Tristan Claridge
Director of the Institute for Social Capital
Visiting Associate Professor, Heriot-Watt University
President of the International Social Capital Association
Contact Info:
tristan@socialcapitalresearch.com
+61 (0)493 175 542
https://www.tristanclaridge.com
Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
Biography
Tristan Claridge has over 20 years of experience researching and applying social capital to a wide range of contexts. He is a geographer and environmental scientist with a passion for sustainable development and poverty alleviation. He takes an interdisciplinary perspective by combining the lessons of economics, sociology, political science, psychology, urban planning, and any other discipline that contributes to understanding the concept. Tristan has a Masters degree from the University of Queensland, Australia, that included environmental impact assessment, social impact assessment, social planning for development, urban planning, and natural resource management.
Before starting the Institute for Social Capital, Tristan was a university lecturer and tutor for 10 years. Early in his career, he developed a passion for teaching. To improve his teaching practice, he completed professional development courses, and putting scholarship into practice, he also contributed to research on teaching in higher education. He was part of a working group at the university researching the social context of learning. He continues to actively contribute to social capital research and has provided guidance to hundreds of researchers and research students from developed and developing countries. His publications on social capital theory are among the most accessed resources on the topic.
Tristan’s research on social capital has progressed the theoretical understanding of the concept and its implications. While deeply concerned with improving the theory, he has widely applied the concept. In addition to development and poverty alleviation, Tristan has also applied social capital theory to community development, organisational culture, leadership, and the general challenges of modernity – particularly the role of non-economic forms of capital and their transformative effects on governance.
Tristan is active in public discourse on social capital and development, giving public presentations at community events talking about social capital, behaviour change, and sustainability, including keynote presentations at youth environment conferences.
Tristan has been an active contributor to the academic debate about social capital. In addition to his over 100 open-access articles on social capital and related topics, he has been a reviewer for academic journals and contributed to course materials used by numerous universities around the world. He has worked on university research and conducted independent research on social capital. He is an experienced facilitator and an excellent trainer with many years of university teaching experience.
After 20 years of working on social capital from both theoretical and practical perspectives, Tristan has a deep and grounded understanding of the concept and its application. He has a broad foundation for understanding social capital from numerous disciplines and industry perspectives. Tristan is able to apply complex social theory to real-world situations and reach insightful conclusions based on this extensive experience.
Tristan is actively researching and consulting on social capital and related concepts. He regularly helps people with research and practical issues, including formal and informal supervision of research students. He is actively writing and publishing on social capital. He is engaged in various consultancies, including corporate and organisational social capital, leadership, community-based development, and sustainability and poverty alleviation.
If you have a question, would like to comment, or connect, you can connect on LinkedIn @ Tristan Claridge or send an email to tristan.claridge@socialcapitalresearch.com
Recent Presentations
Social capital, social structures, and triads
Conference presentation on June 27, 2025, at the 45th INSNA
Sunbelt Conference, Paris.
Toward a Unified Framework for Social Capital: Understanding what it is, how it works, and why it matters
Webinar held on Friday, June 20, 2025
Watch now
Repairing Social Fabric: Where social capital is measured, communities thrive!
Keynote presentation on May 5, 2025, at ENGAGE SAN DIEGO, San Diego Social Leagues in collaboration with the Institute for Social Capital.
Evaluating the Strengths and Weaknesses of Community Social Capital
Invited visiting lecture on April 24, 2025, at Michigan State University, United States of America.
Social Capital as a Catalyst for Place Transformation: Theoretical Frameworks and Practical Implications
Invited visiting lecture on April 22, 2025, at the University of Waterloo,
Canada.
Outline for the social capital paradigm
Invited visiting lecture on April 14, 2025, at the University of Southern New Hampshire, United States of America.
The Power of Connections: How Social Capital Builds Resilience
Invited lecture on April 3, 2025, at MITRE, United States of America.
The Practicalities of Building Social Capital for Business
Invited lecture on February 13, 2025, at Heriot-Watt University, Dubai, UAE.
Outline for the social capital paradigm
Invited visiting lecture on February 12, 2025, at Heriot-Watt University, Dubai, UAE.
Reputation, Relationships, and Results: A Guide to Individual Social Capital
Invited lecture on February 10, 2025, at Heriot-Watt University, Dubai, UAE.
Social Capital as a Catalyst for Place Transformation: Theoretical Frameworks and Practical Implications in the British Context
Seminar on October 2, 2024, organised by the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development.
The strengths and weaknesses of social capital in Guernsey: The key to economic growth and social wellbeing
Keynote presentation on October 3, 2024, at the Annual Convention of the Guernsey Branch of the Institute of Directors, Guernsey.
Connecting the challenges: new insights on IA from a social capital perspective.
Conference presentation on October 22, 2024, at New Challenges: The Future of Impact Assessment, NZAIA Conference, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Understanding how to develop and utilise social capital in IA.
Workshop on October 23, 2024, at New Challenges: The Future of Impact Assessment, NZAIA Conference, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Outline for the social capital paradigm
Conference presentation on June 27, 2024, at the 44th INSNA Sunbelt
Conference, Edinburgh.
Social Capital – Reconnecting with the importance and value of social relationships
Webinar on March 1, 2024, organised by ProSocial World.
Watch now
The Practical Application Of Social Capital: A General Guide
Webinar held on Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Watch now
Outline For The Social Capital Paradigm
Webinar held on Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Watch now
Introduction To Social Capital For Researchers 2023
Webinar held on Thursday, August 23, 2023
Watch now
Exploring The Outcomes Of Social Capital
Webinar held on Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Watch now
Introduction To Social Capital For Researchers 2022
Webinar held on Thursday, August 18, 2022
Watch now
Social Capital Limits: Can Social Capital Be Continually Improved?
Webinar held on Friday, May 27, 2022
Watch now
Exploring The Theoretical Foundations And Meaning Of Social Capital
Webinar held on Friday, April 8, 2022
Watch now
The Wicked Problems Of Social Capital Theory
Webinar held on Friday, March 31, 2021
Watch now
Social Capital: The Popularity And Need For The Concept Of Social Capital
Webinar held on Friday, February 5, 2021
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Social Capital Dimensions At Different Levels Of Analysis
Webinar held on Friday, November 27, 2020
Watch now
Social Capital – Is There An Accepted Definition In 2020?
Webinar held on Friday, November 13, 2020
Watch now
