Blackwell Reference Online

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While the term social capital has become fashionable only during the past decade or so, the concept is at the core of two strands of classical sociological thinking. Throughout his writings, Emile Durkheim (1951, 1961) observes that a cohesive social system, characterized by normative consensus, connectedness, and social control, promotes the welfare of its members. Durkheim argued that social life, itself, was a fundamental element that could not be reduced to its individual-level constituents. Alexis de Tocqueville (1945), the great political and social theorist, also recognized that vibrant social communities create a virtuous cycle of social life by generating trust that in turn promotes civic involvement and a commitment to the common good.These attributes of normative consensus, social connectedness, trust, and a sense of the common good are popularly believed to be atrophying in contemporary society (Smith, 2002). Whether true or not, this perception helps to explain why the notion of social capital, a term that embodies in one form or another all of these elements, would command interest among social scientists, policymakers, and even the wider public. The pervasive concern that civic involvement is being eroded directs attention to the missing elements of social life. How have they been dissipated, and what would it take to recapture them, are questions that resonate in ... log in or subscribe to read full text