Social Capital: Promise and Pitfalls of its Role in Development

Abstract

The purpose of this commentary is threefold. First, to review the origins and definitions of the concept of social capital as it has developed in the recent literature. Second, to examine the limitations of this concept when interpreted as a causal force able to transform communities and nations. Third, to present several relevant examples from the recent empirical literature on Latin American urbanisation and migration. These examples point to the significance of social networks and community monitoring in the viability of grass-roots economic initiatives and the simultaneous difficulty of institutionalising such forces.Current interest in the concept of social capital in the field of national development stems from the limitations of an exclusively economic approach toward the achievement of the basic developmental goals: sustained growth, equity, and democracy. The record of application of neoliberal adjustment policies in less developed nations is decidedly mixed, even when evaluated by strict economic criteria. Orthodox adjustment policies have led to low inflation and sustained growth in some countries, while in others they have failed spectacularly, leading to currency crises, devaluations, and political instability. The ‘one-size-fits- all’ package of economic policies foisted by the International Monetary Fund and the US Treasury on countries at very different levels of development have led to a series of contradictory outcomes that orthodox economic theory itself is incapable of explaining.

Capital social e a agenda de pesquisa em epidemiologia

“…Em consonância com a abordagem anterior, Portes & Landolf 23 problematizam que a remoção de proteções estatais e a liberalização desenfreada das forças de mercado têm levado a disparidades de renda crescentes e a um tecido social atomizado, marcado pela erosão de controles normativos. Taxas ascendentes de criminalidade e difusão da corrupção nas instituições públicas, incluindo aquelas encarregadas de manter a ordem pública, estão associadas com este declínio normativo.…”

“…E mais, embora as redes sociais contribuam para iniciativas que busquem superar as dificuldades econô-micas e políticas, especialmente de comunidades pobres, é muito difícil institucionalizar ou reproduzir tais forças pela via da "engenharia social" 23 .…”

“…A falácia comum é concluir que capital social é causa para um ou mais desfechos em saúde, sem considerar a possibilidade de que tanto capital social quanto esses desfechos sejam determinados por causas externas comuns; ou seja, a possibilidade que fatores estruturais de mais ampla determinação, e não capital social, possam desempenhar o papel fundamental no processo saúde-doença 23 . Procurar resultados para uma situação particular, onde capital social se correlacione positivamente com os mesmos, pode ser uma forma particularmente perniciosa de trabalhar as variáveis dependentes no campo epidemiológico.…”

Family Networks for Learning and Knowledge Creation in Developing Regions

“…Members of new generations who are more mobile than those of previous ones may also be unable to connect closely with each other or the rest of their families because of a lack of time spent together (Li et al, 2012). The transition from family ties to ties of friendship is complicated further by the challenge of developing generalized trust and creating autonomous associations in societies (Portes & Landolt, 2000). Based on mutual agreement, friendship must develop naturally.…”

Culture, entrepreneurship and uneven development: a spatial analysis

“…Equally, if groups within a community are deeply divided this can hold back economic growth, as generalized trust will be reduced (Easterly and Levine, 1997;Aghion et al, 2004). However, there is potential for groups to be too inwardly looking where bonding ties are strong, limiting access to new ideas from outside the community (Portes and Landolt, 2000;Florida, 2002a;Levie, 2007).…”