This database includes hundreds of abstracts of documents on social capital which will be updated and supplemented periodically. The database is intended to further the knowledge, understanding, and applications of social capital for sustainable social and economic development. We hope that it will be used by World Bank staff, external partners, universities, researchers, institutions, civil society, governments and practitioners interested in social capital. We invite you to explore the database to learn more about social capital and we welcome your feedback.
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Document Types -- Key readings, Papers in progress, Surveys and Tools, and Working papers.
Sources -- Social capital is borne out of affiliations in various groups.
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Topics -- There are a number of issues that interact with and are affected by social capital.
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Learn about the libraryDisclaimer: The Social Capital Database was developed by the World Bank in collaboration with Michigan State University. The summaries included have not been written or approved by the authors of the original documents cited. Our goal is to provide abstracts of sufficient detail and quality to help readers in their search for usable information on social capital . . . Click here to read the full disclaimer.
This paper provides a history of the development of the word "ghetto" and shows how emphasizing certain dimensions of the word can simplify the Ghetto concept. This paper also discusses the issue of eliminating race in policy-oriented research.
The 'barrio' is discussed as an emergent social structure. Population pressures have affected the sense of 'barrio' identification and promoted 'community spirit' in Santa Maria, a Zapotec town in Oaxaca, Mexico. Social network analysis reveals networks based on compadrazgo relations and friendship. Ethnic homogeneity and relative absence of class conflict have also diminished 'barrio' solidarity.
Shopping worlds in Japan reinforce importance of education while fostering consumerism by prompting people towards socially accepted values through use of images that define social roles. Edutainment-a fusion of education & entertainment is a pretense adopted by shopping worlds that play on the importance of education in Japanese culture. By harping on the cultural aspect retailers legitimize consumerism which could be construed as indulgence.
The framework for a theory of institutions is presented. Both the objective and subjective approaches to a theory of institutions are useful. The subjective approach analyzes institutions in relation to the individual, where institutions are defined as norms which uphold govern actions taken in pursuit of immediate ends, insuring that these actions are consistent with the underlying common value system of a community. These norms shape people's relationships with one another and link the subjective perspective to the objective. The objective perspective allows the analysis of groups and relationships among individuals in groups.
While there is evidence that caste as a religiously sanctioned system in India is declining, caste organization and identity remain important sources of social capital for rural elites. Drawing on fieldwork on the Jat caste in Uttar Pradesh, the continuation of traditional dominance through political and social networks is examined.
Explores the relationship between Internet use and individual-level production of social capital. Four types of Internet use are examined as predictors of civic engagement, interpersonal trust, and life contentment, and compared against demographic, contextual, and traditional media use variables.
Factors that contribute to disparate levels of economic development in Papua New Guinea’s 19 provinces are examined. Ethnic fragmentation is found to have the most significant correlation with low levels of development. A distinction between intra-group “bonding” social capital and inter-group “bridging” social capital is made.
The effects that social capital, including civic participation and parental and community involvement in education have on the effectiveness of investments in education are examined. Social capital can improve the efficiency of investments in human capital. This finding indicates a need to design institutions that will help build social capital at the family and community level. Such institutions will make investments in education more cost effectiveness.
Cooperative efforts enable more than 40 different nationalities to coexist peacefully in a region of China. Viewing ethnic diversity and interethnic exchanges as strength enables this region made up of more than 40 groups to cooperatively achieve economic growth, shared information, and improved educational systems.
