Social Capital and Community Building: Part One

Abstract

Social capital has emerged as an important concept within the field of community development. This article is the first in a two‐part series exploring the perspectives of academics, public advocates, philanthropists, and community development practitioners on the uses of social capital.

Toward Better Understanding for the So Called ''A Fourth Paradigm'' in the Arab World: A Multiple Case Study on the Telecoms Sector in Jordan

“…Bonding is horizontal, between equals within a community whereas bridging is vertical between communities (Dolfsma and Dannreuther, 2003;Narayan, 2002). Bonding social capital is viewed as localized and found between people who live in the same or neighboring communities, and bridging social capital, refers to individuals and organizations that are more distant Wallis (1998) and Wallis and Crocker et al (1998). According to Anheier and Kendall bridging social capital is connected to 'thin trust', as opposed to the bonding (splitting) social capital of 'thick trust' (Anheier and Kendall, 2002).…”

Broadening Participation in Community Problem Solving: a Multidisciplinary Model to Support Collaborative Practice and Research

“…21,51,52 When effective solutions depend on the actions of people and organizations at regional, state, national, and/or international levels, communities have been at a disadvantage working on their own. 13,53 Reflecting the complexity of problems that affect community health and wellbeing and the need for broad-based collaboration to deal with these kinds of problems, the concept of collaboration has been embedded in the way people think about effective community problem solving. Cottrell, whose work has influenced recent approaches to health promotion and health education, coined the term community competence to refer to the ability of community members to collaborate effectively in identifying problems and needs, to reach consensus on goals and strategies, to agree on ways and means to implement their agreed-upon goals, and to collaborate effectively in the required actions.…”

“…The importance of these crosslevel ties has been emphasized in efforts to improve economic opportunities in inner-city neighborhoods. 53,63 The literature suggests a number of mechanisms by which bridging social ties strengthen community problem solving. For one, social relationships play an important role in promoting the development of trust.…”

The geography of community crisis: A case of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.

“…In order to document the changing role senior levels of government have had within towns, Wallis et al (1998) outline three specific stages to how governments have financially supported towns. The first stage was in the 1970s when local organizations and governments worked in coordination with each other.…”

“…It realized the fiscal and political benefits associated with 'empowerment' as discussed by Wallis et al (1998). Following the theory of empowerment, assistance was provided to Gold…”