The Prosperous Community: Social Capital and Public Life
Author(s)
Putnam, Robert
Abstract
The importance of social cohesiveness to both economic prosperity and personal flourishing has long been ignored by mainstream economic theorists. Other social scientists have begun to analyze the problems of collective action using the analytic rubric of social capital, which are those features of social organizations that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit, such as social networks, norms and trust. Social capital has proven to be a scarce and fragile resource that is difficult to cultivate in some communities. This paper examines the relationship between social capital and economic growth in a variety of contexts, and calls attention to the idea that civic engagement is central to economic progress.
