Introduction The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast two different papers that highlight how social capital is viewed by different communities in any given society. The first article titled “Social Capital and Civil Society” was published in October 1999 by Francis Fukuyama from the institute of Public Policy, George Mason University. Fukuyama (1999) explores to examine in a wider context what social capital is? It’s key function in the free market, how social capital is measured and finally makes suggestions on how social capital can be cultivated for the good in any given society. In the second article titled “What is Social Capital and why is it important to Public Policy?” was published in 1998 by Robert E. Lang and Steven P. Hornburg from the Fannie Mae Foundation. The authors highlight that social capital has a clear link to government housing and urban policy formation and argue that the lack of social capital has a clear affect to community stability and housing provision. By using Robert Putman’s concepts and comparing six different articles on social capital the author’s further see the increase to social capital to an area has a high effect to the community and improves the lives of many people that are living in deprived areas of the society. Brief Outline Articles Article One “Social Capital and Civil Society” published in October 1999 By Francis Fukuyama from the institute of Public Policy, George Mason University. Fukuyama (1999) defines social capital as the cooperation of a group of people that are mainly formed by two or more people. He goes further to claim that the formation of the group can be between two very good friends or be more complicated like in the formation of religious group b... ... middle of paper ... ...l suggested by “globalisation” where the involvement of the community is made not just for capital gain but by ideas of culture. In conclusion this two articles even though different and written for two different audiences, prove without a doubt the theoretical concept behind social capital whether the focus is in housing, public policy or civil society, an enhanced social capital within a community can generate good to any given society. Bibliography Fukuyama F., (1999). Social Capital and Civil Society. The Institute of Public Policy. Web. March 1, 2016 https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/seminar/1999/reforms/fukuyama.htm Lang R.E, and Hornburg S.P (1998) What is Social Capital and why is it important to Public Policy?. Housing Policy Debate. Vol.9, No.1, pp1-16. Web. March 6, 2016 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10511482.1998.9521284
Mintz Eric, Close David, Croc Osvaldo. Politics, Power and the Common Good: An Introduction to Political Science. 2009. Toronto: Pearson Canada. 15,147,183.
...t: How the lack of affordable housing impacts on all aspects of life [PDF] Available at Shelter website; england.shelter.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/268752/The_Human_Cost.pdf
2. Is the decline of social capital as important as Putnam argues? Why or why not?
Putnam, Robert D. 1993b. The Prosperous Community: Social Capital and Public Life. American Prospect 13: 35-42.
To fully understand why social, economic, and cultural capital could lead to success or failure, it is essential to know the difference between the three. Social capital is defined by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development as “the links, shared values, and understandings in society that enable individuals and groups to trust each other and to work together” (OECD, 2015). Social capital can be multiple things including family members, colleagues, and strangers who have the
There is an agreement in the literature that “when people share a strong sense of community they are empowered and motivated to change the problems they face and are better able to mediate the negative effects over things which they have no control” (Chavis & Wandersman, 1990).
‘There is much talk about community in everyday life’ (Popple, 2015, p. 11). Community often gets valued on its spirits as well measured by its population. It can be argued that community is a challenge of
It is often easy to castigate large cities or third world countries as failures in the field of affordable housing, yet the crisis, like an invisible cancer, manifests itself in many forms, plaguing both urban and suburban areas. Reformers have wrestled passionately with the issue for centuries, revealing the severity of the situation in an attempt for change, while politicians have only responded with band aid solutions. Unfortunately, the housing crisis easily fades from our memory, replaced by visions of homeless vets, or starving children. Metropolis magazine explains that “…though billions of dollars are spent each year on housing and development programs worldwide, ? At least 1 billion people lack adequate housing; some 100 million have none at all.? In an attempt to correct this worldwide dilemma, a United Nations conference, Habitat II, was held in Istanbul, Turkey in June of 1996. This conference was open not only to government leaders, but also to community organizers, non governmental organizations, architects and planners. “By the year 2000, half the world’s people will live in cities. By the year 2025, two thirds of the world population will be urban dwellers ? Globally, one million people move from the countryside to the city each week.? Martin Johnson, a community organizer and Princeton professor who attended Habitat II, definitively put into words the focus of the deliberations. Cities, which are currently plagued with several of the severe problems of dis-investment ?crime, violence, lack of jobs and inequality ?and more importantly, a lack of affordable and decent housing, quickly appeared in the forefront of the agenda.
In Unequal Childhood - Class, Race, and Family Life, Annette Lareau tributes the French social scientist Pierre Bourdieu when using his theory of the forms of capital as a fundamental argument on her study. In this theory, Bourdieu recognizes three different types of capital; social, symbolical and cultural. Bourdieu describes social capital as “the aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition.” This means that social capital is based on resources built from personal relationships, club memberships and other social influence and connections. The second form of capital,
Ream, Robert K., and Gregory J. Palardy. "Reexamining Social Class Differences in the Availability and the Educational Utility of Parental Social Capital." American Educational Research Journal 45.2 (2008): 238-273. JSTOR. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
The basic premise of social capital is investment in social relationships with expected results (Nan Lin 1999). Further Nan Lin (2001: 19-20) describes four basic things,
Compare and contrast the ways in which housing inequalities are discussed from the perspectives of social policy and criminology, and economics (TMA 02)
Plomin, R & Asbury, K. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, July 2005; vol. 600, 1:pp.86-98.
Young, B. (2006). A Study on the Effect of Internet Use and Social Capital on the Academic Performance. Development and Society, 35, 107-123.
‘Social Planning’, is a model of development which can be described as, ‘Doing For’, the community. If it is perceived by government bodies that a community has sunk so low that is unable to be resolved by using alternative methods, (some of which will be discussed later in this essay), the government will intervene with methods deemed necessary.