Social Capital: Critical Perspectives

Description:
The idea of social capital is increasingly prominent in international, national, and local policy-making and in the social sciences. However, its rapid rise to prominence has not been matched by proper scrutiny of the idea and its consequences. This book provides the first full critical analysis of social capital, written by authors from a wide range of disciplinary and policy backgrounds. The book asks searching questions: Is the concept of social capital really new? Does it offer significant anaytic purchase? Can it be an operational, as opposed to rhetorica concept? Can policies based on social capital deal with conflict and social exclusion? These issues are explored through studies of education, health, political science, urban regeneartion, economic development and other areas and disciplines. The authors - who include academics, professionals and policy specialists are all distinguished and prominent contributors in their own fields.

Table of Contents:
1. Social capital: a review and critique; 2. Civil society and democratic renewal; 3. Social capital, the economy and education in historical perspective; 4. Economic, social capital and the colonization of the social sciences; 5. Socialising social capital: identity, the transition to work and economic development; 6. Social capital, innovation and competitiveness; 7. Refugees and social capital theory: social capital and social integration; 8. Social capital trumping class and cultural capital? Engagement with school among immigrant youth; 9. Social capital, schools and exclusions; 10. Social capital and health: contextualizing health promotion within local community networks; 11. Local social capital: making it work on the ground; 12. Social capital and associational life; 13. Human capital, social capital and collective intelligence; 14. Social capital and human capital revisited