Contemporary social capital authors

The contemporary authors on social capital are the scholars who conducted the early conceptual development of the concept and contributed to the early academic understandings.

Putnam on social capital – democratic or civic perspective

Robert David Putnam (1941-) is an American political scientist most famous for his controversial publication Bowling Alone, which argues that the United States has undergone an unprecedented collapse in civic, social, associational, and political life (social capital) since the 1960s, with serious negative consequences. Putnam is generally credited with popularized the term social capital. Putnam …

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Coleman on social capital – rational-choice approach

James Coleman (1926 – 1995) was an American sociologist who was primarily interested in the sociology of education and public policy. Like Bourdieu, Coleman was interested in different types of capital and their interaction, namely human, physical and social capitals. The aim of Coleman’s concept of social capital was to import the economists’ principle of …

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Bourdieu on social capital – theory of capital

Pierre Bourdieu (1930 – 2002) was a French sociologist and public intellectual who was primarily concerned with the dynamics of power in society. His work on the sociology of culture continues to be highly influential, including his theories of social stratification that deals with status and power. Bourdieu was concerned with the nature of culture, …

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