of the country is inundated, flooding about 6 million hectares. People living in coastal and riverine areas in general are specially exposed to the dangers of natural disasters.
   "As we have just learned from the recent devastating floods, management of water resources is critical to mitigate the impact of floods," said Xian Zhu, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh. "This project will support rehabilitation and improvement of existing flood control, drainage, and irrigation schemes, which will reduce the vulnerability to future natural disasters."
   The project will support rehabilitation and improvement of about 102 existing flood control, drainage and irrigation schemes, and transfer their management to the local communities through Water Management Organizations (WMOs). It will also support measures to improve performance of another 98 existing schemes that do not require major rehabilitation and have functioning WMOs or similar organisations.
   "The long-term objective of the project is to institutionalise a participatory management process for improving performance of all feasible water schemes," said Masood Ahmad, World Bank Lead Water Resources Specialist and project team leader. "Participation of all stakeholders, especially local communities, from the outset is crucial in order to promote sustainability and to ensure the long-term integration of social and environmental considerations."
   The credit from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's concessionary arm, has 40 years to maturity with a 10-year grace period; it carries a service charge of 0.75 per cent.

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