Topical

Social capital and related concepts have application and relevance to a wide range of topical issues and current events. This category explores how social capital is important for these issues and events.

Social capital in the formation of local institutions and their contribution to territorial governance

Abstract This article analyzes the importance of social capital in the emergence of local institutions and the contribution of these institutions to the governance of rural territories. By valuing useful links between people and favoring the formalization of these types of links, social capital facilitates the establishment of local ways of managing rural territories and …

Social capital in the formation of local institutions and their contribution to territorial governance Read More »

Applicability of Social Capital by the World Bank in Brazilian Poor Spaces

Since the end of the 1990s, at the request of the World Bank, four scientists – Christiaan Grootaert, Deepa Narayan, Veronica Nyhan Jones, and Michael Woolcock, developed six dimensions of social capital through research carried out in rural and urban areas in some developing countries. Based on these dimensions, they developed a questionnaire for measuring …

Applicability of Social Capital by the World Bank in Brazilian Poor Spaces Read More »

Informal Sanctions

“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. As such, a sanction can …

Informal Sanctions Read More »

New Zealand’s pandemic response: solidarity in a post-truth world

New Zealand’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been distinctly different to many developed countries that have been plagued by inaction, divisiveness, misinformation, blame and deflection. New Zealand has shown remarkable community cohesion and solidarity and has unified behind the shared goal of eliminating COVID-19 from the country.  Post-truth politics creates a divided and fragmented …

New Zealand’s pandemic response: solidarity in a post-truth world Read More »

What does the COVID-19 pandemic tell us about our society?

Why has COVID-19 become a pandemic? There are lots of other pathogens that have not become so prevalent. Why has this virus rapidly spread to people virtually everywhere on earth with little resistance? With all our resources, scientific understanding, and communication technologies how have we failed so emphatically? We have 21st century scientific understanding of …

What does the COVID-19 pandemic tell us about our society? Read More »

What is social capitalism?

Social capitalism is any capitalist system that is structured with the ideology of liberty, equality, and justice. Instead of aiming to accumulate only economic forms of capital, it explicitly values all forms of capital, including social capital, human capital, and natural capital. Instead of maximising profit for the 1%, it involves profit maximisation for all …

What is social capitalism? Read More »

Social connection and the COVID-19 pandemic Impacts on social capital

With the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring COVID-19 a pandemic, many people are now facing the prospect of various forms of social isolation in the immediate future. People are being encouraged to maintain physical distance from others to limit the spread of the virus. Some countries have implemented lockdowns that include banning public gatherings, cancelling …

Social connection and the COVID-19 pandemic Impacts on social capital Read More »

Social isolation during a pandemic Challenges and opportunities during COVID-19 lockdown

There are significant barriers to the effective adoption of technology to alleviate social isolation resulting from COVID-19 ‘social distancing’, particularly among those people who were already socially isolated. The barriers most cited in the literature on the use of technology to remedy social isolation are (i) lack of support and training to use technology, (ii) …

Social isolation during a pandemic Challenges and opportunities during COVID-19 lockdown Read More »

Scroll to Top

Do you want to join the

The International Social Capital Association is an international non-profit member-based association devoted to advancing the research on and the application of the social capital concept for the benefit of all.

Read our Privacy policy

Subscribe for updates