Shared language and codes An aspect of the cognitive dimension of social capital
Export Reference Download PDF Print Shared language is commonly mentioned as one of the elements of the cognitive dimension of social capital. The other dimensions of social capital being the structural and relational dimensions. This conceptualisation, distinguishing between structural, relational, and cognitive dimensions, is one of the major approaches to social capital. This approach was […]
Social capital at different levels and dimensions A typology of social capital
Export Reference Download PDF Print Social capital has been criticised for being incredibly broad and potentially related to everything, a kind of catch-all. It is often treated differently in different contexts and at different levels of analysis. Some authors treat social capital as a private good, some as a public good, and others as having […]
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 […]
Individual social capital and COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented interruption to physical social interaction. A significant proportion of the world’s population is in some form of isolation or lockdown, with limited access to normal social activities. This has serious implications for social capital which is primarily built, maintained and realised by social interaction. Social capital is linked to […]
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 […]
China’s Social Credit System An ambitious attempt to build social capital
China is developing a social credit system (SCS), a national reputation system that aims to promote the traditional virtues of integrity, discourage dishonesty, and build an environment of trust. The SCS will utilise big-data enabled surveillance infrastructure to manage, monitor, and predict the trustworthiness of citizens, firms, organizations, and governments. The scheme has attracted considerable […]
What is the difference between social capital and social cohesion?
There are a lot of similarities between the concepts of social capital and social cohesion. Both are defined in vastly different ways by different authors, both are conceptually vague, and both relate to social setting and social structure. Depending on how you define the concepts there can be considerable overlap between them, leading some authors […]
Social capital and poverty alleviation
Social capital is a vital asset for those in poverty since it can provide access to that which is lacking: capital. Poverty is a state or condition in which a person or community lacks the capital required to meet their needs. Clearly the poor would benefit from more of all forms of capital. However, social […]
Current definitions of social capital Academic definitions in 2019
In 2004 I wrote an article about the definitions of social capital and included a table of definitions from Adler & Kwon (2002). The article is still one of the most popular online, which is evidence that definition continues to be a challenging area for newcomers to social capital. Now, 15 years later, I was […]
Solving sustainability with social capital? A paradoxical reframing of modernity?
In 1962 Rachel Carson published the book Silent Spring which thrust environmental problems into public awareness and is widely credited with inspiring the environmental movement. Yet nearly 60 years later it doesn’t seem there has been much progress towards sustainability. There has been extensive scientific investigation of environmental issues and leading scientists have twice (1992 […]
