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• What is social capital: basic concepts
Essential readings of this
section include the studies that have introduced
the multidimensional concept of social capital
in the social sciences debate, influencing great
part of the following literature on this topic.
Further readings include some alternative views
and few useful surveys of the literature
• Against social capital
This section collects works of authors skeptical
about the usefulness of the concept of social
capital for social sciences. Great part of these
studies belongs to the field of economics and
addresses problems like the difficulties of
measurement, the shortcomings of the empirical
research, the role of social capital in the
World Bank's research activity, and the
opportunity itself to consider social capital as
another form of capital, together with human and
phisical capital.
• Measuring Social Capital
Section devoted to the
measurement of social capital. It includes
theoretical works on measurement methods,
empirical studies measuring social capital at a
local level, and few useful surveys of the
literature
• Civil society, social capital and well-being
This section is devoted to the role of civil
society in social capital generation mechanisms.
Collected studies present different points of
view on the role of voluntary associations.
Following Putnam's earlier work, many authors
view the main source of social capital as
residing in the realm of civil society, largely
disconnected from the state and political
institutions. Alternative views enphasizing the
role of the state and of the welfare state are
presented in the
next section.
• The role of the state in social capital's
production
A section bringing together studies on the role
of political institutions and on of the welfare
state in social capital's production and
accumulation mechanisms.
• The challenges of multiculturalism
his section collects studies addressing the role
of ethnic fragmentation and migratory flows in
social capital's generation and accumulation
mechanisms. Empirical studies on the
relationship between economic development and
some aspects of the social structure are
included when ethno-linguistic fragmentation is
considered among the latters.
• Social capital, social interactions,
rationality and happiness
Starting from the assumption that well-being
depends not only on private goods' consumption,
but also on the satisfaction of relational
needs, this section focuses on the role of
social interactions and social capital in
improving people's quality of life and in
affecting the agents' behaviour. Suggested
readings address topics like the building of new
paradigms of rationality (taking into the
appropriate account the agents' social needs),
the relational dimension of economic action, and
the theoretical analysis of the environmental
and social determinants of subjective
well-being.
• Social capital and health
This sub-section deals with the relationship
between social capital and health. Particular
attention is given to the role of social capital
in improving the efficiency and accessibility of
public health systems.
• Social capital and education
This section deals with the complex relationship
between social capital and education. Collected
works address topics like:
• The social determinants of schooling and of
human capital's accumulation
• The influence of social capital on school
attainment
• The role of education in the creation of
social capital
• The challenges of multiculturalism to
education systems
• Social capital, public services and the
welfare state
This sub-section is devoted to the relationship
between social capital and the welfare state in
public services delivery and inequalities
reduction. The section is
under construction:
reports and suggestions
are
welcome
• Empirical studies on the social determinants
of well-being
This section collects empirical investigations
on the social determinants of well-being.
Suggested readings focus on topics like the role
of interpersonal relations, social protection
systems, well-functioning public institutions
and public services.
• Social capital at the firm level
Social capital, productivity, knowledge and
innovation
A section on the role of
social capital in productivity, knowledge and
innovation at the firm level.
• Social capital and the labour market
This section deals with the role of bridging
social capital - i.e. social networks and, more
in general, social ties - in the labour market's
matching processes. Suggested readings mainly
analyse the ability of social ties to influence
labour force participation and job search
processes. Particular consideration is given to
problems related to the workers' mobility in
terms of status and wage, and to migrants'
integration in new labour markets.
• Social capital and human capital
Social capital is often considered one of the
main factors for the accumulation of human
capital. This section deals with the
relationship between social capital and human
capital, with a particular focus on the role of
social capital in education
• Social capital, knowledge and innovation
This section deals with the relationship between
social networks, knowledge diffusion and
technological innovation. Suggested reading
address both the micro and the macro level of
analysis. At the micro level, they study the
mechanisms of knowledge and innovation diffusion
among workers and among firms. At the macro
level they analyse the impact of social capital
on competitiveness through the improvement of
knowledge and technology diffusion.
• Social capital, growth and development
The relationship between
social capital, economic performance, economic
growth and development. On this topic see also
sub-sections on Social capital and human
capital, Social capital and poverty and Social
capital, knowledge and innovation
• Social capital and local development
This section collects studies dealing with the
role of social norms, social relations, and
social networks in regional economic
development, both in industrialized and in
developing countries, with a particular regard
for post-communist transition economies. Strong
emphasis is placed on the role of networks
between small and medium-sized firms, which may
lead to the creation of industrial districts and
learning regions.
• Social capital and poverty in developing
countries
A section devoted to the role of social
interactions and social capital in the fight
against poverty and inequalities in developing
countries. Particular consideration is given to
the ability of social interactions to mitigate
the effects of income inequalities, to improve
the capabilities and the quality of life of the
poors, to foster productivity and innovation in
rural areas, and to support the development of
microcredit programmes. Readings are partitioned
into five sub-sections:
Social interactions, health and the quality of
life,
Social capital, poverty and development in rural
areas,
Microcredit and social capital,
Development assistance, civil society and social
capital,
Other aspects of the relationship between social
capital and poverty in LDCs.
• Empirical studies on social capital and growth
Empirical studies on the
relationship between social capital, economic
performance and human, social and economic
development. It includes both cross-country
investigations and studies at a local level
• Social capital, community governance and
political participation
This section is devoted to
the relationship between social capital and
civicness. According to the political science
literature, social capital fosters a more active
participation to community governance and
stimulates political participation
• Social capital and institutional performance
This section is devoted to
the role of social capital in political and
institutional development. Particular attention
is given to studies dealing with the
relationship between the presence of a vibrant
civil society and democratic institutions'
performance.
• Trust and institutions in post-communist
countries
This section collects
readings on social cohesion, the diffusion of
social norms of trust and reciprocity, and
social networks in post-communist countries in
transition to a market economy. Particular
attention is given to eastern countries entering
in the European Union. Considered studies are
strictly related to those collected the
Social capital and economic transition
section.
• Social capital and economic transition in
post-communist countries
This section collects
readings on the role of social capital in the
economic transition in post-communist countries.
Considered studies are closely related to those
presented in the section devoted to Trust and
institutions in post-communist countries. |