Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone and Better Together, researches and writes about social capital, and more specifically about the decline in informal connections between people. We’ve excerpted below some definitions and discussions from his published writing.
What is Social Capital?
Social capital refers to the trust, reciprocity, and shared understanding that arises from networks of relationships.
Bonding social capital includes your ties to people like you—birds of a feather flock together. These are the people who bring you chicken soup if you get sick.
Bridging social capital arises from networks that encompass different types of people. Bridging social capital is about fostering relationships across social divisions; it's about coming together to argue as well as to share.
Our goal is to build and enhance both kinds of social capital in Suburban Ramsey County.
Why Social Capital Matters
Research has begun to show how powerfully social capital, or its absence, affects the well being of individuals, organizations, and nations.
Economics studies demonstrate that social capital makes workers more productive, firms more competitive, and nations more prosperous.
Psychological research indicates that abundant social capital makes individuals less prone to depression and more inclined to help others.
Epidemiological reports show that social capital decreases the rates of suicide, colds, heart attacks, strokes, and cancer, and improves individuals’ ability to fight or recover from illnesses once they have struck.
Sociology experiments suggest that social capital reduces crime, juvenile delinquency, teenage pregnancy, child abuse, welfare dependency, and drug abuse, and increases student test scores and graduation rates.
It is becoming increasingly clear that social capital has an enormous array of practical benefits to individuals and to communities. What is more, social capital has what economists call “positive externalities.” That is, networks of trust and reciprocity not only benefit those within them, but also those outside them. Consequently, when social capital is depleted, people suffer in clear and measurable ways, and there is a ripple effect beyond a scattering of lonely individuals. Shoring up our stocks of social capital, therefore, represents one of the most promising approaches for remedying all sorts of social ills.
For more information about The Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagement in America, click here.
To download 150 ideas of things you can do to increase social capital, click here.