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Tristan Claridge

Tristan Claridge is a leading expert on social capital with more than two decades of experience spanning research, policy, and practice. He is the Founding President of the International Social Capital Association, Director of the Institute for Social Capital, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a Visiting Associate Professor at Heriot-Watt University. Tristan’s work focuses on developing a deeper, more precise understanding of social capital as a critical resource for individuals, organisations, and societies. His work bridges rigorous academic inquiry and practical implementation, offering innovative perspectives on how social capital influences individual and collective outcomes. His research focuses on capital-theoretic conceptions of social capital and the mechanisms by which it is formed, maintained, and eroded — with a particular interest in how people perceive, interpret, and act upon their social connections. A sought-after speaker, educator and researcher, Tristan has delivered keynote addresses, lectures, and training sessions worldwide. He regularly collaborates with other researchers, practitioners, and policymakers on projects that address complex social challenges, from community resilience to organisational development. Whether working with governments, NGOs, or universities, Tristan is committed to building the field of social capital and fostering collaboration among those striving to create more connected, resilient, and equitable societies.

Economics Imperialism and Social Capital Relationship between social capital and economics

Export Reference Download PDF Print During the 1990s, national governments and international agencies such as the World Bank, OECD, and UNDP discovered social capital, heralding it as the ‘missing link’ in explaining development outcomes and an important factor to build and utilise for improved program performance (Harriss, 2002). This was primarily driven by the World […]

Evolution of the concept of social capital

Export Reference Download PDF Print The term ‘social capital’ was virtually unknown until the 1990s, since which time it has rapidly increased in popularity and spread throughout academia and beyond to become a familiar term in community development, business, and politics, and is even entering popular language. The terms ‘social capital’ was used as early […]

The European Social Model and an Economy of Well-being – Book Review

The European Social Model and an Economy of Well-being: Repairing the Social Fabric of European Societies New Horizons in Social Policy series Hardcover: 264 pages Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing Year: 2021 Language: English Edited by Giovanni Bertin, Professor of Comparative Welfare States, Department of Economics, Ca’Foscari University of Venice, Italy Marion Ellison, Professor of European […]

The “wicked problems” of social capital theory

Export Reference Download PDF Print Over the last 20 years of researching and applying the concept of social capital I have constantly navigated certain “problems” with the concept. There are several nagging tensions and incongruences associated with the concept that are typically ignored but are impossible to escape and, it seems, to resolve. Critics are […]

Social capital measurement

Attempts to measure social capital are flawed by problems with separating form, source and consequences – a common problem with the conceptualisation of social capital. Unfortunately, few researchers understand this complexity and readily confuse the three, resulting in measurement indices that don’t rigorously reflect the state of social capital in the study context. Social capital […]

Informal Sanctions

Export Reference Download PDF Print “No human societies exist without social norms, that is, without normative standards of behavior that are enforced by informal social sanctions.” (Fehr & Fischbacher, 2004: p63) Informal sanctions are actions in response to someone’s behaviour that may serve to discourage nonconformity or encourage conformity to a norm, rule, or law. […]