Social capital
Topic: Civil Society, Pressure Groups, NGOs and Self-help Groups · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Social capital means the networks, trust and give-and-take between people that make working together easier. When people know and trust each other, they find it easier to solve shared problems. The idea is closely linked to Robert Putnam. In Making Democracy Work (1993), he found that Italian regions with many civic groups had governments that worked better. So social capital helps explain why some democracies work better than others.
Example
Ashutosh Varshney (2002) studied Indian cities. He found that cities with strong civic links between Hindus and Muslims, such as shared business groups and clubs, stayed free of riots. Cities without such links were more likely to see violence.
Don't confuse with
- Civil society: civil society is the set of groups themselves, such as NGOs and associations. Social capital is the trust and networks that such groups build and draw on.
- Financial capital: financial capital is money and assets. Social capital is relationships and trust.